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Odd Soul is an overwhelming listen at first. For fifty minutes, it's unrelentingly noisy and dense, which can all be a bit much to take in at once. The uniform distortion and loud, heavy guitar riffs that permeate nearly every song make them seem slightly interchangeable. However, taken one by one, it becomes clear that these songs have a lot more to offer individually than it may seem. Beneath their many layers, these are some of the most infectious songs I've heard all year. They're also some of the most creative and unpredictable. Early on, the trifecta of "Prytania," "Blood Pressure" and "Heads Up" exemplify both of these qualities. On paper, they appear simple, built on repetition, with catchy, straightforward choruses; in execution, however, they are immense. Never quite settling on a single melody, the off-kilter percussion, robust bursts of guitar, abrupt starts and stops, and Paul Meany's passionate, bluesy howl all contribute to these songs' success, freeing them from the limits of typical rock. They are the kind of songs that both stick in your head immediately and stay there for days, somehow revealing a little more every time you listen. Directly following these tracks, "All or Nothing" offers a brief reprieve but is no less enthralling. Its slowed-down tempo and uplifting lyrics ("Don't waste a whole life/On just a half-try/It's all or nothing") could easily place it into cheesy ballad territory but the subtle underlying electronic elements, Meany's unexpectedly tender delivery and the refreshing instrumental twist near the end make it one of the album's highlights. Understated closer "In No Time" works in much the same way. Though much of Odd Soul relies on a lot of musical bells and whistles, it never drowns in pretension or overindulgence. Instead, the effort it takes to unlock these songs feels worth it. In fact, I almost feel bad for placing it so low. But I've only just begun discovering it after unfortunately neglecting it for some time, which leaves it at a disadvantage when compared to the albums I've had months to live with. I imagine it's one of those albums I'll wish I had placed much higher a year or so from now and really, there's no better compliment than that - it's very difficult to make an album that will hold up so well over time.
Dec. 20th, 2011
Odd Soul is an overwhelming listen at first. For fifty minutes, it's unrelentingly noisy and dense, which can all be a bit much to take in at once. The uniform distortion and loud, heavy guitar riffs that permeate nearly every song make them seem slightly interchangeable. However, taken one by one, it becomes clear that these songs have a lot more to offer individually than it may seem. Beneath their many layers, these are some of the most infectious songs I've heard all year. They're also some of the most creative and unpredictable. Early on, the trifecta of "Prytania," "Blood Pressure" and "Heads Up" exemplify both of these qualities. On paper, they appear simple, built on repetition, with catchy, straightforward choruses; in execution, however, they are immense. Never quite settling on a single melody, the off-kilter percussion, robust bursts of guitar, abrupt starts and stops, and Paul Meany's passionate, bluesy howl all contribute to these songs' success, freeing them from the limits of typical rock. They are the kind of songs that both stick in your head immediately and stay there for days, somehow revealing a little more every time you listen. Directly following these tracks, "All or Nothing" offers a brief reprieve but is no less enthralling. Its slowed-down tempo and uplifting lyrics ("Don't waste a whole life/On just a half-try/It's all or nothing") could easily place it into cheesy ballad territory but the subtle underlying electronic elements, Meany's unexpectedly tender delivery and the refreshing instrumental twist near the end make it one of the album's highlights. Understated closer "In No Time" works in much the same way. Though much of Odd Soul relies on a lot of musical bells and whistles, it never drowns in pretension or overindulgence. Instead, the effort it takes to unlock these songs feels worth it. In fact, I almost feel bad for placing it so low. But I've only just begun discovering it after unfortunately neglecting it for some time, which leaves it at a disadvantage when compared to the albums I've had months to live with. I imagine it's one of those albums I'll wish I had placed much higher a year or so from now and really, there's no better compliment than that - it's very difficult to make an album that will hold up so well over time.
