Album Review: Good & Evil: A Well Put-Together, Yet Somewhat Lackluster Release

Here's a pretty straightforward review of Tally Hall's new album, Good & Evil. Color coded by person a-like so: Joe Hawley, Rob Cantor, Andrew Horowitz, Zubin Sedghi, and Ross Federman (not actually coded).

Since the 2009 announcement of a second album from the pop/rock band Tally Hall, I have waited not-so-patiently through a series of unfortunate events that set back the release date time and time again. Now, finally, I have the album, titled Good & Evil, and I have to admit, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it.

For those who don't know the band, Tally Hall came out with their debut, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in 2004, which was chock-full of flowing melodies, eclectic styles, and silly, silly lyrics.

So, so silly

This new release retains, at the very least, the musicality of MMMM. One of the interesting things about this band is their common use of four- and five-part harmonies throughout songs, and that certainly carries over in G&E. Additionally, there many songs that have unique melodies with some absolutely brilliant hooks (“&”, “Turn The Lights Off”, and “In The Twilight” are good examples).

And yet, despite this, the release didn't really sit that well with me, and it took me a very long time to realize why that was. I recognized that the band has lost a great deal of its lightheartedness in the past seven years. MMMM is a fluffy, dorky romp, without much direction, but most of all, it was fun.

G&E, on the other hand, is much harder, meaner, and darker, both in lyric and accompaniment. Fans who loved Tally Hall for songs like “Two Wuv” and “Banana Man” might be a little taken aback by lyrics such as “Everybody wants to get evil tonight/But all good devils masquerade under the light” (“Turn The Lights Off”) or “I am the willing victim of a cannibal/She rips out my bones like I'm an animal” (“Cannibal”).

But, as most that know me would testify, I actually generally tend toward the macabre. So that wasn't it. I realized, after thinking long and hard about it, that what was really bothering me about this new release was they seem to be taking themselves way too seriously. I feel like, between releasing MMMM and recording G&E, these five boys decided they wanted to be a Real Rock Band, and that that meant shedding a great deal of their silliness.

However, at the same time, they lost a lot of what made their debut so fiercely original. There was a fire, a life, a... something that made that album really pop. While the lyrics and melodies and harmonies are all still there, the energy just is not. Maybe that's a difference in mixing or maybe they're trying to appear more mature by cutting back some.

Whatever the reason, it's not a sound that's going to last them. If they can't find a way to keep life in their music, they're going to have some issues. Unfortunately, this happens with a lot of bands, losing their spark after the first or second album.

So the thing I'm curious about is, assuming there will be a third release, where are they going with the feel of their music? The way I see it, one of two things needs to happen: either they will stick with their more serious feel, in which case they need to find a way to bring more life to the music; or they will lighten back up. If neither thing happens, I feel like the boys might fizzle.

There are some seriously solid tracks on this album (“&”, “Turn the Lights Off”, “Cannibal”, “Out in the Twilight”, (starts at 1:00) and “Misery Fell” are my top five), and even the weaker tracks are still extremely listenable. On top of that, it's a really tight album, with a nice flow that resolves a lot of the issues of that kind from the first album. I just hope for the sake of the Tally Hall boys that they find a way to put some more of that old spark into their music again.

Thanks for reading,
Til next review of an album you've never heard of,
Amanda.

Thank You, Happy Birthday: A Trippy Trip of Trippiness

For my first entry, I thought I'd review the new album, Thank You, Happy Birthday, by the band Cage The Elephant.

Because I can.

(Somewhat related illustrations were done by the lovely Benjamin Abbott)

I wanna start off by saying I am really impressed by this album.

I think it's a bold move on the band's part by neither making a carbon copy of their self-titled, nor making twelve songs that mirror Back Against The Wall and Ain't No Rest For The Wicked, which garnered them some serious attention.

No, they took a freakin' left turn out of nowhere with this thing and came up with something entirely original, and I respect them to no end for that.

Now for the album.

Always Something

This thing is a ride, if nothing else.

They start out with the angry, violent, aggressive Always Something that makes you feel somewhat like you're being forced to crawl on hand and knee through a thunderstorm of acid rain.

