A lonely Saturday night is what it is. A little over a week ago, I sat down with 18 Tecates and set sail for drunj. Not drunk, drunj. And upon my arrival, I found the need to hear Jeff Garber sing. I’ve always enjoyed his voice– whether it was the warbling storyteller he was in Castor or the more high-pitched, staid version in National Skyline. When I went to itunes to search for the Castor album I have never owned, I noticed that the the reviews mentioned a National Skyline song I have never heard. Enter “Revenge.”
Two hours later, I was immersed in an album I never thought I’d be able to hear. With their “permanent hiatus” status, I had stopped hoping for a new album or even new projects. As the title track started the album, the piercing piano hearkened me back to albums past. Then, “Edge of the World” forced me forward. Seems the break Garber took from this project changed his thinking about the band a bit. Where the swells of looped pianos and groovier bass lines reigned, now they’ve been reigned in. “Edge of the World” is a vocally-driven gem to begin with– the first three minutes being easy digestible and laid back– before turning toward layered excess. The track builds toward a fiery finish, but Garber keeps the controls down. Ultimately, the song is a subdued reminder of what layers can do without being overdone.
In fact, the entire record is an exercise in subdued top-heaviness. “Revenge,” the single for an album no one seems to know exists, staggers at the start with a stilted beat. The melody follows shortly after and Garber’s vague lyrics croon a chorus of oohs and ahhs. Once he actually crests (”You and I were born/ to be alone), the song builds to a crescendo that greatly overpowers his already powerful voice. Soon after, the song wanes into radio static– a chorus of unimportant voices. To think, all of this was washing over me 10 beers in.
Then, another change. “Bloom” is a straight-ahead rocker in the exact vein of Failure. Nearly a carbon-copy. I hate making comparisons. It’s a lazy reviewing strategy that is all but disallowed here, but I had to go back and make sure this wasn’t a cover. The song stays at crest for 7 minutes before letting up for “Glimmer,” my favorite track on the album. “Glimmer” relies on a steady, even flow of acoustic guitar, keyboard swells and Garber’s perfect sense of building vocals. The chorus dials in a beautiful melody on electric guitar into a swirling solo accompanying Garber belting at his loudest and most vulnerable part of the album. Needless to say, I love it.
The faults of the album lie in the filler material between tracks. Songs like “Golden Daggers,” “Solid Cold” and album-ender “I’m A Ghost II” are beautiful in-between songs in their own right. I’d even say they were necessary if the album weren’t so short. It’s as if Garber were trying to fill out an EP to be a full-length. I’d accuse him of as much, but he’s released two EPs of material he didn’t use on the album. This is his vision– a myriad of instrumentals and simple lyrics intertwined with commercially viable electro-rock. I’m totally fine with it. Others may not be.
“Kingdom,” the last vocally-endowed track, is National Skyline at its best and most friendly. The acoustic guitar and keyboards return and Garber is at his echoing best. The effects overshadow the simplicity of the track and thus it goes for Bliss and Death. As the electric guitar layers chime in, Garber carries his voice over everything. “Without hope/ you can never feel good.” Yeah, it sounds cheesy, but 12 or so beers in, it also sounds damned good. Then, in the morning hungover. Then on the train ride into town to meet up with friends. The more I listened, the more I knew this record would be a staple in my collection. It will join all the other National Skyline releases in that regard, at least. Admittedly, I’m a fan.