Fans of the nebulous emo genre may remember the late-great Weezer's Green Album, released about year ago. What, you don't remember it? Oh, that's right, it was a hugely disappointing shit sandwich that crept down the throats of unsuspecting fans. Well, fear not, because the new Piebald album, We Are the Only Friends We Have, provides emo-pop fans with a fresh mouthwash.
For the uninitiated, the hard-to-categorize sound of Piebald is simply a rocking one. The irreverent boys from Andover, Mass. bring to the table a 12-track collection of their most mature sounding songs to date. The Piebald sound of older albums was one of highly melodic guitar interplay, surprising rhythm shifts, seemingly unrelated compositions and quirky musings provided by front man Travis Shettel's atypical voice. On this outing, the band sharpens its songs and general production while preserving a distinctly Piebald flavor. The off-key vocals and muddier production of the early albums is gone, while some of the catchiest hooks yet emerge from the ashes.
The Piebald sound has finally found the right producer in Paul Q. Kolderie. The guitar-heavy sound that is the cornerstone of this group is complemented with much more synthesizer than previous efforts. Usually tasteful, the synthesizers add to a nice mix of sound, offsetting the huge shimmering distortion, which dominates the music. One of the biggest problems with the group's old sound was in its poor drum mixing. The tight rhythm section, comprised of bassist Andrew Bonner and original drummer Jon Sullivan, back from a hiatus, is heard clearly through the soundscape. The fantastic interplay of Piebald's longtime rhythm pair is essential in creating these new fixed pop songs that still have that swagger and intensity of their own brand of rock. New bass textures, as heard in the strange "Rich People Can Breed," or the single "Just a Simple Plan," offer a differing dynamic from the usual cleaner sounding bass lines of yore. Acoustical accompaniments throughout many of the tracks provide another important backing element that had previously been used sparingly by the band. Most surprising, however, is the tactful addition of trumpets to several tracks. More important than the obvious production change, the style of song featured on this LP has also evolved.
The uniquely strong songwriting typical of all Piebald works has changed only in its context, not quality. Foreshadowed by the admittedly dumbed-down song style found on 2000's Rock Revolution EP, this album is a further stride in the straightforward pop direction. Instead of creating songs relying on guitar crunching and surprise rhythm switches to keep things fresh, the new album showcases the overall song melody. The band can still create a beautiful harmonized guitar line or bouncing chorus; it's just not necessarily the focus of the songs. The frustratingly catchy "The Monkey vs. the Robot" and "American Hearts" will get stuck in your head like a Q-tip pushed to that strangely pleasurable point right before it starts to hurt. What is most puzzling about "American Heart" is why it was even featured on this album. The opening track of the aforementioned Rock Revolution EP was a far superior version of the same song. The new, comparatively slick production, has rendered the song impotent as the perfect feedback screech at the song's end is replaced by a clean guitar strum. Other interesting album tracks include the obligatory slow song, "It's Going to Get Worse Before it Gets Better," and the band's statement of camaraderie, "Karate Chops for Everyone But Us."
The lyrical styling of Piebald is an incredibly important part of its sound. Never taking itself too seriously, Piebald sings about everything from the band's old tour bus, Melvin, to extravagant stalking fantasies, throwing in cliched puns along the way. The lyrics cover the complete spectrum, from the silly, "Were you raised in a barn or just yesterday" to the insightful, "Life is what happens while we're making plans" to the plain stupid, "It's just like liquor stores, mailboxes, and payphones, whenever you need them they are impossible to find.
One thing that separates Piebald from contemporaries, for better or worse, Shettel's singing. It has always been slightly off, but his grating, high-pitched squeals of long ago have been replaced by a more restrained, honest crooning that fits the new song styles nicely.
All this said the new Piebald album is a logical progression in the band's ever-evolving sound, although old fans of the group may find the new songs comparatively predictable in style. The improved production clarity and accessible songs may help the band enjoy relative mainstream success with the help of their subsequent tour. Only time will tell, but something this good can't stay underground much longer.
