In a world full of contemporary listeners who value auto-tuned jibberish and ninety-nine cent singles, The Horrible Crowes may be seen as outcasts.
I mean, an entire album of great tunes? Who do they think they are?
Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem and mate Ian Perkins bring excitement to today's musical landscape with their debut LP Elsie. It is a lean, twelve-track beauty filled with sad, soul ballads ("Cherry Blossoms", "I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together") and upbeat, rock with heart-on-sleeve lyrics ("Go Tell Everybody", "Crush", "Behold the Hurricane").
To fans of TGA, Elsie is like a younger brother. Annoying at first, but eventually a worthy rival for affection from outside sources. Regardless, the genetic similarities are evident. Fallon's lyrics are up to par, but they become a focal point with songs that lack TGA's punk edge. "My first love was an arsonist/Black eyes, deep set and avarice/Red lips built like a tomb," he sings over a faint guitar tingle in the early seconds of "Blood Loss". Instead of a symphony of chords and wild change of pace, Fallon's voice is accompanied by an organ before the song hits its stride.
Personally, this is one of the best "side project" efforts I've ever heard. I was weary when I heard Fallon announce his intention to make an album without members of TGA (although they contributed to some tracks) because solo work has a tendency to, for lack of a better term, suck. Instead of proclaiming this work a "solo album", Fallon called up his old pal Ian Perkins and created a new band to experiment with a new sound.
Don't be hesitant to listen to The Horrible Crowes. Please. I'm begging you. Too many of us have been hiding in our musical comfort zones for too long. We download popular and ignore promising. We support artists through single tracks and disregard full albums.
It's time to wake up and smell the vinyl.
Sweet Tracks: "I Witnessed a Crime", "Go Tell Everybody", "Crush", "I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together" (But just get the whole damn album).
