Review Summary: The short-lived project of former Kid Dynamite/None More Black vocalist leave behind them a cracking debut (and final) album.
There have been many instances of bands breaking up after a recording session and releasing their last record posthumously; such records are always an interesting listen, as one can't help but to look for precursors in the lyrics that point to the band's subsequent demise. What makes
On Parallels even more intriguing is that it is
LaGrecia's debut - guitarist/vocalist Jason Shevchuk (of
Kid Dynamite and
None More Black infamy) left the band after ending a relationship with drummer Dana Berkowitz (formerly of
Red Sparrowes), and the band subsequently dissolved before they could even perform at their own record release party. What they leave behind then, is (surprisingly, given their collective influences/previous output) a melodic rock album (with a subtle folksy influence), and a solid one at that.
LaGrecia initially began as Jason's acoustic project OnGuard, and this relatively stripped down approach was clearly maintained after the arrival of Dana and bassist Sal (who was also responsible for the striking artwork); the bluesy drawl of
"Slower than Mannasses" in particular sounding like it was conceived on a front porch with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a bottle of hard liquor.
While it would be easy to examine the lyrics in light of the circumstances around the band's breakup (lines like
"I gotta know, why oh why do you love me?" are given a poignant new meaning if you make the assumption that Jason wrote those lyrics about Dana just prior to their breakup), but what's screaming out for attention here is the music itself. There's a whole host of influences on show here, from the funky foot-stomping main riff of off-kilter opener
"Hey Medic" to the country-esque hoe-down of
"Two Shotguns" - for a man who once sang
"I don't give a shit what punk has to say anymore," Jason's been as good as his word here. Being a one-guitar band, there's none of the screaming octave-melodies and "twiddly" bits that garnished the guitarwork in Jason's previous bands; instead there's lots of powerchords, picked melodies, and the occasional solo, with a tone that lies somewhere in the middle ground between clean and distorted. Sal's basslines generally follow the guitar, going off on melodic tangents here and there, and similarly Dana's drumming is fairly straightforward with the occasional bit of flair to keep things interesting.
This simplicity in the instrumentation could potentially lead to blandness and boredom in the wrong hands, but Jason's songwriting style veers away from using too much repetition, and as such the songs rarely lose the listener's interest, tending to evolve and expand as they go on, each one benefiting from the pleasantly earthy feel provided by the very live-sounding production. One familiar aspect of the sound is Jason's raw-throated vocal delivery, toned down a little from his work with
None More Black (and a LOT from
Kid Dynamite, sorry hardcore fans!), but with enough rasp to give things a nice edge. His propensity for "wordless singing" means the songs are peppered with several catchy instances of
"whoah-ohs-oh"s,
"hey-hey"s, and to great effect in the epic outro to
"You Like Baseball, I Like Ghosts," some
"ai-ya-ya-ya"s! If this sounds like lazy songwriting in print, it's anything but - it's almost as though Jason sang some lead guitar parts to demonstrate the melody, and then left the vocals in instead of the guitar - it's something he's been doing since KD's first album, a trait that puts his personal stamp on the music, and it brings a warm sense of familiarity to the proceedings.
If it seems like I'm concentrating on Mr. Shevchuk a little too much, it should be noted that
LaGrecia seems to be very much HIS band; not to discredit Sal and Dana's great performances, but Jason's typically personal and upfront lyricism is present throughout, and as I've mentioned, his distinctive and interesting songwriting style is noticable, despite the differences in sound from his previous bands. Having reunited with
None More Black in the wake of
LaGrecia's breakup, it'll be interesting to see if Jason takes the wider range of influences he's explored on
On Parallels with him for the next NMB album; in fact, it'll be rather dissappointing if he doesn't, as
LaGrecia have made a record that is brimming with ideas and promise, and it'd be a shame if those were to reach a dead end with the band's dissolution. Time will tell whether
On Parallels will come to be regarded as an important turning point in Jason's career or merely a small sidenote in his discography - either way, it remains an intriguing, enjoyable and varied listen, and that should be more than enough for it to get the respect and admiration it deserves.
3.8/5
