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Simply fucking amazing, Youth Group treads well traveled ground,
yet they succeed in making lasting footsteps beside the founding fathers
of alternative music. Their sound is simple yet it pays obeisance
to multiple 90's mainstays, while maintaining a clear identity that
is fresh and new. At times they sound like Death Cab For Cutie,
at others they veer into early The Cure territory, only to
replace the intensity with something akin to the heaviness of The
Pixies. It is this wide spectrum of sound that makes them interesting
as they own the feel and let it propel them forward.
Production is key, highlighting the good rhythmic qualities of the
songs without letting the theme become repetitious and adding an airy
feel to the vocals that drives the ambiance throughout the record.
Other instruments do their respective things succinctly; guitars are
nice and provide subtle connection lines that are memorable; bass
winds around the main lines giving a nuanced texture to the songs.
But, it is the drums though that give the penultimate momentum to
the material, giving the songs a certain life beyond their basic structure.
Any song on this album would be worthy of air play, but mixed together,
this record moves into must-have territory if not beyond into instant
classic. It is the newness that makes it so exciting to me - yet hearkening
to a time of music that was simpler and uninhibited, nostalgic even.
Now all we need is a record company to pick up the distribution of
their first album, so we can all enjoy it here state-side.
-bishop
Track listing:
1) Shadowland
2) Skeleton Jar
3) Lillian Lies
4) The Frankston Line
5) Baby Body
6) See-Saw
7) Drowned
8) Last Quarter
9) Someone Else's Dreams
10) Why Don't The Buildings Cry?
11) Piece Of Wood
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