This review is a little late, but better late than never, right? So a little while ago, I went to see Elvis Depressedly at the Chameleon Club, and he was on tour with several other artists which I did not realize. The night opened up with an up and coming female rock group, which set the stage for the personal show. The club has various floors, and we were downstairs where there is less space, making the shows more personal. Next came Spencer Radcliff, who I have always enjoyed listening to, but was never a huge fan. Next was Horse Jumper of Love, a band I had started listening to maybe a day or two prior to the show.
They started off the set, and it was so good. They are such a talented band. In between songs, the lead singer would talk to the crowd, but he literally sounded like a mouse, which is sort of reflected in their debut album. After the show I went to the merch table to buy their album on vinyl, and the drummer, Jamie, asked me what color, I chose white, but he ended up giving me red. Not mad; the record is great no matter the aesthetic color of the vinyl. Anyways, enough backstory, here’s my review: HJoL’s self titled album is a hit or miss for a lot of people. Some people mistake it’s syrupy rock sound for emo whining, but do not confuse the slow pace of the record for sluggishness; the songs are paced and have greater meaning when they are not criticized upon the first listen. This album is cautious and haunting. The opening track, “Ugly Brunette,” is maybe one of my favorites on the album. The lyrics are simple, but have a deeper meaning; the lead said it was about losing a shirt on a family vacation, hence the lyrics about the shirt and getting bleach on it. The song is simple lyrically, but packs a nice punch rhythmically. The guitars pushes the song along, and embraces the grungy side of the band. The following track, "July 5th," is hardly a minute. It does not really do much for me; the guitar is softer than “Ugly Brunette,”and it is a little too short to really get me interested. It moves the album along, but it really does not do anything else. The third track, “Bagel Breath,” is very slow. After three minutes, it feels like the whole album has passed by, however, I still enjoy this track. The story it captures is timeless; someone crawling into another’s bed, spilling sour patch kids everywhere, but the other person does not care. It is a love story in three minutes. A simplistic one, yet I still enjoy it. The next track is “Spaceman,” and it is another good one. This track is actually semi-fast moving. The guitar and the drums work together to up the pace on the track. This is probably the track with the most lyrics too. Even though the track after “Spaceman,” “I Want To Paint horses...And to Have a Horse” is another short one, I love it. It isn’t sludgy like the other tracks. They played it live, and it was just cool to see it and hear it live, and be able to compare it to a studio recording. The track following it is not as sludgy as the other songs either, it still has that quiet, offbeat sound, but it isn’t as heavy. The drums are more in the forefront with the cymbals accompanying it. “DIRT” is a solid track all around, and it think it makes sense that it is placed after “IWTPH...ATHAH.” The rest of the tracks are just as good, some sludgier than others. As a whole, the album is a cohesive work of slow moving soft rock with a twinge of that indie emo we all love. “Orange Peeler” is a great closer; it really encompasses the whole album; it has a perfect mix of sludge and quietness. The only huge downside of the album is that the track “Poison” is not on it. They have an Audiotree Live album, and it is on it, but I would have loved to hear a studio recording of it after hearing it live in Lancaster. It is my favorite track by them by far. So, check them out, give it a listen. Let me know what you think: good or bad? Rating: 7/10
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