Review Summary: Bloom.
One of the most interesting aspects of music, I think, is the ability to capture one's own situation into the sounds presented. This emulation of oneself, and, in the situation of this album, feelings of youthful eclecticism, proves to be one of the most emotionally engaging aspects of music. And I don't mean songs like fun.'s "We Are Young." That is the complete opposite of what I am talking about. In fact, none of these "generational anthems" properly emulate this. And this is because they are "generational", this is because they are written for the time period, and they are not written to be introspective, but only to be easily swallowed. The feelings you have that you would never express, the words you whisper in your sleep, your memories, your innermost consciousness, and your own life are all absent in this sort of presentation. Not that there's anything wrong with this, there is nothing inherently wrong with these "anthems". All I'm saying is that they lack these qualities. Some might say the lack of pretense is even a good thing, it's accessible, goes down easy. There is nothing wrong with this point of view.
Hit The Pigeon Boy!, however, perfectly capture this sense of true youth, while also playing delightful and palatable music.
Hit The Pigeon Boy! are an emo band from Tel Aviv, Israel, and, although unbeknownst to most people, over the last few years Israel has had a large influx of emo bands including: Bonjour Machines, Kaonashi, Octopaul, and Lunamore. HTPG! have actually been around for a while, but it wasn't until the disbanding of Bonjour Machines and Kaonashi that they finally recorded and released their songs. And I won't sugarcoat it, the recording quality is far from professional. It's probably important to take into consideration that this album's title is postfaced with "(Demo)." The recording quality, however, in no way inhibits the quality of the music. There is no loss of power. Actually, there may even be an increase in the effectiveness of the music being played. When a perfect song like "Boy, How Fast Can You Run?" comes along, with all of its ups and downs, as well as build-ups and releases that occur during its four minute time span, the performance, and more importantly, how we hear the performance, is essential.
The band's aesthetic is also something that is definitely worth mentioning. They are, at their core, an emo band. They have twinkly guitars, energetic drums, vocals that go from calm singing to distorted shouts, nothing they play is excessively complex or novel. While their songwriting and lyrics are excellent and well above that of most newer emo bands, the main thing that separates them is the use of a saxophone. The inclusion of this single instrument adds an ample amount to their sound, and makes the immense climaxes just that much more effective, that much more loud. Especially with the climactic closer "Skies", with massive gang vocals reciting the closing line atop a frantic saxophone solo.
Every song on this album explores different ideas, and different visions, but they are all tied together with this particular theme. A theme of youth, and all of the feelings that come with it. The joy, the confusion, the sadness, the innocence, and everything you felt as a child, and everything your consciousness continues to hold on to in order to retain some sort of youthful spirit. The music isn't perfect. Not every song is as good as the last. But all of these qualities are there, and they stay true to this through their songs.
