Copenhagen’s Brain Soup Release “Cheese EP”
Copenhagen's Brain Soup have released the Cheese EP through streaming platforms and as a name your price download via Bandcamp,…
Haze - Pure Noise Records
Meticulously controlled Californian indie-rockers The American Scene have returned with their sophomore full length, Haze. First though, let’s get one glaring detail out of the way: Alkaline Trio fans will be pleased with the vocal similarities awaiting them. Front man Matthew Vincent’s calm, controlled demeanor permeates every crevice of the band’s sturdy musical core. He scrupulously enunciates each word with a haunting clarity that few outside of Matt Skiba have mastered. But Vincent takes it a step further, replacing expressions with an eerie robotic certainty – the type that becomes expressionlessly expressive in its monochromatic palette. The style makes for an initial “wow” factor that over the course of the album reveals itself as a double edged sword.
But first the good news. Haze’s opening moments buzz with confidence as guitars pop and bass hums during the title track. The drawn out choral line “consenting machine / collecting what seems constant” makes for an early showstopper before launching into the diverging late-song bridge built upon the ominous statement, “I don’t know who would want to live forever in this place.” The brooding simplicity is direct and effective. Tunes like “Nails Of Love” and “White Window” emulate similar successes further down the line. A song later on “Royal Blue” tempos lift ever so slightly and the guitars elevate in tone to match. The atmosphere lightens and the chorus heavy track launches into a bout of repetition: “Man I told you I was cruel, I was so cruel I was so cruel, so cruel when I was dying And I was cool, I was so, so cool I was so cool, so cool when I was dying.” The catchy chorus heightens the mood, but also begins to reveal early cracks in Haze’s foundation. Later repetition begins blurring subsequent tracks as their breakout moments “break out” from the mould less and less.
While the album’s rigid structure ensures a high level of continuity, track-by-track personality takes a hit. Any of Haze’s ten tunes could just as easily serve as a memorable lead single, but together they come up shy of meaningfully distinguishing themselves from one another. Take for instance how little the modest tempo shift from “What I Could Gather” to “Over To You” does to usher in a new song. This isn’t to say that either songs is a weak point – quite the opposite in fact – but after seven songs existing within the same limited soundwaves, they come across less purposeful and the lyrics become less striking. As the album rolls on the issue reveals itself as more of a case of listener fatigue than a reduction in quality musicianship.
Despite Haze’s overarching flaw, I continue to gravitate towards The American Scene above a myriad of other new releases. The quartet’s confidence is second to none, and even when Haze’s individual tracks begin to blur together, they’re still able to convince listeners to maintain their attention. The American Scene is a band to watch; once they fine tune their internal intricacies and figure how to “break out” from their mould without breaking their calm composure, there will be potential for a true contemporary indie-rock classic.