 | Shout Out Louds |
The Shout Out Louds recently released their follow up to 2007′s phenomenal Our Ill Wills which is called Work. Work is an accessible enjoyable indie rock record to be sure, and all of the basic staples of the previous effort are here, solid production, silky harmonies and stripped down indie pop goodness, but ultimately the total package delivered on this record fails to be as adventurous and interesting as the last record was, and this album, while still good, falls a little flatter than before.
The great things about Our Ill Wills were that the band took a lot of heavily mined elements (80s infused jams, pop-centric jams) and put them together in an uncontrovertably fresh and interesting way with inspiring songwriting and great compositions all the way through. The record never felt stale and still sounds fresh to me today, every song becomes a new adventure in a new way you wouldn’t have thought about.
Unfortunately, Work doesn’t quite share this same freshness and uniqueness that made the last record such an instant classic for me. The songs are solid, the production is solid, and the songs sound very very similar to the way you would expect, but there are no leaps and no jumps here. This is pretty safe generally, that’s not to say it is bad, it is just safe, so it doesn’t quite transcend the competition as they did on the prior record.
“Walls” was the first single released, and is the standout track for me on the album. It has that irreverent fun and interesting composition that they have the ability to do so well. It is really a great track. Other songs such as “Play the Game”, “Throwing Stones” and “Paper Moon” all have a very hushed and quiet atmosphere that works very well, and they have a lot of building songs that reach some sort of a climax 2/3rds of the way through and hit a tasty outro. Ultimately though these songs are well done, and well put together, but there isn’t a lot of mystery and not a lot of moments that catch you by surprise with where they went or where they are going.
These guys are still one of my favorite bands out there, and the prior record is one that will always be in my rotation I think, because it was so excellent, and I really don’t have anything against this album, but it never really wowed me the way the last one did. It ultimately is what it is and it works, but where their previous record featured tried and true sounds and songstyles taken in incredible new directions, this one features a similar sound, and a similar style, but not as much adventure and not as much exploration, and ultimately I think it doesn’t quite reach the level of its predecessor on that count.
BV Rate: 73
Shout Out Louds – Walls – From Work
Shout Out Louds – Paper Moon – From Work
