Selected songs for listening: "Late Nights"
(Only one I could find; I don't condone the video.)
 |
| Someone didn't get the memo... |
Alternative rock can be a hard genre for a band to be
noticed in; saturation with consistent mediocrity and the generic has a
tendency to smother some of the best bands that just can’t seem to become
popular on a large scale. Add in the fact that many well-known heavyweights top
the charts year after year and a grim outlook forms on the horizon for anyone
trying to make it in this particular genre. With their recent release of “The
Gift Horse”, California-borne Brown Shoe seems to be trying their best to rise
above the forgettable by letting their music speak for itself. Unfortunately,
what they dish out just doesn’t appear to be speaking loud enough despite its
catchy, easy-going sound.
Being their most recent release, “The Gift Horse” embodies
Brown Shoe’s sound in its purest form and, despite having no large-name
producer, exhibits a delightfully high production value. All of the pieces in
each song are usually present with the occasional moment where the bass slides
under the mix to the point of being barely audible. Given the sound and style
of the music, however, this fact isn’t all that surprising and never really
detracts from the overall sonic value. The most notable part of the mix comes
in the form of the copious reverb that bathes each track, giving each song a
deep, echoing style that is rather unique and enjoyable. There is even a song
that includes a well-placed toy accordion, showing the careful effort spent in
instrumentation. It is obvious that Brown Shoe worked hard for crispness and
clarity, the latter being especially difficult when so much reverb is included.
 |
| 3/5 members of Brown Shoe do indeed wear brown shoes. |
There are problems that manifest from their signature
reverb, however, most often taking the form of a subtle repetitiveness that
never gets shaken off throughout the entire album. While the depth of sound
achieved is definitely appreciated, the consistency of the reverb has a
tendency to make things run together. This is not helped by the fact that many
of the songs choose similar keys, causing some songs to sound altogether
similar to the rest of the album. There are exceptions, of course, but pushing
some of the tracks into a different key would have given “The Gift Horse” a
more diverse feel. This is again compounded by the vocals that, while
relatively unique and always well executed, contain the same foundation in
every song, bogging down the songs even more into a similar mold. While they
have created some very catchy material, Brown Shoe ties itself up in creating
that same material many times over, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
A saving grace from all this is the relatively diverse
structuring that gives a defining characteristic to each of the songs. The band
manages to steer away from falling into a 4/4 rut too often and gives most songs
their own rhythmic feel. Slow builds in some songs like “The Run” (which is
arguably the best on the album) to faster beats on songs such as “Pauper” bring
freshening variety to the whole album, saving the listener from becoming too
bored with what sounds similar throughout.
 |
| "Oh god, I'm touching a bass guitar! Get it off, get it off!" |
The most glaring flaw of this album is certainly the bipolar
lyrics, ranging from deeply meaningful to downright confusing to laughably bad.
While the focus of the album is obviously relationships and encounters with
lovers, Brown Shoe manages to shine in some places and trip over its own feet
in others. “C.F.” and “The Run” are surprisingly heavy in lyrical nature and
show the band’s potential for solid writing; others such as “All Your Ghosts”
and “Sick Man” are so tragically terrible to the point of distraction. It’s a
crying shame, really: there is a large opportunity for musical brilliance by
combining skilled writing with enjoyable music, but the chance has been
squandered. Instead, the listener is left with a raised eyebrow and a reason
not to give them a chance.
Despite these complaints, the album is still enjoyable. At
heart, Brown Shoe really is just an alternative rock band: a far less known
American answer to Coldplay, in a way. “The Gift Horse” feels like an album
that one might listen to while driving down the road on an overcast day or
while watching the rain drip down the window during a storm. It’s upbeat and yet
surprisingly gloomy, but it never really shakes an unfortunate vice of sounding
a bit bland. Were it not also for the appalling writing, this album and its
creator would have far more potential to be a widely known act. Brown Shoe’s
“The Gift Horse” manages to bring home a:
 |
| 4 questionable verses out of 7. |
No comments:
Post a Comment