May 17, 2009 at 12:38 am
Posted in concerts, music | Tags: american analog set, andrew kenny, everything ends in spring EP, i love you but not this, know by heart, magnolia, mercury lounge, the wooden birds
I’m having trouble wrapping my ears around far too many albums by artists I love as of late. This column is an attempt at understanding why.
(The Wooden Birds via Woxy)
The Wooden Birds – False Alarm
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Sound reasons probably exist explaining why all anyone can say about The Wooden Birds is, “If you loved American Analog Set you’re likely to enjoy this band.” My guess: perhaps because The Wooden Birds, as a band, feel like an answer to the question “What do you do with the American Analog Set when you can’t do anything with the American Analog Set?”
“Percussive.” It’s the one word you’ll see repeated ad nauseum regarding The Wooden Birds. Once you get past the obligatory Neil Young head nods, the comparisons in vocal timbre to Ben Gibbard, reviews are awash with the word, “percussive.” This. Is. Sloppy. Criticism. The Wooden Birds two-step, they let the bass lead, they even boast a dedicated percussionist, and still, they are not what I would consider a percussive band. And I think the problem, in general, is that everything this band does will be criticized (or lauded, as it were) by what it does not. The Wooden Birds are not The American Analog Set. The Wooden Birds’ songs are not as keyboard-heavy as American Analog Set’s earlier songs and so must be “percussive.” However — and this the most glaring flaw with the band and the aforementioned branding — The Wooden Birds’ arrangements are nowhere near as interesting percussively as American Analog Set’s non-keyboard-heavy later songs.
Which songs? This song off American Analog Set’s superb 2005 Everything Ends In Spring EP.
American Analog Set – The Green Green Grass
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‘Cause maybe you want him
Like you want me
Only truly
- American Analog Set “The Green Green Grass”
When I attended The Wooden Birds’ concert at Mercury Lounge on April 10th, Andrew Kenny’s bass, an Epiphone Thunderbird, bore the words “I’ll shoot you through a door” upon its pickguard. And I believed it. A 21st century promise of love. Unfortunately, for fans of the American Analog Set, every song played like “Choir Vandals,” except less memorable. In fact, the only time people enthusiastically moved was when the band launched into American Analog Set’s Know By Heart-favorite “Aaron and Maria.” According to Kenny, they make a point of playing at least one American Analog Set song per set; it’s clear why.
The former beauty of American Analog Set was their insistence on shaping a song around the rhythm of Kenny’s heartbeat, album after album. Vivacity. Playfulness. Sheepish flirtation. These were visceral qualities endearing American Analog Set to its numerous devotees. The Wooden Birds offer a meek, albeit earnestly warmhearted display of competence, and if that sounds harsh, good — it ought to — because there’s overwhelming evidence indicating these talented musicians are capable of much, much more than Magnolia.
As it stands, every Wooden Birds song plods along with a near-identical gait.
Don’t believe me? Visit The Wooden Birds’ Myspace page. Listen to the first 10 seconds of “Sugar.” Listen to the first 10 seconds of “False Alarm.” See what I mean?
If I’m sad, maybe it’s because all of The Wooden Birds’ songs sound like an apology without actually sounding apologetic…but maybe that’s too critical.
Not even American Analog Set started with Know By Heart.
[The Wooden Birds' Myspace, American Analog Set's Know By Heart]
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