Western Civ
(No More Fake Labels)
On paper, this one should be a total knockout. The second full-length from Chapel Hill-based/Alabama-refugees Western Civ borrows from some of the best of two decades: Songs with the driving 4/4 rhythms of ‘80s indie acts like the Feelies, the Commotions or Let's Active (Mitch Easter produced this record, incidentally), and others that venture into either shoegaze territory or spikier ‘90s indie rock like Archers of Loaf, Pavement, or Polvo.
It's a fertile broth, and it when it works it does so impressively: "The Disturbing Presence of Chachi" leans ‘80s, all chiming guitars, lush melodies and Rich Henderson's spookily Lloyd Cole-like voice, while "Tuesday" and "Travel Song" coat their Slowdive pace in Ride-like reverb; "Capitol Stairs" bristles with spiky guitar rhythms and counter-punch percussion, and "I Am a Waterfall!" could be an updated Chronic Town outtake. The two longer cuts, "American Pines" and "KGP," wander too much and the various styles feel jerry-rigged; they never really coalesce into anything memorable, instead just sort of smearing off the page.
Even the good songs tend to be sneaky good, and take several spins before they burrow into your consciousness. Perhaps it's having to adjust your dial back a decade or two, sometimes a couple times during a single song, that keeps Shower from making more of an immediate impact.
Standout Tracks: "Tuesday" and "Rally" JOHN SCHACHT
