One of my favourite things about reviewing American bands is that I get to look up where they’re from, and that fills out a tiny bit more of my knowledge about a geographically immense country which I’ve only visited a tiny part of. The Haunted Continents, for example, are from Connecticut, which I thought was a city but is actually a small state on the eastern seaboard. I guess that explains why I couldn’t think of any films set in “that city”.
I was definitely not one of those kids who memorised the names of every capital city around the world. Well, I memorised a few, but mostly so that easily-impressed elderly neighbours would give me small sums of money.
Anyway, having established my ignorance – always a good start to a review – on to The Haunted Continents! From the first couple of tunes present you’d be forgiven for thinking they were a Weezer tribute act with a bit of a soulful edge; opener ’2nd. Ave Blues’ is a big, slow, thumping “you left me” alt-rock number which lacks only the massive hooks and easy wit of early Weezer. It’s a solid tune, as is the faster and smoother ‘Nola’ which follows, and only suffers because of how easy the comparison is to make. The volume of the simple chord progressions in these tunes gives them a lot of kick, as does the emphasis on low-end sound from the rhythm juxtaposed against some clean guitar picks.
It’s not all chuggy, loud power-pop, however. The album’s mid-point is ‘Darlin’ Why’d You Leave Me’, a country-rock tune much closer to the oeuvre of Drag the River than anything Rivers Cuomo was ever involved with. Then there are the minimalistic tunes like ‘Nothin’ To Be Done’, a simple song that gently emphasises their singer’s tremulous tones with some deft finger picks. The song is what it is; it’s all about those vocals with the guitar present just to hold it together. You’ve probably heard a heartbreak ballad like this before but then you’ve probably also already heard songs about partying hard, feeling like shit and the USA being the evil empire.
The band also occasionally stray into duller balladic territory as with ‘Way Down’, but the song’s forgiveable within the context of its more rocking cousins and, besides, the presence of such songs is to be expected on an entire album with such an overt power-pop influence. Even if ‘Way Down’ is then followed by a song which asserts that the cure for all your worldly ills is tempting some new piece of ass between your sheets. I’m not sure who’s patronised more by that, but on the positive side of things ‘Cure for the Blues’ is a catchy number full of distant gang vox, handclaps, electro-acoustic strums and a real sense of dancefloor fun.
Another song that sticks out a bit in my mind is ’Played Me Like a Drum’, which starts out quiet and slow but escalates in volume in the final third where it grinds along nicely. The lyrics, though: “she played me like a drum”. They’re not bad lyrics, and nor are they clichéd to the point of being terrible or – worse – laughable, but the phrase has been repeated enough to be a bit dull, and despite some natty rhymes and a good, distinct singing voice, The Haunted Continents aren’t bringing anything lyrically new to the captain’s table. (See! Even in my review I can simultaneously allude to Snuff and Captain Birdseye. It’s not hard!) It’s a shame that, with a voice so distinct and with a good range, nothing more original or memorable is being conveyed.
Overall, though, despite some variable song quality and uninspiring lyrics, Loudest Year Ever is a decent collection of reasonably varied songs and there may be a few that will stick in your mind. It’s not an enduring record but you can probably stick it on a few times whilst knocking back beers, feeling a bit emotionally torn up or just wanting to expunge the memory of modern Weezer records from your mind.
Official site | MySpace | Facebook | Bandcamp | Forrest Park Recordings (they don’t seem to have any web presence at all, which is weird)