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Let’s face it, transitioning from the summer to the fall can be tricky for the avid music listener. The upbeat, dance-worthy sounds that matched up so nicely with the pretty summer days no longer feel as desirable. That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone is ready to bundle up and spend the coming months with mixtapes that consist of moody artists, but there is a need deep down for something to provide sounds that are more appropriate. With that being said, The Story Of’s The World’s Affair is seemingly the album to help with such a thing. Its sound is expansive, almost to the brink of epic, and its songwriting is accessible in a way that defines fall weather; colorful and different.
The two tracks that lead off the album, “EMT” and “After Just Awhile,” move with the kind of big, confident swagger that all rock acts should carry, but instead of plodding along at one pace the band infuses little sections of inspired vocals that bring the songs to life and make them stand out from the rest. “Pinwheel” avoids standard indie rock characteristics and instead ventures into a neat mix of ballad and a more elaborate version of something that seems like it belongs on Spoon’s latest effort. “Wonderlust” and “The Privateer” also stray from the norm, but both of them do so by delving into a cauldron of various prog-rock elements that provide a spacious feel. Diverse is clearly an understatement.
Fortunately, taking so many different approaches never puts the band in an awkward place. “Carry The Horizon” could easily be mistaken for an unreleased Jimmy Eat World b-side, which is strange for an album centered more on indie/prog rock, but it sounds as natural as can be. This can also be said for the early-millennium emo rock anthem that is the album closer, “Recall The Winners,” and it’s lyrical choices, which consist of tell-tale lines like “You only care about yourself.”
Granted, if you’re in Austin then you aren’t exactly experiencing cooler temperatures yet. But there is a difference in the air outside, and The Story Of are willing and ready to help make the change of seasons seamless with a record that carries a little something for everyone. Seek it out as soon as possible.
Websites:
www.thestoryof.net
Myspace
