Sometimes, an album just takes you by surprise. Whether it was a sonic shift you weren't ready for, a sudden maturation process, or just a significant tightening of the screws, an album that truly resonates with people when it comes from an unexpected place. One of the most peculiar casses of this has molded into the career of Transit, a band who have built a strong reputation for exceeding expectations. Many were introduced to the band on the EP Stay Home, which showed great pop-punk potential. That potential was realized and expanded upon on the band's No Sleep Records debut Keep This to Yourself, an album that created buzz that the band was going to stand alongside The Wonder Years during this "rebirth" of pop-punk we've been experiencing in the last few years. And that's when the band proved that they had the transcend the genre altogether, releasing the instant-classic Listen and Forgive. With such a surprising, yet expertly executed shift towards old-school emo, all bets were off and expectations were even higher for the band's follow-up. The result of these expectations is Young New England and like the rest of Transit's material, isn't exactly what you'd expect.
The album begins with Joe Boynton's croon, as he somberly introduces the chorus of "Nothing Lasts Forever." After that somber start, the guitar tandem of Tim Landers and Torre Cioffi takes the song over, providing a fast-paced riff that powers the track. Landers and Cioffi are the stars of the album, as the entirety of Young New England finds the two experimenting with different sounds, from twinkly emo tones ("Hazy," "Thanks for Nothing") to songs with a decided 90s influence about them ("Second to Right"), and quirky indie experiments ("Weathered Souls"). Though the experimenting was a bit of a risk, as the two developed a winning formula that didn't need to be messed with on Listen and Forgive, the two prove their talents with moments that soar. The rest of the band seems to take after the experimental nature of its guitarists, which is where the album gets a little muddy.
For the first time in the band's career, there are tracks on this album that are unforgivable; songs that simply should not belong in the same catalog as songs like "Skipping Stone," "Stays the Same," or "Footwork." The album's title track sounds like a throwaway track from Dropkick Murphy's, which you'll likely deduce doesn't work for a band like Transit. The song begins with the lazily sung chorus, "If you're too drunk to walk along/the streets of cobblestone,/You know Boston never drinks alone." Aside from the fact that I have literally no idea what that means, the chorus bogs down the album before it even has time to build into anything. This theme recreates itself throughout the album, as "Hang It Up" just doesn't have the same magic a track like "Asleep at the Wheel" or "Hope This Finds You Well" had. There are opportunities where the band could have created some very, very special moments, but the ideas just don't seem hashed out all the way. There is a looser, unhinged feel to the album, which the band are talented enough to make work, but for whatever reason, falls short at times.
That's not to say there aren't some good songs on Young New England. "Nothing Lasts Forever," "Weathered Souls," and "Thanks for Nothing" pick up right where the band left off with the re-imaginations of "Skipping Stone" and "I Never Told that to Anyone" on the reissue of Listen and Forgive, while "Summer, ME" and "So Long, So Long" show the band trying for a matured, alternative-rock sound. There is a lot of experimentation on the album, as stated earlier, which can be interpreted in a few different ways. Some will argue that Young New England finds Transit trying to fix what was never broken, while others will see it as an ambitious step outside the box and a new perspective. The answer lies somewhere in the middle, of course, and where that is exactly is up to the listener to decide.
It's never an easy thing to handle when a band releases an album that you didn't see coming, or you may not have liked as much as their last, or just wasn't up to snuff. In today's music industry, it's a little surprising it doesn't happen more often. But that seems to be where Young New England is headed. While the album contains that same talent and potential Transit have shown in the past, the potential isn't realized as often this time around, as a loose experimentation often comes off feeling lazily put together, and not given the proper care or completion. What will be most interesting is what happens next for the band. After all, The Gaslight Anthem endured mixed reviews on American Slang to put out Handwritten. But if there's anything we can learn from Young New England, for now, it's that Transit are beginning to establish themselves as a band that will always keep its listeners guessing, which isn't always a good thing.
The Bottom Line: Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the most polarizing record of 2013.
Alongside Transit's other material, Young New England won't be up to snuff for most fans of the band. But if you are able to take the album out of the context of Transit's career, you'll find a new perspective from a band who still have loads of talent, potential, and creativity.
Recommended if you rock: The Gaslight Anthem's American Slang, Taking Back Sunday's New Again, Funeral for a Friend's Tales Don't Tell Themselves
No comments:
Post a Comment