The Chariot The Fiancée
Solid State Records TND49015 April 3, 2007
By Jason Jordan
The Chariot led by ex-Norma Jean frontman Josh Scogin have always been good, though not exceptional, and the trend remains the same on their sophomore full-length The Fiancée. While the material is satisfying for what it is, theres simply not enough of it at 30 minutes to make any sort of lasting impact, which includes the three-minute closer The Trumpet that features nothing but a choir. The only other time its used And Shot Each Other it, too, becomes annoying rather quickly.
Like I said, however, full-on The Chariot songs such as Back to Back, They Faced Each Other, Th3y Drew Their Swords, The Deaf Policemen, Heard This Noise, and The Two Dead Boys are solid, if not frustratingly short. Sadly, nontraditional elements mar the following songs: And Shot Each Other (choir), Then Came to Kill (female vocals; strings), Forgive Me Nashville (harmonica), and The Trumpet (all choir). The incorporation of a banjo in Die Interviewer (I Am Only Speaking in German) from their debut didnt seem as forced. Even if The Fiancée doesnt come across as a gimmick, it appears utilizing the above-listed instruments to be different, ostensibly, was not the wisest move because it makes for some awkward moments in otherwise enjoyable tunes. Perhaps they shouldve dropped those, and just played.
Needless to say, The Fiancée is worlds apart from their ill-titled debut Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead and Nothing Is Bleeding since a lot of work went into polishing the former, whereas the latter was recorded live in the studio and there was no manipulation at the hands, or mice, of a computer. Everything s reverb was a problem for anyone into high volume listening, but TF suffers from different ailments that sentence it to a worse fate than that of its predecessor dust collector.
Official The Chariot Website
Official Solid State Records Website
Solid State Records TND49015 April 3, 2007
By Jason Jordan
The Chariot led by ex-Norma Jean frontman Josh Scogin have always been good, though not exceptional, and the trend remains the same on their sophomore full-length The Fiancée. While the material is satisfying for what it is, theres simply not enough of it at 30 minutes to make any sort of lasting impact, which includes the three-minute closer The Trumpet that features nothing but a choir. The only other time its used And Shot Each Other it, too, becomes annoying rather quickly.
Like I said, however, full-on The Chariot songs such as Back to Back, They Faced Each Other, Th3y Drew Their Swords, The Deaf Policemen, Heard This Noise, and The Two Dead Boys are solid, if not frustratingly short. Sadly, nontraditional elements mar the following songs: And Shot Each Other (choir), Then Came to Kill (female vocals; strings), Forgive Me Nashville (harmonica), and The Trumpet (all choir). The incorporation of a banjo in Die Interviewer (I Am Only Speaking in German) from their debut didnt seem as forced. Even if The Fiancée doesnt come across as a gimmick, it appears utilizing the above-listed instruments to be different, ostensibly, was not the wisest move because it makes for some awkward moments in otherwise enjoyable tunes. Perhaps they shouldve dropped those, and just played.
Needless to say, The Fiancée is worlds apart from their ill-titled debut Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead and Nothing Is Bleeding since a lot of work went into polishing the former, whereas the latter was recorded live in the studio and there was no manipulation at the hands, or mice, of a computer. Everything s reverb was a problem for anyone into high volume listening, but TF suffers from different ailments that sentence it to a worse fate than that of its predecessor dust collector.
Official The Chariot Website
Official Solid State Records Website
