Story – Great Northern
Another 2009 artist that I never got around to posting about: Great Northern. Their record Remind Me Where The Light Is got quite a few plays from me back in the summer but never quite lit a fire for me. Returning to it in the past couple weeks, it’s hard for me to say why that was. It’s a very nicely constructed piece of good old fashioned indie rock, featuring some very nice melodies and more than enough oomph (to use the clinical term).
I guess the problem is that it all feels just a little bit too compact. I don’t know whether that is to do with the songwriting, which tends to stay a little safe, or the production. I’m leaning toward the latter. These songs, I think, would sound just that little bit better if they had a bit more space to breathe, if the compression was dialed down a notch, you might be able to grab hold of a little something more.
I realize I’ve started my review by criticizing things, so let me change the tone. When things work, as they do quite often here, this is a very nice record. Driving, insistent guitar-driven rock with big, bold, bright choruses and sonic atmospheres that feel as soft and comfortable as a brand new fleece. It’s panoramic in all the best senses.
“Story” is my favorite: coming right out of the gates with a drum beat that cannot be refused and supplementing it with a diving and swooping interplay of guitar and vocals. “Snakes” is a little more slinky, but offers much of the same pleasure. “Fingers” and “Warning” take things down a slightly different road: changing up the pace without abandoning the scope or precision in layering sounds.
When I reviewed their debut record a few years ago I said they reminded me a lot of the Delgados, and this album does nothing to change that opinion. It’s not up to those great heights, of course, but for a post-Delgados world it’s quite a pleasant addition.
I also believe that metmoheliosa is a unusual form of many forms of cancer that is commonly found in those previously subjected to asbestos. Cancerous cells form in the mesothelium, which is a protecting lining that covers a lot of the body’s body organs. These cells usually form inside the lining in the lungs, mid-section, or the sac which encircles the heart. Thanks for giving your ideas.