Review Summary: A side project from Band of Horses' Mat Brooke that might surprise you.
Looking back on things, it’s kind of a shame that Band of Horses wrote "The Funeral." Maybe if they hadn't, people wouldn't have listened to the inconsistent mess of a band for 3 more albums and shifted their gaze instead to Mat Brooke's side projects. Maybe Grand Archives would have been seen and heard for the apt band that it is, and maybe, just maybe we would have more than two albums from this outfit. But as it stands, Band of Horses continues to pump out mediocrity, and Grand Archives was left without the legs to stand on. And its a shame, because this album, Grand Archives' self titled debut (plus a "The" at the front), is really a treat to any fan of the genre. Grand Archives comes across as Mat Brooke mastering what he wanted Band of Horses to be, minus the epitomic mainstream crossover hit.
Grand Archives shows its niche in its first few tracks. Where Band of Horses used extensive post-production to emulate soundscapes that surround the listener, Archives creates a much more organic sound, sticking to simple instrumentation; harmonicas, acoustic guitars, even whistling that makes an intimate, personal effect. I've always thought that Grand Archives should have switched names with Band of Horses; one has a very grandiose sound compared to the other, who often sounds like three guys sitting in a room, playing music almost conversationally. That’s not to say the music is simple, the band employs many intricate chord progressions (A Setting Sun) and several songs, Sleepdriving in particular, are able to grow throughout the song to create larger, ballad-like impressions.
The variation of songs on the album leads to inconsistency, a similar fate of Band of Horses. the shorter songs are upbeat but tend to be underdeveloped, and a few of the songs are ultimately forgettable. The songs that extend past the 4 minute mark, however, allow the band to really extending their musical wings, showing exactly what Grand Archives are capable of. Swan Matches, the first of these longer ventures, features female backup vocals, and a soothing, almost nostalgic quality with the soft instrumentation while Brooke recalls "I remember how fast we ran / We flew over fences / We dodged all the moving cars." The slow tempo of the song lets the band grow into the gaps and make a large sound with few instruments, and opens the way for the duet to really shine.
Another longer tune off the album is George Kaminski. The sad, slow lament of a song that marks the high point of Mat Brooke’s songwriting career hovers around the midpoint of the album, and is the definitive must-listen of the album. Written after a prison inmate of the same name on death row who briefly held the world record for the largest collection of 4 leaf clovers all collected in a small prison yard, it is a beautiful song of regrets and hope. The piece is masterfully written from beginning to end, with a combination of powerful acoustic chords, three part harmony and some of the most impressive lyrics on the album. When the band proclaims "you have all of this whole world / I have these four leaves and walls," they are talking to both the man that beat Kaminski in the world record, and also directly to the listener at the same time. The song changes gears after a harmonica solo, and turns from a song of regret to one of hope with the band singing "I'll leave all these clovers buried in the ground / for you to find next time around." The entire song is slow and patient, and really makes Brooke’s mourning voice the centerpiece. It only takes one listen to hear that this is where the band is most effective and the most comfortable.
The album's second half is not as strong as the first, songs like Sleepdriving and The Crime Window are fantastic, but the other four songs are essentially the band struggling to come up with new melodies and sounds. The obvious strength of Grand Archives then becomes its most prominent weakness: Mat Brooke's soft tone, the simple instrumentation, the calming atmosphere all drags the album towards a very forgettable soundscape that simply does not demand the user’s attention.
Is Grand Archives better than their big cousin, Band of Horses? Both bands have their flaws, they both employ similar gimmicks. However, when both bands are in their element and are working in harmony, they are damn good, and yet Grand Archives has been dwarfed since conception, constantly living in it's predecessor’s shadow. Whether or not the roles should be reversed is difficult to argue, there is a reason why Band of Horses is where it is. However, this band, this album simply never got the recognition it obviously deserved, and without the proper sunlight this flower required, it ultimately withered. It is a shame, because the sounds this album made, the risks that they took and the revealing lyrics by Mat Brooke’s pen have brought me back to The Grand Archives much more than the band’s counterpart.
Recommended Tracks:
George Kaminski
Torn Blue Foam Couch
The Crime Window
