Album- Habits
Artist- Neon Trees
Neon Trees were an alternative but also mainstream band that
broke out with their hit single “Animal”, for good reasons as the song was
awesome. But their album maybe wasn’t as well received. I took a look back at
it too see if it was a good record and if I should have just all round paid
more attention to the band.
Track 1- Sins of My
Youth
The albums opener begins with simple piano instrumentation
and lyrical repletion in the form of the line “I’ve got these habits than I
cannot break”. And this emphasises the power of the record as a whole in having
that sense of fun in many cases and just going heavy with that fun. The lyrics
feature a simple hook that invokes a sense of retrospective but also
recklessness, and with his gritty tone lead singer Tyler Glenn really brings
the lyrical forcefulness of the song to life. The clattering drums and aggressive
electric guitar powerfully fuel this sense of fun and whilst a little generic
work well in opening us up to Neon Tree’s sound.
3.5/5
Track 2- Love and
Affection
This track builds up with it’s moody sounding fast paced
drum sound and is then joined by a gritty vocal performance that paints picture
of a rocky but love fuelled relationship. The lyrics speak of someone feeling
neglected in a relationship and just wanting some love and affection. The pop
hook of the title is nice and simple and gives the song a strong lyrical
grounding, even if some of the ideas employed are perhaps a little on the
generic side. But the hook is also easily memorable and so in that sense can
get stuck in your head easy. The high key change gives a nice, almost pleading
tone to the chorus and a little diversity in sound.
3/5
Track 3- Animal
The hand clapping beginning of this track marks it as a high
energy song, and acts as the perfect debut single for Neon Trees. The booming
chorus with a high pitched vocal does gives the sense of an animalistic tone,
perfectly contrasted by the more subtle verses. That is until the second verse,
in which lead singer Tyler Glenn goes full on animal mode. Whilst they may talk
about wanting some more, this track definitely doesn’t leave you wanting more.
4/5
Track 4- Your
Surrender
With the vocal performance of this track the idea of
surrendering to love is definitely more palpable, with an interesting loving
but sinister edge to the track that gives it a nice and unique twist. The
lyrics are focused on the idea of loving another person and whilst the lyrics
are good in terms of the hook they aren’t as sharp as the previous track as
they have that bland, been done before feel. The production value is smartly
downplayed with this track, contrasting nicely with the previous number, and
the crowd clapping breakdown into the final section of the track is a good
twist that makes for a punchy end vocally.
3/5
Track 5- 1983
The chorus of this song is really simple and easily
memorable, and the cool refrain of ooh woah is a nice touch that gets stuck in
your head. Only thing is that this track and Animal are a little bit similar in
terms of production and the way they are sung, and so because of this 1983
loses some of its power.
3/5
Track 6- Girls and
Boys In School
The electro opening of the track definitely gives a cool
vibe to the number that makes for a sonically different undertone to the track
that offers great diversity. And the moody nature of the track really
compliments the vitality of the previous number really well, with the electric
guitar and powerful drum beats just being that little bit more aggressive and
so sound uniquely interesting on the record. The lyrics are a bit more
retrospective with the hook being weird but cool and having that chilled out,
sing along kind of feel. And whilst the vocals aren’t necessarily adding
anything, the power released in the final section is really great, and really
helped by the production which just becomes that little bit more frenzied.
3.5/5
Track 7- In The Next
Room
The clattering piano instrumentation and simple electric guitar
notes give a chilled out flavour to the track that compliments the power and
vitality of the chorus well. It feels a little bit of a worn out side at this
point potentially, but with the vocal range shown in this song the message of
the track about losing control because of a certain individual becomes a little
more forceful. The drum beats are a bit repetitive but cool, and the idea of
the track is equally cool, if poorly executed.
2.5/5
Track 8- Our War
The slow burning, melancholic opening of this track with its
cinematic monologue kind of opening is a powerful end to the album that stops
the record at a good point so as to not allow it to get too stale, even if
people think it’s too short a record. And whilst the clattering drums and
electric guitar that features throughout the track is stereotypical Neon Trees,
the melancholic vocal tone employed within the track feels a bit more
passionate and so more resonant with the listener. And the lyrics feel more
passionate with their broken relationship perspective that many will find
appealing.
3.5/5
Final Review
Neon Trees creating a distinctive sound that features a
really good vocal quality over all and some powerful tracks that appeal to the
listener. It’s also a cohesive record that, while short, is not prolonged and
knows when to stop. The only down side is that some more astute lyrical ideas,
subtle production diversity and a little more vocal variation and power would
elevate the group towards worldwide dominating status. All in all an assured debut
in my eyes that meant things could only get better really for album number two,
unless they badly screwed up for some strange reason.
7/10
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