Tony Pascarella
02/07/07, 06:27 PM
Piebald - Accidental Gentlemen
Release Date: January 23, 2007
Record Label: SideOneDummy
Piebald's Accidental Gentlemen is a lesson in social consciousness and certainly a crash course in Travis Shettel's sardonic wit. The band's fifth album has a little something for everyone, with plenty of focus on the piano-pop sound that they have been playing for more than ten years.
"Don't Tell Me Nothing" is a strong track on the first part of the album that will surely draw in fans of Ben Folds, despite the lack of piano. If you're not getting enough of the keyboards, be sure to flip back one track to "A Friend of Mine," which could have been ripped straight from Rockin' the Suburbs. Following the swift kick in the ass from "Don't Tell Me Nothing," is the aggressive "There's Always Something Better to Do." While searching for standouts on Accidental Gentlemen, don't forget the acerbic "Nature Wins," which combines slicing dual guitar riffs and a fierier Piebald than we expected on this CD. The instrument parts are well orchestrated and provide plenty of diversity to the 13 songs on this disc. The vocals are bland overall, however, and that diminishes some of the replay value in the long run.
One of the mildly irritating things for some fans will be the analog tape on which Piebald recorded most of this album. While Alex Newport (At the Drive-In) mixed the music, the raw sound can end up a bit crusty at times. It certainly leaves one wondering what might happen if the band cleaned up their sound and added some gloss to it, as well as fleshing out the richness of the sound. What really sticks in your mind after listening to Accidental Gentlemen a few dozen times is…nothing substantial. The lasting value of the album seems very hit or miss. Aside from a few clever lines or a catchy hook, Accidental Gentlemen simply isn't as memorable as it tries to be. The album is one step forward and one step back, leaving listeners no better or no worse off. If you already like Piebald, add this one to your collection, but it may not pique the interest of too many new fans unless they sit at home mourning the demise of Troubled Hubble.
Buy Piebald's Accidental Gentlemen on iTunes (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=PjIvm57kicI&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos. apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStor e.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%25 3D206313144%2526id%253D206313138%25 26s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30 )
1. Opener
2. A Friend of Mine
3. Don't Tell Me Nothing
4. There's Always Something Better to Do
5. Strangers
6. Oh, the Congestion
7. Shark Attack
8. On and On
9. Getting Mugged and Loving It
10. Life on the Farm
11. Nature Wins
12. Roll On
13. We Cannot Read PoetryAP.net Profile (http://www.absolutepunk.net/piebald) | Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/piebald) | Official Site (http://www.piebald.com)
Release Date: January 23, 2007
Record Label: SideOneDummy
Piebald's Accidental Gentlemen is a lesson in social consciousness and certainly a crash course in Travis Shettel's sardonic wit. The band's fifth album has a little something for everyone, with plenty of focus on the piano-pop sound that they have been playing for more than ten years.
"Don't Tell Me Nothing" is a strong track on the first part of the album that will surely draw in fans of Ben Folds, despite the lack of piano. If you're not getting enough of the keyboards, be sure to flip back one track to "A Friend of Mine," which could have been ripped straight from Rockin' the Suburbs. Following the swift kick in the ass from "Don't Tell Me Nothing," is the aggressive "There's Always Something Better to Do." While searching for standouts on Accidental Gentlemen, don't forget the acerbic "Nature Wins," which combines slicing dual guitar riffs and a fierier Piebald than we expected on this CD. The instrument parts are well orchestrated and provide plenty of diversity to the 13 songs on this disc. The vocals are bland overall, however, and that diminishes some of the replay value in the long run.
One of the mildly irritating things for some fans will be the analog tape on which Piebald recorded most of this album. While Alex Newport (At the Drive-In) mixed the music, the raw sound can end up a bit crusty at times. It certainly leaves one wondering what might happen if the band cleaned up their sound and added some gloss to it, as well as fleshing out the richness of the sound. What really sticks in your mind after listening to Accidental Gentlemen a few dozen times is…nothing substantial. The lasting value of the album seems very hit or miss. Aside from a few clever lines or a catchy hook, Accidental Gentlemen simply isn't as memorable as it tries to be. The album is one step forward and one step back, leaving listeners no better or no worse off. If you already like Piebald, add this one to your collection, but it may not pique the interest of too many new fans unless they sit at home mourning the demise of Troubled Hubble.
Buy Piebald's Accidental Gentlemen on iTunes (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=PjIvm57kicI&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos. apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStor e.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%25 3D206313144%2526id%253D206313138%25 26s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30 )
1. Opener
2. A Friend of Mine
3. Don't Tell Me Nothing
4. There's Always Something Better to Do
5. Strangers
6. Oh, the Congestion
7. Shark Attack
8. On and On
9. Getting Mugged and Loving It
10. Life on the Farm
11. Nature Wins
12. Roll On
13. We Cannot Read PoetryAP.net Profile (http://www.absolutepunk.net/piebald) | Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/piebald) | Official Site (http://www.piebald.com)