Chris Cubeta And The Liars Club -Chris Cubeta And The Liars Club
2011, Chris Cubeta
2011, Chris Cubeta
Chris Cubeta And The Liars Club ispractically a New York City institution. Not only have the Brooklyn-based roots-rock trio have played some of thehottest clubs in New York, they’ve also toured extensively in support ofartists such as The Wallflowers, Suzanne Vega, Will Hoge and others. This summer, the band released their thirdalbum, an eponymous, 11-song collection that is in the spirit of the band’spast work, but stretches the band’s musical boundaries more than just a littlebit.
The album sets sail with a briefintro, a sonic prologue to the first song, "All We Are". "All WeAre" is a striking Americana exploration of how we are lost in found innew cities, new experiences and new smiles. The catchy, active arrangementleads to a circular realization that nothing changes in spite of our attemptsto hide from who we are. "Truth Be Told" is a compelling and catchynumber full of dark need, from the mournfully energetic verses to thePolice-style breakdown at the end. The song is full of angular guitar work andscreams for you to listen closely and dig into the depths of its layeredsounds. Chris Cubeta And The Liars Club strip down the sound on "Approach",a straight-forward rocker with a quiet pop sensibility and relentless buildinto a chorus that gets stuck in your head. Cubeta's voice won't floor you, butis affably pleasant and easy to listen to throughout the album.
"Lana" opens with a catchyguitar-driven run, reminiscent of the Gin Blossoms (right down to Cubeta'svocals.) This song is a sure winner, a pop-inflected, Americana-flavored rockerthat you won't be able to get out of your skull. "Midnight" is aninteresting change of pace; an orchestrated, lush arrangement with an air thatcan only be described as optimistically melancholy. This quiet moment isabruptly upended when Cubeta launches into the urgent "I Need YouThere". The crunchy, sparse song construction provides the perfect edge,competing to complement and contrast to Cubeta's lyric rock voice.
Cubeta quietly explores the feelingsof sorry and abandonment of a relationship lost in "No Idea", tryingto explain to the one who wronged him what she's done. The lyrics are factualand representative without anger. The arrangement more than makes up for thelack, as Cubeta lays down blistering guitar runs and solos to accentuate everytempestuous spike of anger. "Apathy" is a solid album track,exploring the intricacies of an emotion more complex than it might first appearin a relentless arrangement. "I'm Sorry" has a laid-back, vaguelypsychedelic feel that comes across in the stripped-down, acoustic-ambientstructure. There's a pensive sorrow here that's almost more intellectual thanemotional, and plays itself equally in the arrangement and the vocal line.Cubeta winds things up by continuing the thoughts of "I'm Sorry" into"You Should Be Too", transitioning from acoustic to full-scaleelectric arrangement without giving up the essential flavor of the song. Thisswitch up is an intriguing way to say goodbye, a parting shot and words ofwisdom all rolled into one.
Chris Cubeta And The Liars Clubcraft dusty diamonds from mundane soil on their self-titled album, living inthe valley that exists between Americana and edgy rock and roll. Even with theoccasional ambient intervention, the pop sensibility that pervades this albumis irresistible. Cubeta's everyman voice is appealing, and he always plays itoff to best affect against arrangements that range from quiet ruminations tocrunchy, roots-based rockers. This is one of those albums that will get itshooks into you early, and keep getting better with time.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
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