In 1999, American Football pioneered a brand-new genre with their self-titled album, and while they didn’t gain much recognition from their odd style of music, it soon grew into something beautiful, widely loved and imitated.
Midwest-Emo is a genre that relies on the foundations that American Football set on that record, a slurry of twinkly melodies and precise, often off beat rhythms, I personally think it’s beautiful mess, but unsurprisingly, it’s an acquired taste. Vocals are the third piece to the Midwest-Emo puzzle, always conversational, strained and unbothered, almost shouted from the back of the mix because they know people don’t really give a shit what they’re on about, but LP4 changes this, and it’s not a nice surprise.
I played LP4 for the first time and winced, Mike Kinsella’s once perfectly lacklustre singing style has evolved into a sound that just feels like he’s trying a bit too hard, it’s technically better, sure, but what once sounded like four guys in their garage making awesome music, now sounds like three guys making awesome music in a nice sparkly studio with their old mate who’s now had vocal training, I can almost feel the rest of them rolling their eyes. I know, of course, that this isn’t the case, the entire band has stuck together since ’97 and equally love the music they make, but the change really did take a humongous chunk of enjoyment out of the album compared to what I expected. Songs like “Blood On My Blood” and “Bad Moons” are swimming in self-deprecation, all while sounding like its being sung on a theatre stage rather than at a college afterparty. Lyrics fall flat and feel immature compared to what they used to, “I slit my wrists in the dark” and “The pain is too much to endure” just feel like buzzwords in a world that’s pretty clued up on feeling crap all the time.
While disappointing, both the guitars and rhythm section still shine as they always have and make pleasant instrumentals for those that are listening, but their lack of change being the highlight of the album isn’t a good sign. I sincerely hope they have a think and come back with something a bit more solid.
Below: watch the video for "Bad Moons" by American Football
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