Austin Sound

For all of the early allusions to literary figures made by the countless reviewers about The Dark Water Hymnal’s releases, one would think that the subtle and nuanced quintet would be overwrought with expert lyrical tumbling — but they’re not. Collapse the Structure is surprisingly easy to listen to and, at moments, revels in great moments of song-craft and instrumental build without flowing over, like an Arcade Fire album with the reins pulled in.

If you need any evidence of the sheer playability of the songs on this album, go watch their acoustic performance of opening track “Whole City Glows”. The band pulls off acoustically what many groups fail to pull off in a professional studio, and they do so without breaking a sweat or cracking a note. “Whole City Glows” transposes to record with little deviation from its stripped-down form, if only for the accents and highlights pressed into the vocals of Jeremy Ballard on tape. His voice and lyrics — which have been the mainsail for The Dark Water Hymnal over their various line-up changes — gives the group’s emotional chamber-pop a vehicle for mobility. In it, we can see — no, fee — the complacency of the character in “Whole City Glows”, the urgency and hope in “Wherever We Are”, and the broken-hearted outlaw pastiche haunting the lyrics in album closer, “Black Confetti”.

Behind Ballard, and violinist Andrea Couch on some occasions, the band remains mostly out of the way, opting for sparse potent arrangement over dense instrumentation. This has been an archetype for the band, looking all the way back to their eponymous debut EP released in 2007. If they have learned anything since, it’s how to make a band of five sound like the tight, concentrated effort of only a few. This is a good thing.

“Chandeliers” has “anthem” written all over it, with a mellow acoustic build and pulsing drum line, Ballard and Couch singing “the walls are shaking, here come the chandeliers.” But if you fast-forward to the 4-minute mark, you’ll find that there’s still a semblance of the original elements of the song. The rhythm section comprised of Bryan Blanton, Mike Huebner, and Brandon Bunch, get moody on percussion and keys, hinting at the band’s real muscle without ever having to flex it.

But, if they have to, The Dark Water Hymnal plays like a rowdy group instead of the fastidious songwriters they are. “The Quiet” and “Wherever We Are” most likely find their true form in the live setting, especially the former, which beams with barroom boldness before it descends into a jarring outro waltz. “The Quiet” is the closest we get to the band playing full force in such an unabashed way—a little too close. It’s almost too revealing for the band which up until that point has offered up nothing but taste and command. The Dark Water Hymnal have a cryptic feel washing all around — from their name, the names of their albums (Collapse the Structure, As Above, So Below), to the brooding power in the songs like something massive stirring just beneath the surface, but never breaching it.

The Dark Water Hymnal could have easily turned these nine songs into blown-out indie rock. Their restraint and ability to musically insinuate is what gives Collapse the Structure such easy power.

Websites:
www.thedarkwaterhymnal.com
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