[Fat Possum]
Rating: 8/10
Key Tracks: “In the City,” “Shut You Down,” “The Big Push”
Imagine a couple clinging together as they sway from side to side in a partially packed high school gym. Their puffy padded sleeves and aqua eye shadow match the elected under the sea theme surrounds them. There’s a disco ball above their heads spinning slowly casting shimmering light over the entire dance floor. If only these teen lovebirds had had Caveman’s self-titled sophomore album they could have 2-stepped the night away to “Over my Head”.
Like the rest of the album, each song seems to be tailor-made for a retro coming of age experience, an unexpected quintessential ‘80s high school Soundtrack. This Brooklyn based indie/pop band has gone in a different direction from their debut Coco Beware, and has taken notes from The Smiths emulated bits of their quiet confidence in dreamy synth soundscapes.
There’s songs like “Shut You Down” which tells a tale of harbored resentment, loss of patience and completely shutting down as a way to cope, but in a sweet way. The short breathy chorus: “I can’t even say the words I heard, easy for you” signifies the singer’s exasperation with his relationship. Going off the ‘80s movie theme, this song would be for the couple struggling to keep a hold on their relationship despite their immaturities just weeks after their fairytale prom.
Their nostalgic sound isn’t entirely unique. Bands like M83 have captured a more upbeat take on the era with songs like “We Own the Sky” and “Reunion”, which happens to sound pretty similar to Caveman’s “In the City”. Caveman however, happens to have nonchalantly carved out a place for themselves with their subtle oohs and ahhs that serenade their listeners.
There’s definitely variety to the soothing softness as the quintet goes from more of an airy ghostly feel in “Where’s the Time” and “Chances” to a powerful subdued arrangement of “The Big Push” which stands out as one of their stronger tracks off the album.
They take an interesting break from the musical engineered electronics with “I See You”, which chooses to focus just on the guitar’s acoustics, steady shake of the maracas and the singer’s enchanting voice. It doesn’t sound like it should fit with the rest of the album, but strangely it does. It will be interesting to see if they choose to develop this sound more in their next project.
To a large extent Caveman is a step up from their last, not cheapened by it’s ‘80s-inspired direction. Sweet vocals and subtle synths pair to make a lovely set of tunes that’s dreamy sound wouldn’t dare to put you to sleep.
This album review was written for ACRN.com and published April 2, 2013.
Alexis Camille Evans 