Lilith – “Vacation”
Usually I post these with some press blurb from an email or something. I was not sent any press release for this particular one. Safer Off is a record I’ve been looking forward to, and I just really like this band. I’ll always love some good pop rock.
Hey, remember when I wrote about Sad Blood back in November? No? Well, here is a refresher. I ended the review being kind of a snarky and saying:
“Will Sad Blood be another one of those one-and-done bands that flooded my inbox a few years ago? I hope not. I’d like to hear a lot more from them, because Ultimate Worrier is a hell of an introduction.”
Past me can stop worrying though. There is a new EP from Sad Blood. I would have talked about it back in May, but I’m the worst. Anyway. It’s really good. Legion Of Gloom is the logical next step after Ultimate Worrier. It’s still a Doomsday Device of emo music loaded with pop hooks. There is still a lot of Dowsing and Pet Symmetry going on here, but Sad Blood are making it theirs. They sound more comfortable and have really found their feet.
If anything, the music has gotten more on the power pop side of things. It’s actually very interesting to see the band start making those moves. There is almost a dissonance between how the music sounds and what the lyrics are. The music has only gotten poppier and more melodic. The lyrics remain ever in bummer territory. I like that kind of thing though, so it definitely works for me. They add lighthearted humor behind it though. It certainly helps when they are talking about feeling nothing.
Also, the handclap gimmick on “Ten More Years” is my favorite thing.
Despite the proliferation of DIY music production tools, it is still very rare to hear an unsigned band put out a “professional” sounding album. A lot of bands go crazy with the production aspects. Either things get mixed too glossy, or they don’t utilize the tools enough. That is the first thing that struck me about Stellar Young. Everything At Once sounds great. They clearly cared enough about the resulting album to get shit done right.
Everything At Once is a shiny little indie rock record. The thing is filled to the brim with hooks. The band certainly has the chops to produce great songs. The album opens with “Playing With Guns,” which is a great example of what to expect. Catchy indie rock informed by power pop. Follow up songs “Restless” and “The Universe Is A Bully” are more of the same. A little faster, but just furthering the feel. These songs feature great interplay between the guitars.
Musically, this album is really strong. The two guitars and keyboard play off each other very well. There is definitely a lot going on, but nothing becomes super overpowering. The vocals (lead and background) are the real show. The vocal interplay on the (kind of) dancey “We Own Nothing” are probably the best example of this. Everyone is playing their part to a T.
Overall, I don’t have many complaints about this record. It might be a little long? The shortest song, “As You Go,” is just this side of four minutes. The songs are certainly good, but the end product feels a bit too much for me. A 10 song record coming in at 46 minutes is a little much (for this type of thing). Granted, I don’t listen to this kind of thing with much frequency. This is a minor quibble. If you want to listen to some well made indie rock that is heavy on the pop side of things, there is little reason not to give this a go. It is an enjoyable record that will probably put you in a good mood.
Stellar Young
BandCamp (Purchase digital or physical)
Well, we can throw this band on the list of bands that broke up this year. This EP is a pretty good way to go out. Prior to starting this review, I should note that I am reviewing the 7″ version. Seems that it is not the same track order as on the other formats. So, you know, that is kind of goofy. But, anyway.
Team Reasonable 