Spreading Rumours review

I'm with them.

(L to R: Sean Gadd, Christian Zucconi, Hannah Hooper, Ryan Rabin, Andrew Wesson)

GROUPLOVE
Spreading Rumours
(Canvasback/Atlantic)

To provide this review a frame of reference I'd like to discuss how I first came to love the group (*rimshot*).  The band's debut EP was originally released in 2010 and the song "Gold Coast" was featured in the film The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which Trevor had scored.  As I always read the credits for films, but especially those which Trevor has worked on, I was able to figure out that Grouplove was Ryan's new band and thus I rushed off to alert fandom to this discovery and downloaded their EP, which I did enjoy, and not merely for its progeny (besides Ryan, bassist Sean Gadd is the son of British vocalist Steve Gadd).  I especially liked the production values of "Gold Coast," appreciating the choices Ryan made as an engineer and producer.

Success does not just happen to a band, they have to achieve it, and Grouplove was tireless in performing and managed to land a distributor in Atlantic and thus a contract.  The following year saw the release of Never Trust A Happy Song, which is a great album, with only one song I would consider filler ("Betty's A Bombshell" - I wish they would have included "Gold Coast" as they did with "Colours" and "Naked Kids").  With a variety of styles from indie rock to shiny pop to trip-hop to a sort of neo-glam and a few other genre nods, it sold well and "Tongue Tied" became one of the most-played and licensed songs of 2012.  I knew it was a hit single the very first time I heard it and if Ryan - much like Trevor with "Owner of a Lonely Heart" - becomes defined by that song...well, I can think of worse things.

So all of that goes to explain that I am and have been a fan of this band.  I have listened to the EP and Happy Song many times and the band's collective talent, energy and synergy with one another is the key to their success. Being attractive and personable certainly doesn't hurt either.  But what I liked about the album is that it seemed to present the band in their best light, how this was a once-in-a-lifetime pairing in all ways.  Instrumentally they blended together so well, and the call-and-response of Christian's and Hannah's vocals were as much a part of the sound as the perfect hooks and the manic energy of their playing.  I had no qualms in proclaiming this to be an excellent debut.

I appreciate and admire that the band is not merely reprising their formula with Spreading Rumours, that they are setting themselves new benchmarks and ambitions.  Production-wise this is a great work, and I'm betting other artists will hear it and find themselves thinking, "Wow, I want Ryan Rabin to produce my next record!"  The sum of his experience and education is brought to bear in the arrangements and elaborate layering evident in all the tracks.  This is a great-sounding record, and as he brought in a couple well-known engineers to assist with the mix, it's another example of how the band is focused on ensuring their own success, not content to leave it to others or even the popular zeitgeist while at the same time maintaining artistic integrity.

That said I'm not sure, song-wise, how well it all jells as an album.  I think it may have at least two songs too many.  Their are fewer stylistic shifts and even less of Andrew and Sean.  I know they're in there, amidst all that layering, but the character of their playing and songwriting seems less evident.  While Sean sings the verses on "Flowers" - one of the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition - there's nothing on the original tracklist, though Andrew sings co-lead on "Shark Attack."  And I miss them.  There's less of a rock focus, more EDM texturing (one notable moment comes in "Hippy Hill" with a out-of-left-field dubstep bridge in the middle of the song) and while that's not bad it seems to muddy the feel of the band.  There are hooks throughout, it's just that those songs more devoted to mood than melody seem to flounder a bit in my estimation.  When there is a good hook or a catchy melody with interesting sloganeering in the lyrics, then it works nicely.  But in a few places I did wish the band had made different choices, such as "Didn't Have To Go," which is an achingly heartbreaking meditation on young love from Hannah, but her vocal is a bit too shrill and forced in the chorus, it undermines the unvarnished longing of her voicings in the verses.  On the other hand, I did appreciate the decision to put a percussive coda on the end of "Sit Still," it's nice to have a reminder of what a great drummer Ryan is.

But the album begins and ends wonderfully: "I'm With You" is ambitious and intricate, an indie pop symphony of sorts, and "Save The Party For Me" is a sweet acoustic-based lullaby, again focusing on the chemistry of Christian and Hannah much as "Close Your Eyes and Count To Ten" did on the last album.

The deluxe edition of the release contains three extra tracks, and "Girl" is the best of the lot, featuring Hannah surrounded by shimmering layers of electronica heavy on the reverb.

I tend to believe this album is a grow-er rather than a show-er, it will take time for most of the tracks to worm their way into my heart, and the relationship between the listener and the work has at least a year of connection to occur, hopefully deepening over time.  The character of the band and their artistic aims has already taken hold and so any effort, especially that which is forward-thinking, deserves everyone's attention.

When you raise 'em right.

I'll have a review of Spreading Rumours up soon - still working on it since the release last week - but I thought I'd share a bit of an interview with Ryan posted today, here is the link to the entire text for any interested readers:
http://diffuser.fm/grouplove-interview-2013/

It's a question he's been asked before (in different iterations) but this time I think Ryan did a nice job of articulating how he was prepared to enter the family business (as a product of a sane and secure environment) and also the important role Trevor and Shelley played in supporting the band during their inception.

You’ve been in bands before, and your father was a member of Yes. Have you been able to bring that experience to the other members of Grouplove — particularly with your rigorous work schedule?
As far as the travel, it’s a little different, because when my dad started in Yes, he basically came in and the band was already somewhat established. And when [1983's 90125] came out, it was their biggest album, selling more than all their previous albums combined. So he really started with them at the top. At that point, the industry was different with money, so they were travelling in private jets to go to shows and playing in arenas, so it’s not really the same experience.

Growing up, though, I learned a lot from him in terms of work ethic and musical training and rehearsal and working with other people and what to remember and concentrate on when performing. So, I think that stuff is very valuable. They also are just generally very supportive of the fact that I’m playing music. The rest of the band basically lived at my parents’ house for our first two years of playing together. Everyone sort of dropped everything and moved to Los Angeles, and my parents house is where everyone stayed. So, they definitely are influential in us being a band and getting where we have.

Just from reading about you, it sounds like yours was far more stable than the typical rock ‘n’ roll family. Even the fact that your parents are still together is not necessarily the norm.
Definitely. Stable is not what someone would usually say about a rock ‘n’ roll family. At the same time, there was never any pressure to do anything musical, only support. Sometimes kids are pressured by their parents to do something that they did or they want them to do, and naturally you push back against it. But there was never anything like that.

Media Watch: new Q&A

An ongoing series wherein I comment on Trevor's recent publicity.


The blog Kickin' It Old School posted a new Q&A with Trevor a couple days ago which can be read here:
http://oldschool.tblog.com/post/1970860329

This is a nostalgia blog with a particular focus on 80s pop culture.  Unfortunately there's not much new content, given that most of the questions focus on Trevor's tenure in Yes and we are wholly familiar with all the stories.  But this line is clearly the most hilarious of the entire interview:

The clothes and hair of the 80s were awful, and the Yes videos were too. 

Oh c'mon, Trev, you had THE BEST HAIR in the 1980s!

And as a retort-of-sorts to those who felt he had sullied the reputation of the band...

I loved recording Jon's voice. I would sometimes get a call from an engineer on Jon's solo projects. Jon would instruct them to call me to tell them how to get his voice to sound. I was very flattered. 

However, there is an interesting tidbit at the end which gives me hope for the further adventures of the firm of Rabin & Rabin:

I would love to do an album with my son, Ryan, at some point.

And also:

 I am starting a new solo album as a follow up to Jacaranda,

Huzzah!  Clearly what is needed now is lots of pestering about this project rather than AWR; you all have your assignment.