Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Trying to capture the voice of a time and place or generation is always a tricky task. Even the most talented musicians and songwriters can end up releasing songs that remains tied to that time and place rather than achieving timelessness. PRETTY AWKWARD’s Get Weird, however, will not suffer that fate. I hear eleven songs certain to resonate with today’s audience and capable of exerting a lasting appeal for future listeners.
Much of this is due to the fact that they hit upon themes that every listener can understand. PRETTY AWKWARD’s songs cover a lot of familiar territory, but they survey modern life from an individualistic perspective quite unlike any other band working today. It takes many bands two or three albums to establish a definite and distinctive voice. But not this Seattle-based Alternative group. They are there with one album that is infinitely listenable..
“Misfits” is the first song that really grabbed me. Cynics may hear this track as a craven ploy to enlist the audience on their side, but I hear sincerity coming through in every note and line. Their outsider credentials are unimpeachable for me. PRETTY AWKWARD could take the path of least resistance and serve up paint-by-numbers alternative pop-rock but, instead, they pursue a line of attack that marks them as cut from a different cloth. The tasteful nods to atmosphere and considered instrumentation throughout the verses lead to the chorus’ eventual crescendo. It’s well worth the trip.
They dazzled me again with “Castle Walls”. It’s another call-to-arms sort of song with a big chorus, PRETTY AWKWARD has a rare gift for such moments, and they balance a plethora of influences without ever planting their flag in a single camp for long. Percussion is one of the album’s abiding strengths and they achieve a groove with this cut that you’ll remember long after the song concludes.
“Higher” has a soaring demeanor accentuated by piano and energetic drumming. The vocal arrangement is one of the strong suits of this tune and the airier aspects of the arrangement help the cut further stand out. The slowly rolling quality of “Long Gone” has a faint whiff of reggae surrounding it and it sports another of PRETTY AWKWARD’s fine vocal melodies. Austin Held’s higher octave, slightly nasal timbre may not be to every listener’s taste, but he takes over each of Get Weird’s eleven songs with an irresistible personality.
The penultimate track “Dangerous Love” mixes rock overtones with the band’s propensity for captivating rhythms. It’s a variation on the theme of the single “Woozy”, sans the latter song’s humor, but it’s nonetheless an appealing late entry on Get Weird. This eleven-song offering has a wide-ranging diversity that few bands of their type can match, and they seldom repeat themselves over the course of its track listing. I hear a clear identity in each of the songs and they put a personalized stamp on the overall experience that sets them apart from their peers. It isn’t the last that we’ll hear from them, to be sure, and they’ve set the bar high for future releases.
Kelly McKinnon
