REVIEW: Our Own House//MisterWives - Do NOT Put This On A Shelf

3.5/5 Stars

Waves to Watch: Our Own House, Hurricane

Genre: Indie Pop

Goes great with: LIGHTS, Bleachers, Vinyl Theatre

Few indie bands can manufacture a hit song that seeps so poignantly into the mainstream, to the likes of MTV and Top 40 radio. However, New York City-based MisterWives managed to do just that with "Reflections", off of their 2014 debut EP of the same name. Bringing back the aforementioned track, the five-piece strongly pop through their first LP, Our Own House (Photo Finish Records), building their own house in the industry. MisterWives find themselves presented with a task of finding themselves only a few years removed from their formation, yet they do it with so much flair, that it seems almost effortless.

Because of "Reflections", crowds have fallen in love with vocalist Mandy Lee Duffy's odd, Kate Bush reaching voice. Somehow, it is nothing like some of the molded powerhouses of today, yet still as compelling, maybe even more. The track is an example of what MisterWives have found themselves: summoning haunting verses that take a funkier form in the chorus. A listener cannot fully realize what the song will be until their brains have stammered through the separate styles, divided by two equally important visions.

The other three songs that have been transported from EP to LP, "Hurricane", "Imagination Infatuation", and the penultimate "Vagabond", are a look back into lesser known times for the band, as well as a foundation for the sound that they are bringing. The latter is accompanied by a simple, jarring piano, while the "Imagination Infatuation" reflects on "Reflections"' structure and reveals Duffy's sassier, cabaret-style potential. "Hurricane", the strongest of the twelve tracks, lends itself to the era of 80's power ballad percussion and a hollowness within Campbell's guitar. MisterWives assures themselves by saying, "We will not care if we're the only people swimming in the sea."

Sometimes, however, some songs do happen to get lost at sea, as with "Not Your Way" and the fitting beach jam, "Oceans". Both are less cohesive as the others, following a cliche suit of "Not going to obey, obey/This is my party, party" and "You are my everything", respectively. Sometimes the phrasing is so off its track that even the most elementary listener must squirm in their seats. 

"Coffins" hangs on by a thread, humming through the voice of a cathedral's organ. It shows off Duffy's peculiar way with words, especially when writing of the heartbreak that sails throughout the whole album, chiming "Your ego swallowed you and from there you fled." It can be easily forgotten by the wrong - or right - listener, however.

The track that shares its name with the album title's fills the listener's ears with first ethereal wisps and snaps, then a sharper horn-driven chorus. This song brings the funk that is often forgotten nowadays, while the fivesome reminisces, "And we swore on that day that it will never fall apart."

Both "Best I Can Do", while pleading for a change of heart, and "No Need for Dreaming", a seemingly synthed-up 50's high school favorite, are the party jams of the album. The latter plays as if the protagonists are spinning each other around at the school dance as the silver screen fades to black. Duffy twirls around the notion that "I will follow you til there's no beat left within me." "Box Around the Sun" sounds as if it could have been written by the great modern sonicman, Jack Antonoff, himself. 

Sometimes, the phrasing can be thrown off, making even the most elementary listener squirm in their seat. It falls back into place eventually, but it dilutes the pure magic that the band is trying to conjure.

The finale, "Queens," both an homage to the NYC borough or a crowning of sorts, exhibits the mastery that MisterWives have created for an echoing closing song. Perhaps the most autobiographical - and fully realized - of the album, as Duffy dreams of her past doubts of finding a place to let her voice be heard. On Our Own House, it is evident that she has now found such a place.

MisterWives have built a house made of stone, still malleable only to themselves, yet a firm stake in the ground they pace upon. It is an impressive first effort of a full-length album, and these dozen songs are sure to tempt crowds to their live shows, as the band embarks on a spring tour. Frankly, MisterWives have built what their album set out to do, and their own house will not fall apart any time soon. 

//Angelia//

MIXTAPE MONDAY: february air

february air
winter acoustics to fight the cold

+listen

your head and your heart by the saint johns // february air (acoustic version) by lights // white winter hymnal by fleet foxes // let her go (acoustic) by passenger // hello, i'm in deleware by city and colour // above the clouds of pompeii by bear's den // candles by daughter // stay with me // every little thing by louisa wendorff // january hymn by the decemberists // winter song by the head and the heart // the longer i run by peter bradley adams

xx. Sheridan

MIXTAPE MONDAY: Right Back At It Again

right back at it again

bands who are putting out new music this year//

+listen

ode to sleep by twenty one pilots // go go go by sleeping with sirens // bulls in the bronx by pierce the veil // if i could change your mind by haim // english girls by the maine // bedroom talk by the starting line // drown by bring me the horizon // something's gotta give by all time low // just a girl by no doubt // failure by design by brand new 

//Angelia//

MIXTAPE MONDAY: all covered up

all covered up

it's fucking freezing. cover up.

