The dry vernacular of Jacob Romero seems more like that of a guy hailing from Northern England than from the Canadian province of Quebec. There's more than a hint of Morrissey and/or The Wedding Present in his dour vocal delivery and sardonic view of the world.
Not only is the album title a bit of a mouthful but song titles like Destruction Is Always More Exciting and So, You're Like Monumentally Busy? illustrate that Romero is the kind of Indie folk singer who is never at a loss for words.
The Rest Is The Same As Above is his band's 'stop me if you've heard this one before' moment and all the more effective for being more toned down and more subtly bittersweet.
This is the trio's third album and there's some heavy irony going on here but I can't say I felt on the same wavelength. Snosberry Beret is obviously a play on Prince's Raspberry Beret but does that mean we should be laughing or groaning?
|
The arrangements are ramshackle though not I suspect deliberately lo-fi. Often the sound is so cluttered that the electric guitar and blasts of trumpet end up being more of an intrusion than an accompaniment.
Song, By Toad are usually a reliable record label but I can't help thinking they've been sold a pig in a poke here.
One the songs is called Tragically Unhip which probably hits the nail on the head with unwitting accuracy.
|
