Schnitzel: It's been a long time between drinks for Bob Evans fans since Goodnight, Bull Creek! (2009) drew his wonderful "suburban trilogy" to a close. Moose and I (along with Mrs Moose and Mrs Schnitzel) were keenly awaiting this new record (something which shouldn't surprise you as I included the first single, 'Don't wanna grow up anymore', on my top ten for 2012, and Moose bumped it from his at the last minute because I'd already included it), making do with The Double Life - EP in the meantime. We're all going to see Bob (AKA Kevin Mitchell) in May (happy birthday Mrs Schnitzel), and can happily say that this album has only gotten us more excited.
Moose: Kev’s kept himself busy in that time though - he toured for that album, reunited with Jebediah for a new album and then toured the hell out of that, hung out with the Basement Birds and started the whole album cycle again for Familiar stranger, so it's no wonder that it's taken a while for new material to be in our ears. It’s definitely worth the wait however, great songs, tight band, sonically very consistent across all 12 tracks, but a much different feel to Goodnight, Bull Creek!. What did you think Schnitzel?
Schnitzel: I love it! The opening track 'Footscray Park' grabs you instantly, and there is not a single misstep all the way through album closer 'Wonderful you'. The term "ear-honey" instantly comes to mind - as was the case with his previous three albums; there's a plethora of harmonies and gorgeous guitar parts, and his lyrics are charming and clear, but he has also managed to craft an album separate from the suburban world he chronicled so expertly. He's retained his sound but hasn't repeated himself. Highlights for me include 'Footscray park', 'Don't wanna grow up anymore', 'Get it together', 'Go' (check out the film clip for some classic Tim Rogers antics) and 'Wonderful you'.
Moose : The term "ear honey" sounds like that process of melting wax from your ears with a candle, but I get what you mean. Bob's songwriting hasn't changed dramatically over the course of these four albums, but it has certainly improved moving from Suburban Kid’s charming mix of well crafted pop and more throwaway (yet fun) songs about cars through to this impeccably arranged piece of pop artistry.
The big change with this album is the consistency of production. One thing that always impressed me from the previous three albums was the great mix of style and genre across each track on the album (e.g. Suburban songbook's 'Sadness and Whiskey' (country) next to 'Nowhere without you' (pop) and 'Comin' around' (pop rock)). This album, however, stretches the same lush sound across all 12 tracks, opening with strings, harmonies and acoustic guitar that take you right through to the beautiful closer 'Wonderful you'. Neither better nor worse than the varied production of previous albums… it is just an impressive sound to maintain. My highlights are 'Wonderful you', 'Bruises', 'In another time' (which may be my favorite) and 'To let you down', which features a beautiful opening of layered harmonies; reminiscent of those on the Beach Boys new album That’s why God made the radio.
Schnitzel: Ear candling? Dammit! I can't be associated with that! Now I can never use my favourite term for layers of harmonies again. Ever. I'm switching to "ear candy".
And while I may disagree with the Beach Boys on exactly who made the radio, why they made it and what happens to it after it dies; they perfected the pop vocal harmony. Bob is a student of theirs, and a very adept one. I love this whole album and I can't wait to see him live. You and I can be his back up singers (if Mrs Schnitzel doesn't run away to start a new life with him before we get a chance).
I give Familiar stranger 4 out of 5.
Moose: I can’t give it a star rating, I’m really no good at those things… but I will say this album is excellent - wonderful songwriting, tight, inspired performances and consistent production. Listen if you’re an indie/pop/songwriting fan OR just want something to get lost in. Just beautiful, great work Bob!
My review of your review.
ReplyDeleteSchnitzel and the moose have embarked on what is, to the best of my knowledge, their first album review, or at least the first one i have seen. So if this is not the first, it at least is the first in my reality. Normally these two will write overly worded paragraphs which attempt to breathe meaning into drunken, and most probably barely remembered escapades at various rock shows and festivals, seemingly in an attempt to justify their hedonistic alcoholism as a catalyst for journalism. Often these writings are entertaining but one cant help but wonder whether these memories are real or imagined ones, or whether the articles have been purposely crafted to give the impression that s&m (oh dear) live charmed existences of rock 'n' roll fuelled hapiness free of humiliation and anguish.
Well this time, it's not a drawn-out brag about a you-had-to-be-there moment in time filled with inane details, but instead a review of music, which is an innovative step for this blog. Bob evans' 4th offering is their choice to be evaluated by their opinions and for the most part it works suprisingly well. Snitz' opens up the review with a solid background on the record which outlines mitchell's previous work, making it easy for even a clueless newcomer to grasp what is being discussed. Moose then chimes in, further fleshing out the information with a succinct yet colourful recap of recent work by the artist. At this point i feel i could know nothing at all about Bob Evans and still find myself interested enough to continue reading the review, casting aside my self doubt from the things that i do not know, and, in turn, learning something. However, I am already familiar with Bob Evans' work so for me personally, the opening paragraphs felt like a frustrating waste of time.
But the middle part of this review is where they really begin to shine, bringing out their brand of down to earth writing that is casual but meaningful, almost as if it were typed on a bottom of the line laptop at a barbecue, stopping intermittently for bites of a rissole sandwich. Plenty of cliches to be tossed back and forth, and a nice comparison to The Beach Boys help to make the words on the screen give me an educated guess of what i would hear if i was to listen to this album. The two come off as positve testimonials for the album, but at the end it suddenly falls apart - Schnitzel gives the record 4/5 but Moose fails altogether to even give a rating, which hints at a deep-seated fear of commitment or even plain cowardice.
Overall, this review made me feel snug inside, it was nice to know that the boy from jebediah who would smoke billies and sing with unintelligably yelped diction has further matured into an adored songwriter, crossing boundaries of genre and doing all of us proud, and if S&M continue to review albums, I don't mind one bit.
4/5
Creepy Dylan
aka Dylan Weir
I just had to thank you guys for a very intelligent and insightful review of Bob Evans' record - I don't know much about him, but your remarks inspired me to seek out his music. thanks.
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