Austin Sound

There’s something about discussing music over beer that always rides a fine line between pretension and authenticity. Among friends, bare bones honesty surfaces, and we can delve into the meat of albums circulating in these days of plentiful “indie” pop rock bands. Though there’s a dearth that’s worth a mention, fewer deserve a full play on your iPod.

Austin-via-Athens, Ohio five-piece The Story Of is part of that shiny minority, and migrating southwest 4 years ago brought their creative core closer to the fore. Candid, punchy and playful, they’re respectful of each other, as close friends always are, and though their dynamic isn’t uncommon, it nicely compliments the mélange of poppy, bright, sometimes spatial, sometimes somber rock they’ve made since 2002.

They shacked up at the adequately isolated Fish Camp Studio, downstream on the Colorado, and spent the summer completing Until the Autumn, their 5th self-release due out officially March 3. Maintaining their steady DIY streak, Christman Hersha (vox/keys) and David McCully (guitar) dually shared the responsibilities of engineer/producer. Shying away from their revisionist tendencies, and with time on their side, bassist Michael Brennan “brought in a mentality of organic, speed-of-thought quick thinking” that was contagious, explains Hersha. “Crafting a really great album we can all enjoy instead of racing through” was crucial, adds drummer Jonathan Gibbs. Though preserving that spontaneity is difficult, the boys’ fight against what McCully affectionately calls “demo-itis” is forever uphill. Leave it to the live performance, I say.

Thematically, the album teems with meandering narratives nuanced by personal moments that connect with the greater human experience, sparing no degree of tragedy or candor. Saturated in their affinity for the Beatles both structurally and production-wise, album opener “Berkeley” has some hints of the band Volcano, I’m Still Excited!, while “Hawk Gospel” opens with a chipper piano and exhales some Pink Floyd leanings.

The gentle intro to “The Flock” bares romantic images of escape; embodying intentions indulged less than they’re considered, they tackle the universal dissonance between stability and the impulse for flight. “Lights on the Landing” contends with similar tendencies in a more fantastical way, as Huff’s dream of “a positive abduction” is still grounded in the idea of belonging.

The rigors of agrarian life and its ubiquity in Athens impelled Hersha to pay homage to the farmer’s plight in “How It Is.” “Meigs County neighboring Athens is the poorest in the U.S., and one imaginary line does not make people richer,” he explains austerely. Challenging the depth of one’s relationship with one’s environs, and exploring what it takes to break down, or stand up, pervades the album. They bring the latter idea further in “Veteran’s Day”, which is epic in a different way, channeling the Clancy Brothers and traditional Celtic music, as the song muses war and its impacts. Rooted in stories told to young boys by grandfathers who served in WWII, the song is at heart a commemoration of those august men, but there’s also a degree of timelessness. Says reticent Brennan, “Warfare, as much as it’s changed, is still the same human heartbreak.”

No longer “afraid to be poppy” asserts Huff, Until The Autumn is an auspicious rebirth. Ten charming, emotive songs are set upon catchy melodies that stick with you, and the spring/summer 09 tour is an opportunity to deliver the spontaneity they couldn’t always catch on the album. Exploring the crevices of what makes us who we are, their spontaneity coaxes catchy melodies to guide listeners through shared fears and around memories exposed to bring empathy and understanding to the surface.

Mp3 from Until the Autumn:
The Flock

Websites:
www.thestoryof.net
Myspace