Austin Sound

Austin’s Context Clues seems to have honed their skills at describing themselves; their own website bio states only, “Hello, we’re a pop band from Austin.” While intentionally ambiguous, anyone who picks up a copy of their debut release, Improve Your Diction, will quickly see that the band’s description is apt. Romping through multiple genres and decades of music in a surprisingly short time, the album is 11 tracks of solid music united by little more than their constant optimism and pop sensibility. One may actually be forced to improve his diction merely to come up with enough words to describe the changing sounds of each song.

Opener “Nietzsche’s Dead” is a rough, punk-ska piece that starts off the album with a bang. The vocals are over-stressed and whiny, but fit the song perfectly as Mike M. lays down a solid, quickly moving bass line. The chorus is spazzy and powerful, with bass note trills to ground everything. Jeff M. reminds us that “Nietzsche’s dead, oh God is dead” as he rapid-fires trebly chords before breaking into a fuzzed out noise solo. One may be wondering how this is pop, but it is, and just a few seconds in the listener feels compelled to tap a foot along with the Clues.

Rapidly changing up their pace, “Don’t Walk Away” seems more appropriately set in the 1950s, with harmonized vocals highlighting some endearingly dorky adolescent crushes. “Every time your hand creeps close to mine/ I don’t know what to do/ if that’s okay with you,” Jeff croons. Adam S. keeps even time on drums, matching perfectly with a retro-rock sound, before tapping off a bridge that teleports the song back into this decade: Jeff unleashes a melodic Dinosaur Jr. solo and lets the whole thing falls apart peacefully. “How Long Will I Wait,” on the other hand, is a fairly standard indie-pop track, with the vocals fittingly feeble and high pitched. A few flourishes and cymbal clashes highlight key phrases, and again an infectious section on the back-end of the song illustrates that if nothing else, Context Clues have mastered the catchy bridge.

Towards the middle of the album there is a significant reduction in forcefulness; several songs plod along with a honey-covered sweetness but remain unmemorable. “Amputee” is a morbid song about losing one’s limbs but remaining by one’s lover; minstrel-like classical guitar establishes the closest thing to a sad song on the album, but seems off-putting as the vocalist sings, “blue jeans always looked good when I was 23/ before the operation/ they cut off both my knees.” It’s the kind of perhaps-ironic juxtaposition that would be welcome on a Magnetic Fields album. It’s a sweet song whose lyrics belie its form, but the result is unsettling if not downright creepy.

“This is the Hour” offers fewer strange surprises, and as such is one of the better songs on the album. A garage-rock guitar line follows the fast-paced but gentle high-hat hits of the drummer. Vocals are again feeble but sincere, channeling The Weakerthans’ John K. Samson. The bass remains inobtrusive but supportive before breaking into a funky rhythm on the bridge as gentle guitar noodling leads to a sonorous climax. Of all the lighter fare, this is the most exceptional.

While Context Clues do a good job of exploring every corner of the musical Earth, they sometimes lose sight of their own fortes. The more upbeat powerpop numbers stand out from the pack, while the more bland slow tracks often mire together into an unmemorable but pleasant tract in the middle of the album. “Wet Clouds” stands as the exception, and is both slow and poignant; a quiet, brooding horn section hums warmly as harmonized vocals remain contemplative and mournful. While the listener may have to improve their diction, Context Clues may need to come down from their ivory tower and write to their audience, honing their sound into something more consistent and meaningful. Though a solid album for waking up in the morning and greeting the Sun, the peripatetic nature of Improve Your Diction merely adumbrates its desired form and prevents it from ensconcing itself as the professorial and didactic piece it potentially could be. In other words, it’s just okay.

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