Upon first listen, First Aid Kit's "The Lion's Roar" is an album drenched in Americana from two sisters with a harmonious sound reminiscent of Bob Dylan, She & Him, or Jenny Lewis' solo endeavor. The catch is that these girls are from far away Sweden, not wandering a desert in the middle of Nevada. But that doesn't stop them from making music to reflect Native American undertones and folk tributes to Emmylou.
Title track "The Lion's Roar" starts off much like the band's first album ("The Big Black and Blue") with acoustic guitar and campfire singalongs. Drums build a crescendo near the end of the first verse into the chorus before a full multi-layered instrumentation kicks in. We see this is a band growing beyond it's normal boundaries, and producer Mike Mogis (famous for Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley) thrusts his influence upon the sound of the band to help push them in the right direction. Folk poppy "Emmylou" tells a love tale paying tribute to the lady herself along with the Man In Black. Things slow down for "In the Hearts of Men" swaying towards "Blue", a beautifully sad song filled with emotional lyrics reeling from personal pain. Each song tells a different story; the album forming a library of experiences over a folk orchestra background. Closing track "King of the World" features Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) on guest vocals, a fitting match considering the song reads like most of "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning". Another great song "Wolf" (released as iTunes exclusive bonus track) is worth the extra price to add more of an upbeat vibe to the album.
Overall: 7 (out of 10)
Standout tracks: Emmylou, The Lion's Roar, King of the World, Wolf, Blue
Next is Nada Surf's "The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy", a powerful musical snap compared to recent endeavors. Despite having all the failings of a one hit band, they managed to pull it together each time to release a solid record if not a legendary album. On their latest attempt, they revitalize the sound from the earlier work but lack the lyrics to pull it together. Caws' voice has always been a favorite of mine but his lyrics really peaked on "Let Go"; "Jules and Jim" even feels regurgitated from said album. The album starts out strong with "Clear Eye Clouded Mind" ( a boring but solid start) before the best tracks, "Waiting For Something" and "When I Was Young", take over. Unfortunately that energy fades away just as quick as it starts. "Teenage Dreams" could have been this album's "Popular" if it wasn't 15 years too late.
The album tends to flutter out like a candle; a true shame for a great band. Die hard fans will eat it up I'm sure but it will be hard to pull in a newer crowd with this weak release. I recommend putting in "Let Go" or "The Proximity Effect" or "High/Low"; let these albums hit your eardrums and just reminiscence.
Overall: 4 (out of 10)
Standout tracks; Waiting For Something, When I Was Young
~StEvO
Cool!Trish
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