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Since landing on Austin’s doorstep a few years back, a solid stream of alt-country releases has been the prevailing local music wind in my life, compliments of bands like Thrift Store Cowboys (of Lubbock, actually) and, recently, The Georgian Company. Thankfully, the commonly accepted standard seems to be to embrace the traditions (i.e. includes pedal steel/makes you want to drink whiskey) but pack a punch with an electric guitar riff here and there: blah, blah, blah, “No Depression.” So when I a) saw a pedal steel, mandolin and a wurli included in the credits and b) heard the slow groan of opener “Gunpoint” bidding Country-Pop enthusiast a solemn “Keep Out,” well, it was a good feeling. Which puts the (perhaps unfair) burden on Loose Leaves’ debut of sustaining that mood on the 9 songs that follow.
Unfortunately, immediately following the promising introduction is the album’s most damning throwaway song, “Perfect Disguise,” which despite having all the architecture of a great track – solid lyrics, a slow prowling drum line, and an atmospheric guitar part in the verses – is finally mucked up by a contrived swing at radio-ready distortion build-ups and flagrant violations of the musical fourth wall via the lyric “stereo sound” thundering in with a wash of sudden stereo reverb. Similar missteps haunt a few more tracks, as nearly embodied by lyrics like “I’ve been waiting all my life for a girl just like you,” which is no way to start a proper song. All the right pieces are there, but so is the tried-and-true, and entirely-tired, formula.
Mixed among the album’s drawbacks, however, are equally stunning tracks. “Long Shot” stands out immediately, as the same atmospheric guitar work of “Perfect Disguise” is paired with a more subtle crescendo throughout. The result is a model of how the better half of the album works, by arriving at its point subtly and intricately, making use of contrasting textures developed with simple, if creative instrumentation. “Grave” exhibits similar qualities, with the added bonus of some of the better lyrics on the album, such as the image “broken light in the morning rain.” Closer “Round & Round” bookends the album with much of the same slow-developing hues as “Gunpoint,” and if nothing else leaves you with a similar, warm feeling by way of parting.
On a whole then, the album doesn’t exactly fit into the perpetual stream of best new albums, as on more than one occasion it veers a little to close to Dave Matthews Band country for comfort. Nonetheless, the songs that work – which is to say, take full advantage of the obviously talented musicians in the quintet with subtle arrangements – work very well, and even seem much more natural for the group. For Loose Leaves to properly cultivate what seems to be natural potential may be the ultimate key to crafting an album in whole as strong as this one’s parts.
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