That said, I want to put forth my only complaint about this album right up front. However, my complaint is not about the music, but about the marketing.
At the beginning of the year, I purchased their single for the song "Timeless", which is an amazing song. A month, or so, later, they released a four-song EP called "The Secret". It also contained "Timeless", but also three other songs - "The Secret", "The Storm", and "Safe". I also purchased this. A matter of weeks later, the new album - "Such Hot Blood" - came out. I was upset to find that four of the ten tracks were the same songs found on the EP. The EP wasn't like Silversun Pickup's three-song EP "Seasick" - material not found on any album. Essentially, I paid for the same music - twice. And in the instance of "Timeless" - three times! It is a cheap gimmick perpetrated by the record company to get you to pay more, and I hate it. I totally fell for it.
But "hate" is not a word that I would use to describe the new album. In fact, I like it.
It was the summer of 2009 that I was first introduced to this band. I was in Montana on the fair circuit. In my travels, I had picked up a local 'zine and had seen this band advertised for an upcoming show. I knew nothing about them, but decided to pick up a copy of their debut album. It was a hot day in July, and we were tearing down the booth in Bozeman at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. The CD player was sitting on the wet grass, and I was hooked at the first listen. This was deep-rooted Americana, something that you would listen to in a bar in some small town. It was evocative of R.E.M. when they were on IRS, a little of the Smiths, and when I heard him growl at the end of "Missy", it reminded me of Tom Waits. All summer, this CD was on heavy rotation. I took this music home and introduced it to my family.
A couple of years later, we made a special trip to a music store in Mesa, Arizona to buy a copy of their sophomore release, "All At Once", for my then-wife, Temple. She was in love with this band as much as I was. The cool thing about this band is that they have acoustic versions of all their songs on YouTube called "Bombastic Versions". In many ways, I prefer these versions over the album versions. I bet these guys are great live.
The new album is not as moving as the previous two, but it is still a great album. They have a deeply and richly layered sound, much like Arcade Fire, accented by heavy use of piano, orchestra, and violin. In many ways, the new album has a sound similar to U2 or Springsteen with huge, driving anthems bold enough for flag waving.
The opening song, "The Secret", is a song that is typical of the band. One of the thing that sets them apart is their lyrics. I have said before - I am more of a music guy rather than a lyric guy. But lead vocalist, Mikel Jollett, was a writer first and started a band as a vehicle to express his poetry. And it shows.
The next song is "Timeless". I really hate when bands use the best song on the album as their primary single. But really, this is the best song - or as Temple describes it - "genius". It doesn't get any better than this song. The third track, "What's In A Name?", is a driving tune fit for an Irish pub, and it is one of my favorite songs. "Safe" and "The Bridegroom" display their fine usage of orchestra as a means of poetic expression, as does "The Fifth Day". My absolute favorite song is "Elizabeth", the final track - a mellow song that tells a story in much the same way that "Sometime Before Midnight" did.
If you have not had exposure to this band, go out and listen to them. This album is a pretty good place to start...
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