+listen

hold on, we're going home by the arctic monkeys // blank space // style by louisa wendorf (feat. devin dawson) // who you are by ed sheeran // i miss you by 5 seconds of summer //  every little thing she does is magic by sleeping at last // can't help falling in love by ingrid michaelson // no diggity // thrift shop by ed sheeran (feat. passenger) // your song by ellie goulding // say my name // cry me a river by the neighbourhood // we can't stop by bastille // problem by hozier // best song ever by gabrielle aplin // what makes you beautiful by the 1975 // girls just wanna have fun by george ezra // don't tell 'em by lorde // magic // adore you by louisa wendorff (feat. devin dawson) // chocolate by nina nesbitt //  don't stop by meghan trainor // take me to church by ed sheeran // riptide by vance joy

xx. Sheridan

MIXTAPE MONDAY: The World is Ending and I'm Going to Run with You

the world is ending and i'm going to run with you
The songs that would play as the credits rolled and the characters ran//

+listen

high by young rising sons // running with the boys by lights // born to run by bruce springsteen // the kids aren't alright by fall out boy // heroes by david bowie // the only hope for me is you by my chemical romance // far too young to die by panic! at the disco // long live by taylor swift // closer to the edge by thirty seconds to mars

//Angelia//

MIXTAPE MONDAY: to be young

to be young

here's to my last year as a teenager

+listen

tongue tied by grouplove // ribs by lorde // knock knock by mac miller // shut up and dance by walk the moon // unkinder (a tougher love song) by thumpers // end up here by 5 seconds of summer // little secrets by passion pit // ready to run by one direction // friends by ed sheeran // first time by vance joy // out of the woods by taylor swift // tee shirt by birdy // long way home by 5 seconds of summer // the love club by lorde // midnight memories by one direction

xx. Sheridan

REVIEW: American Beauty/American Psycho//Fall Out Boy - You Can Never Kill the Revolution

4/5 stars

Waves to Watch: The Kids Aren't Alright, Novocaine, Uma Thurman

Genre: Pop rock

Goes great with: Panic! at the Disco, New Politics, You Me at Six

On their last LP, Fall Out Boy left listeners with a single thought: "I only plugged in to Save Rock & Roll", and perhaps on their latest release, American Beauty/American Psycho, the four pop-rock kings are doing just that. AB/AP is noisy and filled with what bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz calls "frenetic energy".  So, yes, Fall Out Boy can still work a miracle, even ten years out from their first major label release.

Now, Wentz is back to writing close to all of the lyrics, unlike Save Rock & Roll, in which he first shared the role with vocalist/guitarist/composing mastermind Patrick Stump. Even as FOB continue to shave off more and more guitar, Wentz refuses to dilute his sometimes obscure, but distinguished lyrics. As with any release, the audience finds themselves asking, "What the hell is he talking about?!" until an epiphany is reached, sometimes years later.

The album opens up with the fanfare, "Irresistible", a song meant for breezy summer days in a hot car, admitting what's sure to be one of the most memorable lines; "You look so Seattle, but you feel so LA." The song's title track and second single, a dirty 80's punk track, driven by drummer Andy Hurley, is thrown from left field, considering the sound that the foursome has been creating lately. With both songs, the bridge is the strongest part, providing an anthemic beat to hustle to.

"Centuries", the band's Top 40 lead single and stadium favorite, borrows from Suzanne Vega's 80's track, "Tom's Diner". FOB reminds the masses that they are legends of immortality, perhaps in a slightly tongue in cheek manner. However, in their gladiator-inspired video, it seems that they are still taking their turn beating Goliath. Their Big Hero 6 track, "Immortals", reiterates the theme of forever, burning like a song beating through the streets of Tokyo.

At times, the lyrics are lackadaisical, heralding the repeated phrases as just fillers, as in "Favorite Record", an easily forgettable cliché "your love is my favorite song" declaration. "Fourth of July" is the other track that fails to stick anywhere in the brain, as Stump sings, "You are my best I'll never know." The sonic emptiness is poignant, however, and even the few lows make the highs seem even higher.

"The Kids Aren't Alright" is a turn to mortality, an acceptance of the bittersweet end; it is a classic Wentz effort delivered by Stump's maudlin vocals, crooning, "And in the end/I'd do it all again/I think you're my best friend." Even as they venture through their experimental phase, the foursome are saying, "This thing may end, but it's going to be okay."

Perhaps the three strongest tracks, "Uma Thurman", "Jet Pack Blues", and "Novocaine". are also the smartest. The latter, a sort of fraternal twin to SR&R's "The Phoenix" is the grittiest of the album, declaring, "I am your worst nightmare." "Uma Thurman", while borrowing The Munsters' theme and The Beach Boys' panache, admits, "I can't get you out of my head," as the listener can't control their twisting feet. "Jet Pack Blues" is the moodiest track on the album, and a flawless example of Stump's seasoned phrasing. 

This is not the Stump that hunched below the brim of his hat, refusing to lift himself from the shadows of Wentz. This is the Stump that can soulfully power his way through anything he throws at himself, while still managing to swing his hips from side to side. For this is the greatest Fall Out Boy transformation: Stump believes in himself.

The album's closer, "Twin Skeletons (Hotel in NYC)", is a darker, vaudevillian Folie à Deux/Save Rock and Roll hybrid. While it is not the strongest closing statement FOB has ever given, it offers a slight glimpse into the future, humming, "hold on."

So what will the future bring for the mighty lifers of the scene? In the near future, they will be embarking on a co-headlining Boys of Zummer Tour with Wiz Khalifa ("We Dem Boyz", "Work Hard, Play Hard"), with Hoodie Allen (People Keep Talking) as the opener. As for the long-term, maybe Stump, Wentz, Hurley, and Trohman are not sure what they'll burn next. But knowing them, they've got a few plans printed into the dirt road that they walk upon. And they're staying until the end.


American Beauty/American Psycho will be released January 20th on Island/DCD2 Records


//Angelia//