Three Man Cannon / Lee Corey Oswald – Split

I can only imagine that releasing a split must require some good management skills.  Both parties must be on the same page, stick to their recording schedule, and have faith in each other’s commitment and output to the project.  And then of course there’s the marketability of each band selling their fans four or five new tracks packaged along with something foreign.  It’s got to be easier for everyone involved to just release a simple EP or 7” and forgo the package deal headache.  For an example of some of these pitfalls, look no further than the joint effort from Portland, Oregon’s Lee Corey Oswald and Scranton, Philadelphia’s Three Man Cannon.

A quick survey of the split suggests that Lee Corey Oswald is simply more invested and deserving of their audience.  Lee Corey Oswald’s superior musicianship shines through in part thanks to recording quality.  The band’s emotional style balances indie-folk and punk circa Connor Oburst and early The Menzingers.  Obnoxiously amped and distorted guitars paired with a flood of vocal feedback wash over all six of these energetic tunes.  The result skillfully contrasts the lead vocal crescendos on slow burners like “Because I Can, And You’re Willing” (think Manchester Orchestra) with the rattle bang of a punked up sing-along like “Dream Song.”  Lee Corey Oswald absolutely nails this split, making what follows feel all the more middling.

A few detrimental traits prevent Three Man Cannon from achieving the same success.  First and foremost is the dilute production value.  Songs play at a shallow, tingy medium that does little to define vocals against the instrumental clamor.  Had the band’s style contrasted with Lee Corey Oswald  the production issues might have been masked; but this is not the case.  Three Man Cannon plays a similar but lacking set that plays like a less inventive and blander Shotgun Jimmie.  “Wonderful Lungs” serves as the sole ray of sunlight this side of the split, but still can’t hold a candle to their Oregon brethren.

This joint effort is like day and night.  Lee Corey Oswald  gathers the crowd at sunrise and Three Man Cannon dissipates them by dusk.  And thus yet another pitfall of the split format rears its ugly head: awarding a single score for two contrasting competencies.  Thankfully digital distribution allows for song-by-song cherry picking, on which note it should be obvious that downloading the Lee Corey Oswald  is a must, and forgoing the Three Man Cannon will afford you more time to joyfully enjoy those downloads.