Knowing nothing about the band Reticence beyond their lyrics, you could rightly surmise they are lovelorn teen-nerds. “Giant” details the soul-crushing effects of stardom: “Up, Up, Down, Down” is an ambivalent love/hate ode to video games, anchored by the sweet Konami Code chorus “Up, up, down, down/left, right, left, right/B, A, select, start.”
“77” is a gentle hymn of religious doubt and “The Tendency of Ending,” details a young woman’s drunken household. While these aren’t necessarily subjects copy-written by middle-teen-somethings, I just expected something different from three 9-5 working, married men. Maybe I expected placid odes to monogamy and diapers or something. Nevertheless, ReMedial is a surprising, pleasant listen.
Toggling between pretty crunch-guitar melodies and soft emo-punk ballads, ReMedial is sequenced beautifully with a welcome aural cohesiveness. Singer Jesse Norell isn’t in command of a powerful voice, so when he goes for those big theatrical vocal flourishes on songs like “Withering,” where he sings “I can’t escape the things I hate,” you almost wish he would stick to the softer end of the spectrum before he hurts himself.
The members of Reticence are friends with other local musicians Bill Mike and Craig Minowa who opened up for them at their CD release party in December, which sadly, saw much of the crowd dissipate before Reticence’s headlining set. The band is tight, expressive and has the ability to appeal to both Arden Hillians and teenage cynics alike. Mope on adults! GB
www.reticencemusic.com |
