American Football were one of those bands that by the time anyone had heard them, they were already gone. There was such a mystique surrounding their output, and their sole album and one EP were left to speak for themselves. Then, a few years ago, the band reconvened, and like many bands from the '90s reuniting, it was a little disappointing. To paraphrase from Mike Kinsella's own lyrics, they honestly couldn't remember all their teenage feelings. Their second self titled record was a little too focused on their onset of middle age, and felt a bit middle of the road. So, my expectations weren't super high when I learned of the prospect of a third album. However, the band, along with some famous collaborators, completely reinvented themselves and delivered their most moody and murky record yet, and I'll be sharing my opinions, track by track.
'Silhouettes'- This opens up the album, surprisingly, with a chorus of xylophone, chimes and vibes, blending into some dense rhythms and engrossing patterns reminiscent of gamelan music, before breaking into a more recognizable American Football type song.This song definitely has multiple phases, and it's good to know that the band aren't playing it as safe this time around, flirting with some much more linear song structures and progressive elements.
'Every Wave to Ever Rise'- This song is another with some pretty distinct phases and sections, though it definitely has that distinct American Football feel. Elizabeth Powell's background vocals are pretty, with a gauzy effect on them that creates a very dream pop feel. I think at some point maybe she was singing in another language (is that French?) There are also some '80s sounding keys playing on this track, along with a distorted guitar outro, which is quite a rarity in this band's discography.
'Uncomfortably Numb'- I'm beginning to notice how much Mike Kinsella has upped his vocal chops, and how delicate some of the vocals are on this album. I was a little worried when seeing Hayley Williams was going to be on this track (I'm not the biggest Paramore fan), but the old school and new school emo worlds colliding was actually pretty good, with her and Kinsella trading vocal lines. I'm getting a lot of dream pop and more mellow shoegaze vibes from this record, especially with how Hayley's vocals were obscured near the start of her contribution.
'Heir Apparent'- This song features some pretty dream pop guitar lines hit with a delay effect, an insistent drum beat, and an expanded palette featuring piano flourishes and some woodwind arrangements. It also has a very pretty children's choir outro.
'Doom in Full Bloom'- This song definitely has some vibes that remind me of the song off their first album, 'Summer Ends', including the trumpet that I was afraid I wasn't going to hear. The vocals are calming and beautiful and have some good harmonies, which really offsets the super dark nature of the lyrics, including lines about kerosene immolation and dull guillotines. This song also features more bells, which really fit the band well, given the complex, mathy rhythms they sometimes work in.
'I Can't Feel You'- This song starts out with a sound that reminds me a little bit of the Smashing Pumpkins song 'Porcelina of the Vast Oceans'. This sound gives way to a propulsive drum beat, as well as Rachel Goswell's ghostly vocals. I feel like her band Slowdive may have been a reference point for some of the sounds on this album.
'Mine to Miss'- This is really the only track that I wasn't the biggest fan of. It's not that it was bad or anything, but in the overall scheme of the album, it didn't have a lot that made it stick out, since it's vibe, guitar and drum driven sound has already been pretty prominent on this record.
'Life Support'- This track is characterized by some brushed drums, dreamy guitars and some low mixed vibes, with woodwinds and strings adding just enough embellishment to propel the song forward. The tempo appears to change between the intro, verses, and chorus, but that may be just the drummer doubling up, I'm not entirely sure. This song also strikes me with its use of silence, as the space between notes is sometimes just as important as the notes themselves.
All in all, this was a very moody record, and very effective at creating a vibe. I really enjoyed the more ambitious arrangements by the band and their pursuit of more progressive song structures. I enjoyed this album considerably more than their second self titled record, but I still feel like it fails to reach the heights of their debut. However, I feel like with this record, they're not really trying to replicate their past success, but to side step it entirely, as they sound like a completely different band. They're approaching their music very differently now, and the similarities to their old work seem more coincidental than intentional. It's been 20 years since their debut, so why pretend they're the same musicians they were? I like their new direction, because unlike their last album, they're not looking for lightning to strike twice, and instead branching out and trying new and interesting things.
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