Review Summary: 'Catholic Guilt Or The Queerest of Thoughts" is somewhat of a spectacle that must be experienced to be believed. A very dark, often times thought-provoking album riddled with dreamy melodies, strange lyrics and an undeniable feeling of melancholy.
The album's opening track: "We're Alive And Well" starts off with a brittle, empty, raw sounding acoustic guitar with Adam's high, nasally voice echoing over it. Soon enough the song explodes with a sudden change in tone. The acoustic guitar is swapped for the low, foreboding sound of a piano with a drum beat thundering above it. Adam's vocals suddenly shift to a very haunting, child-like pitch. The song features a rather memorable line that has always stood out to me:
"I am just dying to know, where dead animals go."
The song serves as a great opener and gives a great taste of what's to come on the remaining tracks.
The second song: "Play Date With The Opossum" starts off with a somewhat chaotic intro which transitions into a section led by a thumping drum beat under Adam's undeniably haunting vocals. Gradually other sounds are layered on top of the drums and the song achieves a beautiful yet freakish atmosphere. Lyrically this song is one of the most interesting this album has to offer. The song builds up to the point of anguish then ends with a somewhat simple guitar riff, a sense of closure to such a well paced song.
The third song on the album, the album's single; "Utah" was my introduction to All Human. The track opens with a really bassy, simple drum beat accompanied by the simple, pump organ-sounding keyboard which gives the song a very somber atmosphere. It's sad but undeniably bright. Adam's vocals really help to give the song a dark, emotional edge; with lyrics about being alone along side very strange imagery and metaphors. This track sports a rather catchy chorus which has stuck with me for quite some time. This song is, in my opinion, one of the album's high-points; as it fades into silence you can't help but want to start the song over. It's beautiful, sad, and is just an all around good song.
The fourth song sort of changes it's tone. "Appandage Envy" maintains the odd lyricism and instrumentation of the previous 3 songs while increasing the tempo and having the brighter sound of the previous track; "Utah". The song begins with the picking of a guitar and Adam's vocals lightly lathered on top. It sounds ominous at first then beautiful once the vocals come in. This is quickly changed when the song erupts into a moment of sheer madness. The song then transitions into a section accompanied by a rather soft guitar tone and thumping bass. While not the best song on the album, it's still very good.
"No Love Here", my personal favorite from this album is probably the most melodic. The song begins with the sound of an organ followed by the boom of the drum beat. Adam's vocals are layered on too of this and it feels almost natural, almost like his voice belongs there; soaring above the bright, emotional instruments. This track has one of my favorite choruses of all time. It's catchy as well as beautiful and haunting. The song fades away into silence, leaving me in complete awe.
Next comes "The House of Straight & Narrow" which is probably the most somber song this album has to offer. The instruments are slow and simple, while Adam's voice pours over the track like spilt milk (in a good way of course). While not the best song, it's still fairly memorable considering the slow, beautifully executed chorus "Minotaur left the door unlocked, caught him drinking up the bath..." and the noticeably odd lyrics littered throughout the song.
The seventh track; "Fat Accidents" is probably my least favorite this album has to offer. Mostly for the fact that it's not all that interesting instrumentally and vocally. The lyrics are notable though. While not terrible, it's still not great. Especially in comparison to the previous songs.
Ah, another one of my favorites; "Jack Off To The Capital World", the eighth track; is a beautiful, upbeat indie rock song with blissful vocal delivery and a fairly catchy chorus.
The song begins with the glitchy, loud horn-like sounds of a keyboard which fades away into a section populated by drums and the psychedelic sounding synth. Then the almost punk sounding guitar comes in. The instrumentation is rather simplistic, later featuring the sounds of a piano and layered synthesizers. The song fades into static with Adam's voice trailing off in the background.
The ninth song, a simple acoustic song "Rabbit Hole" which serves as a metaphor for being alone because of your different ideals or beliefs. The song itself is just a simple acoustic track which is easily skippable.
"All Human" the tenth song is another one of the album's high points. It features some fairly well-done bass work and some of the best vocals on the entire album. It starts with the plucking of a guitar followed by Adam's vocals and the inclusion of a bass guitar. The song flows well into the chorus which isn't all that memorable. The song builds up to the child-like shrieking of Adam Fisher, the song suddenly slows down and transitions into a section populated mostly by a piano and the bass. The chorus repeats a few times. Although the song itself isn't the most memorable, it's still a very listenable song.
Track eleven, "Oh My My Boy (This Island Is A Sex Drive)" is another one of the albums best tracks. It begins with the hollow, dry tapping of the drum beat. Adam's voice comes in sounding almost distant. Glitchy sounds are added to the mix, followed by the very apparent bass solo. The song moves into a sense of completion. All of the sounds at the beginning are added together while Adam sings over it. In the remainder of the song he sounds strikingly similar to Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins). The song continues at a steady pace, eventually closing just as the song began.
The twelfth and final track "Let Me Be Your Daughter" is a beautiful, almost heavenly instrumental. The entire track is extremely ambient and spacey, a far cry from the previous songs. It provides massive amounts of closure to a near-perfect album.
Catholic Guilt Or The Queerest of Thoughts is a true indie/electronic masterpiece. It's almost indescribable in it's dark and beautiful yet foreboding atmosphere. Everything seems to fit perfectly together; the high pitched vocals soar over the gorgeous melodies and gritty soundscape. The lyrics are weird yet dark and understandable. Catholic Guilt And The Queerest of Thoughts is, in my opinion one of the best albums to be released in the past 5 years. 4.5/5
