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The Black and White Years’ excellent eponymous 2008 debut garnered them well-deserved praise, but could hardly be reviewed on its own musical merits as nearly every blurb about the band necessarily mentioned its production under the hands and influence of the Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison. With their new EP, however, the local quartet attempts to set out their sound on their own terms, producing and releasing the album themselves. The good news is that Nusery Myths makes clear that the Black and White Years are well capable of holding their own on their own, and that their infectious grooves weren’t simply the product of production. That being said, however, the new EP is generally a hit or miss affair. Those who balked at Scott Butler’s hesitating yelps on the debut will likely never find footing with the band, as it has become clear that his jittery vocals and jumpy falsetto shifts are now hallmark for the band’s sound. Yet even those who did surrender to the fevered neo-wave ballads will be put to the test as Butler throws his voice in full effect here, and sometimes to the detriment of good songs.
The EP kicks off with one of the group’s best post-debut tunes, “A Toast to Modern Science.” The keys are layered and punchy, the handclapped beat a steady, inviting pulse, the guitars swirl without overpowering, and Butler’s lyrics are just cryptic enough to entice as they unwind with stuttering propulsion. This is the upbeat and dramatic dance-rock sound that band has mastered bettered than any other recent local band. Butler’s voice never sounds natural, tweaked and diving into uneven fits, and it works well on the purely more rocked out tracks. But when the music drops down and takes a backseat to Butler, especially on slower numbers, his quaking inflections become ungraciously distracting. “Raised in Books” serves as the best example, a good song that gets lost amid the yelps until everything finally catches up to pace with the closing burst.
“Steady As It Goes” finds some semblance of balance on the album, the keys dappling into the chorus as Butler attempts to smooth out his croon. It’s short lived, however, as “An Amateur Opera” returns to the turbulent vocal transitions. Perhaps the biggest problem with the balance is that Butler can manage to sound simultaneously disinterestedly nonchalant and in the grips of dire passion, and only on the songs where the music is able to step up to provide stronger emphasis to either aspect do the tunes feel pointed and with purpose. In this sense, perhaps the expert production is missed despite the consistent quality of the songs - rarely does the music on the EP pop in the same way as the debut, capable of providing both counter and compliment to Butler’s decidedly strong vocal presence.
The EP does close with a fine bookend to “A Toast To Modern Science,” with “Two Reservoirs” showcasing the group at perhaps its poppiest with a whistled intro and outro. While the tune still feels a little rough, it gestures to some changes that do actually work well for the band as they move forward. In this way, Nursery Myths feels somewhat like a demo foreshadowing what the band might be able to polish for their next full-length, for the Black and White Years, despite their monochromatic moniker, are best on record when they are polished to vibrant shine.
I really feel like this band is a product of their publicity (mostly because of the Talking Heads not-quite-connection) and nothing else. When they last played Mohawk, there were a lot of people there and maybe 10% of them were paying attention after the 2nd song.
I guess what I’m thinking is that a steamy shit on a cold night can also be entertaining, but it doesn’t sound good after the 2nd song either.
[...] The Black and White Years recently released a new EP. Check out Austin Music’s review of “Nursery Myths.” [...]
I was at their recent Mohawk show. I was one of the people paying attention AND dancing. If people aren’t paying attention to a worthy band, that’s their own damn fault. I don’t understand people who bother to come to a show and then talk all the way through it. Stanley, your review like your analogy is crap.
Hey, some people think that the current touring version of Lynyrd Skynyrd are ‘worthy’ bands too.* There’s no accounting for taste, especially when most peoples’ taste is horrible (and if you don’t think most peoples’ taste is horrible, I implore you to look at the top selling albums over the past decade or three).
Technically, it’s the Black & White Years’ fault that people were bored out of their craniums; It’s just those peoples’ fault that they happened to be at the Mohawk to see the incredibly entertaining opening bands, or the bartenders, or to rub up against that incredibly sexy bear (which, is an actual bear, unlike head Mohawk honcho “Ace”).
* For further evidence on this topic of people defending bands that are universally considered worse than Black & White Years, I invite you to look at the Alpha Rev article right here on lovely AustinSound!
Sorry Stanley you haven’t changed my mind here.
Yes, popular tastes suck (in regards to top selling albums) and you’ll never find me at an Alpha Rev gig. So there
I didn’t expect to change yr mind — I’m just standing by my opinion and not really taking the 10% of folks at the show who enjoy B&W Years as the gospel truth. I think they’re 94.3% hype due to the Talking Heads guy producing their debut. Whoopity doo.
The only thing Stanley got right is how lame Alpha Rev is.
A person who posts as “Anonymous” instead of just entering a name is truly the bravest critic. Kudos!
I don’t go see BWY because of who produced their first record. I just think that they write good danceable pop/rock songs.
Just like with anything else, take any review lightly and form your own opinion. I like the band and find them enjoyable. I might agree with ONE of your points. After reading the article I was expecting to be let down, however I was very surprised.
I haven’t heard this band, but definitely like Ivan said you have to form your own opinion. Different reviewers will have very different opinions (as well as some valid points). Personal taste seems to matter a lot.