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opinions were like kittens i was giving them away. -modest mouse
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Norwich band Stable WilL states that if, if they could describe their sound, it would go a little something like this: “it’s like Modest Mouse and Pavement are having a water-fight while Will Oldham is pissing pink lemonade on Built to Spill's favorite shoes.” Modest Mouse, Pavement, Built to Spill - surely enough to pique my interest (and I have a feeling I need to check out Will Oldham’s music now). And I’m thankful they went to the pains to try to describe their sound or at least clue me in on their influences. With self-produced albums coming in these parts by the boatloads lately, bands whose covers are designed with a Sharpie sometimes get left by the wayside due to sheer lack of time.
Track listing:
01 Fonny Focking
02 Orange of Death
03 Special/Not Special
04 First Faded Waltz
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So is this colorful statement a fair assessment of what the listener’s in store for? I think it’s fair enough. . There are Malkmus-like vocals sprinkled all over this EP, and many of the guitar chords ring of This is a Long Drive-era Modest Mouse. But this wouldn’t be enough to make that statement fair, you can’t just compare your band to some of the most talented bands around, pissed on or no, if you suck. Even if they are influences. No, that wouldn’t be fair. But the thing is… they don’t suck. Not only that, there’s some real talent here as well.
The EP starts with “Fonny Focking,” my favorite song on this, a great piece of songwriting with gripping hooks. One complaint I have with it, and with most of these songs, is that the vocals are too often drowned out, sometimes even by the backup vocals – lovely as they are. I’m not sure if it’s because there’s too much going on at equal levels at these points, or if it just needs to be brought out, but I found myself struggling to hear the main vocals on several occasions. What characterizes some of those great bands are the unique vocals layered over the music, not to mention I like to hear the lyrics. What I can make out here is so intriguing, “Down with the phone and into the road, reasons left - unknown…drowned in the traffic, who gets that cold? … My best friend was arrested for publicly extending his metaphor. I’ve been double-crossed, now you tie me to the bed with dental floss…” I just wish I could make out the rest.
From there we go to “Orange of Death” following in the footsteps of Pavement’s classic meandering style, so much so that I lose a little focus around the middle of it, but I’m quickly pulled back into the music when the next song, “Special/Not Special” starts. It’s a charming, sweetly sad tune with some added strings that really fit well and adds to the esthetical appeal of this. I’m going to stop making comparisons at this point because they put so much of themselves into this, that it’s all Stable WilL. This makes a nice transition into “First Faded Waltz,” with its eerily entrancing beginnings that find their way to an eruptive end.
Being unproduced means Stable WilL has that “raw” sound (and in a good way), they have a heartfelt sound, and a sound cultivated from building on great influences but not so much that they rip something off – they have a sound of their own. Combine all this with the ability to write a completely engrossing tune when the music is focused and you’ve got some really “gold soundz.”
-Jennifer Hall 10/19/04
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