Review Summary: Easy comes, but doesn’t go so easy
While Grinspoon’s debut studio album
Guide to Better Living was not devoid of some of the weak spots typical of such releases, it nevertheless was successful in the task set out for it. Even though it didn’t help the Australian band to break into the big time, it managed to cement their status on the alternative scene. However, this also raised the level of expectations for the follow-up, and those tend not to pan out.
Luckily,
Easy, released two years after the debut, confirmed that it wasn’t a case of dumb luck, and Grinspoon were here to stay.
Predominantly staying within the same framework set out on
Guide to Better Living, Grinspoon demonstrate they are not going to rely only on the youthful energy that was one of the distinctive features of the debut. The release of a studio album and intense touring boosted the band’s confidence and expanded their musical horizons, which becomes immediately noticeable when listening to
Easy.
One of the main complaints that can be raised against
Guide to Better Living is a certain monochromatism present in their sound. While it possessed a wide range of hooks in both vocal melodies and music, the general approach to songwriting (and the chosen production) caused the tracks to blur into a single flow. Now this complaint can be easily dismissed.
Easy offers more variety in its moods and tempos. One of the better examples is
Violent and Lazy, which is a somewhat softer track – something not heard on the debut. An attempt to reach a new audience, if you will. Yes, this may disappoint those preferring the heavy-riffing galore the band delivered on the previous release. But while heavy riffs are still provided in spades on
Easy, they are no longer the only ingredient. More tracks are now infused with punk energy (like the opening duo of
American Party Bomb and
Radio 1), which, with heavy guitars still in tow, should be sufficient to please old fans and bring in new ones.
There is a noticeable growth in songwriting as well. Even though many of the cuts rarely exceed the standard three-minute length, the band put in more effort to develop their ideas within a set time frame. The songs no longer feel like sketches where the riffs and general drive have to do all of the heavy lifting, but look rather complete instead.
Secrets is a good example of this: built on a slower yet assured tempo, a solid and powerful central riff, and Phil Jamieson’s commanding vocals, it does everything to let the track claim one of the best spots on the album.
Despite its apparent growth, however, the band is still unable to fully shed its influences. Similarities to other bands are in evidence yet again, though to a lesser extent, making it hard to pinpoint what Grinspoon sounds like on their own. Hopefully, this minor grievance goes away on subsequent albums.
But for now, we can state that the band definitely drew the right conclusions after the release of their debut and made the necessary adjustments. As a result,
Easy is a more interesting and varied work, which also manages to maintain consistency in quality over the entire length of the album. Definitely a worthy addition to their discography.
