Review Summary: Straylight Run delve into the world of indie rock with generally positive results. A relatively risky move on their part but one that i feel will pay off for them.
Straylight Run are a band with promise that is for sure, however neither their debut album nor EP really lived up to this promise. While the self titled debut was a stellar effort it was invariably a hit or miss affair which, despite having beautiful melodies and respectable song writing, was far too safe to really deliver a thoroughly rewarding album. Their EP “Prepare to Be Wrong,” was a step in the right direction sound wise, it had the experimental edge and took the band away from Ben Folds Five and towards a Saddle Creek-esq sound but failed to really deliver and lacked the cutting edge. The sound and ideas were in place but the songs were missing. “Big Shot” showed what they could achieve but the EP was a rushed release with the band producing it mainly to full contractual agreements with ex label Victory. Maybe I was expecting too much of the band? but to my mind when the principle songwriter on Taking Back Sunday’s “Tell All Your Friends” decides to make a more experimental indie rock album I’m going to be expecting great things. Like many bands experiencing a re-birth after severe label troubles Straylight Run all but disappeared from the musical radar and set about writing their second full length, “The Needles, The Space.”
Quite frankly the whole albums is light years ahead of anything they have managed in the past without ever managing to tap into the essence of what separates a good record from a great record. For those who don’t know Straylight Run are vocally handled by brother and sister combination John and Michelle Nolan and where as in the past Michelle was without doubt the weaker of the two, roles have since reserved and she has come to dominate the pairing. Michelle has developed a certain quirkiness to her voice and even has a little of the country twang thrown in there, not bad for a girl from New Jersey. Obvious parallels can be drawn to Jenny Lewis of the Rilo Kiley fame and with “The Needles, The Space” the two bands aren’t sonically worlds apart either. It would be very unfair on John to say his vocals have actually got worse but compared with Michelle’s voice he just sounds so bland and generic. His vocals have changed little from the Taking Back Sunday days and do not sit so well in an indie rock setting. That is not to say he is a bad vocalist by any means but just comes of uninspired in the face of his more able sister.
It is a huge shame that the band have chosen, or rather their label has chosen to lead with not only the worst song on the album, but also the most predictable and the only song that could of sat comfortably on their untitled debut. “Soon We Will Be Living in the Future” features an all too predictable vocal line over acoustic chords before breaching into familiar electro-acoustic territory, the chorus has the same melody as a good five songs on their debut and simply feels out of place on what should be a huge step away from that sound. It is telling however that even if indeed it had been on their debut it would surely have been one of the finest songs. Such is the improvement in song writing that even the least of “The Needles, The Space” triumphs easily over its predecessor. If we look past that somewhat unsavoury moment however, there are some real gems here. “How Do I Fix My Head” and “Still Alone” are superb indie pop songs. The latter is dominated by spiraling trumpet lines after a low key birth and the former is a ballad of sorts and sounds like something Conor Oberst would write if he overdosed on female hormones. It has an excellent full sound with meandering guitar lines which compliment the primary focus, that being Michelle’s vocals, rather well. There are even few Radiohead style noises in the background and any song that is reminiscent of OK Computer has a received a very, very large compliment indeed.
Rather than the simple drum work Will Noon employs subtle almost electronic feeling beats, although he falls back on the predictable in many of John’s songs. “Take It Manhattan” is one of the few piano driven songs here which is surprising for a band that whose raison d’etre was once to be a “piano band”. To continue the Radiohead comparisons “The First of the Century” sounds very similar to the opening of “Exit Music (For a Film)” but tails of into more familiar territory. “The Needles, The Space” is definitely an album that wears it’s influences on it’s sleave, that much is sure, however they still manage to keep a sense of individuality and that is why this is such an enjoyable listen. At times you feel the Wilco influence, as with the stripped back acoustic number “Buttoned Down” and on other occasions it feels like an auto-tuned Neutral Milk Hotel, yet through it all Straylight manage to craft their own identity.
Lyrically Straylight Run were always respectable without ever really extending beyond that label. I feel they have improved in this department but not significantly enough for them to be held amongst the scenes best lyricists. In terms of what lyrical focus the band have finally moved away from writing about Taking Back Sunday and onto more sophisticated material. “How To Fix My Head” tells of the materialistic world with verses of, “Why that plastic surgery's just what you need. Then you'll be happy..” and “Surrounded by mirrors and people who stare, silently, judging..” it’s a long way from the standard of touring partners Brand New but they are certainly strong enough to let the melodies do the talking. Elsewhere John’s focus is on sex and relationships, on the slow burning an powerful “We’ll Never Leave Again” he croons, “And your hands on the wall, off the edge of the bed, said all that needed to be said. Your body beneath me, rising and sinking.” However closer “Who Will Save Us Now” drifts away from this into a political arena, with an at times poignant and at times clumsy critique of American society.
Of course this album isn’t going to change the world and their old fans may be reluctant to embrace the changes. That said this is most certainly is a commendable effort, which grows and grows with each listen. The band have come so far musically from a bland but enjoyable pop rock band in the shadow of Taking Back Sunday, to a genuinely experimental and creative indie rock outfit that would feel more at home on Saddle Creek that they ever did on Victory Records.
Recommended Songs
How Do I Fix My Head
Who Will Save Us Now?
Buttoned Down
www.myspace.com/straylightrun