What I mean by that is it's unrelenting and mean as hell.

Excellently crafted, but man.

Aberdeen
Aberdeen is a bit nicer in tone, but still feels pretty aggressive. It's a bit like they helped you to your feet and gave you an umbrella, but then kicked you in the pants to keep you trudging through the acid storm.

Indy Kidz

Now this song is just hilarious. Here's where Schultz takes the opportunity to fuck with his audience, especially the scenesters who arrived the same time they hit the Top 40s.

So now you're escorted out of the acid rain and through a giant funhouse full of warped mirrors and strobe lights, and about halfway through you start to really get overwhelmed and actually kind of annoyed.

Which I'm pretty sure was the intended effect.

But still.

Shake Me Down

So after the essential aural hell that is the first three songs, the band decides to give you a break with this happy little radio-friendly tune.

Which is very nice of them.

Because now you exit the creepy-ass funhouse and the acid rain has ended and everything's blue and gold and just feelin' good.

This song is just one big fuzzy ball of awesome.

2024

Aaaaaaand then we have 2024, which is just indescribable.

But I'll attempt.

It's like some teeny-bopper band from the 60s made love with the grungiest of grunge bands from the 90s and the resultant fucked up mutant baby took a hit of heroin.

That is this song.

As a second metaphor and continuing with our journey thing I've got going, it's like you're still in the rolling grassy hills and shit from Shake Me Down, but now you're running as fast as you can and even though your chest is burning and your legs are like rubber, you just go on running with everything you've got.

Sell Yourself

The only thing I can say about this track, is GAAAAAAH.

It sounds like something is repeatedly breaking over and over.

In this song, it's like you've come upon two enormous fucking rotating boulders with only a sliver of space for you to get through.

And oh yeah the boulders have little shards of glass covering them.

Good luck with that.

Rubber Ball

So, you've gotten through the big-ass-glass-covered boulders and you're bruised and crushed and bleeding from several places and you're lying beaten on the ground.

And finally, finally, you get a damn break.

Rubber Ball is the band taking pity on you, picking you up gently and laying you on a giant bed made of jello and tucking a big marshmallow pillow under your head.

Right Before My Eyes

By the end of that song, they gently wake you with the pleasantly poppy Right Before My Eyes.

It's the perfect follow-up and gets you back on your feet, with the bad feelings garnered by Indy Kidz, Sell Yourself and 2024 softly melting from your mind.

Around My Head

Now we're back on the road with Around My Head, heading down that same road we were on before, but this time we get to stroll lightly, really taking in the sights.

Just pleasantness here. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Sabertooth Tiger

Because yeah fuck you, we're going again. Except Sabertooth Tiger is good old-fashioned grunge without the "dear god why are they doing this to my ears" element that the all of the harder songs thus far have had to at least some extent. A somewhat unremarkable track, it's still freakin' fun to rock out to, especially if nobody's around to see you.

The... uh the journey metaphor doesn't really fit this one... :/

Japanese Buffalo

Japanese Buffalo is just, oh my goodness, so good.

The song's energy just draws you in and makes it practically impossible not to sit up and take notice. Then it has the breakdown that wraps you in golden light and just makes you smile.

This is, in my opinion, what you've been journeying for through the entire album.

After the fucked up auditory trek they've sent you on, this is your Val Halla, full of motherfucking cherubs and unicorns and a big ass golden castle and there's these spotlights all pointed at you.

Because you are the star.

It's you.

Congratufuckinlations for getting through it.

It was totally freakin worth it, wasn't it?

That was rhetorical, it so was.

Flow/Right Before My Eyes Revisited

Now, as a reward, you get the serene and beautiful Flow, which is just like you got through that bigass castle and found the ocean beyond. You dive in and swim off into the sunset.

And it's awesome.

And then, as almost an afterthought, you get a nice, extra-cooled down Right Before My Eyes, just because. That's you finding your own little happy island with a hammock all set up for you and you recline as the light of day fades to black and inky night.

Okay! That's it.

Like I said, I just have the utmost respect for these guys for really taking a leap with this album and going way, way above and beyond their first album. I'm so excited to see what's in store for this band.

Til next time,

Yours,

Amanda.