Review Summary: 'I've been gone so long, it seems like home to me.'
Here we have Two Gallants, aptly named as a duo of fresh, noble rock musicians obsessed with the emotional prowess of the hollow-bodied guitar and the pounding rhythms of an accompanying drum set. Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel (guitarist and drummer respectively) are a bluesy, folksy take on traditional American music with the energy of a modern-day rock band. On 'The Scenery of Farewell' Two Gallants forfeits their typical electrically charged fighting sound for a ballad strewn album of woe and reminiscence. In the past we have most definitely seen this side of the boys here and there, but this album is absolutely drenched in voice straining, harmonica inducing emotion.
With apologetic croons of heart-wrenching lyrics 'The Scenery of Farewell' is the ballad of a lost love, something the lyricist felt all throughout their body. The album is brief but it doesn't fail to convey its sorrow. On songs such as 'Linger On' and 'All Your Faithless Loyalites' Adam Stephens appropriately inquires of his own shortcomings in the love department - but don't think this is a calloused song collection in any way. The shortcomings I speak of are simply the shortcomings of love itself, the lyricist may have been the victim of inevitable loss as opposed to typical American heartbreak (don't watch Romantic Comedies, their the mark of the devuhl). 'No I never meant you any harm/
Suffocating shelter of your arms' is a bar from 'Linger On' showcasing the stressed theme of a missing lover in the life of the lyricist.
Instrumentally the band has obviously become far more skilled. You will hear pianos, guitars, drums, harmonicas, and the like. Two Gallants has always been a band of few instruments, but in the end, they skillfully exemplify the lack of necessity of vast orchestration. Humming Western-Style arpeggios, militant drums, screeching vocals, emotional harmonica pieces...all inclusive in this package of heartbreaking perfection.
Why is this album just a 3 out of 5 in the eyes of such an appreciative listener? The band may have been aiming for a singular effort with this one, but it does nothing more than serve its purpose as a thoughtful message to that special Lady (check out that song too). Love songs and rock music? WOAH. New stuff. But lets not get aggressive here, it wouldn't be a fair fight against this angelic, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly mentality I'm getting from 'The Scenery of Farewell' and its melancholy.
'When a sparrow needs its rest, it takes the nearest tree
But if I pass back this way, there's still light on me'
Conclusively, I would recommend this album to any fan of rock, blues, folk and the sort. Two Gallants is promising, they are young, and have a lot of songs ahead of them. I want to sit back and listen.
And all the faithless loyalties that decorate your chest
Will they bring you comfort in the end?
Surely you've seen better,
but for you I did my best
Sometimes nighttime brings you back again
That curse, that western wind
Cause I've known lonesome things you can't come back from
And I knew we'd be strangers in the end
