I like ‘em fine, but they never really sold me. I think there are two parts to this: one, the songs are kinda samey- the band has a pretty unique sound, but their songs aren’t really anything but that one unique song. hyperbole, but the point stands. two, I think most of the songs are too short. Normally I’m a strong proponent for shorter songs, but that’s typically trying to argue people down from 5 minutes to 3 or 4- these 2 minute or less songs aren’t always long enough for me to get any sort of read on them. They’re over before I know what they sound like. But then again, who knows, maybe they’ll grow on me
RELISTEN1: Ultimately, I think my relisten left me with the exact same two complaints as my first go around, albeit more developed and certain.
First, these songs are indeed too short. Not that it’s impossible to make a good one or two minute song, but it does make it harder to establish a pattern. You don’t want a pattern to go on too long and become worn, but without enough pattern you have no theme, no idea, no unit. It turns into just noise, it becomes incoherent. Admittedly, that’s mostly just an issue on the first album or two, but I think there are still traces of it throughout. Good read, Past Pod.
The other thing is I just don’t really like the vibe. I thought I would, I thought it might grow on me, but the more I listen to it the more I feel it’s not just samey, it’s awkward and stilted. It feels like there’s such deliberate effort on not being constrained by typical rules and conventions- which usually I applaud. But here, it just leads to a jerkiness, a break of flow. I think that’s actually a really good description: awkward and stilted, it’s awkward and stilted. A little bit sometimes in the production and arrangement, occasionally in the poetic stream-of-consciousness lyrics, and really consistently in the melody. Awkward, awkward melodies abound.
I thought it might be quirky and grow on me, but ultimately I think I just don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy listening them enough nearly enough for a B, and I never had enough hopes for them to make it to a C, so they’re getting the big bump to D-
tunafruitsandwitch 