ALGERNON CADWALLADER “Some Kind Of Cadwallader”
If last year’s big “classic emo” breakout band was LOOK MEXICO, I have no doubt this year’s could be Philly’s ALGERNON CADWALLADER. The two bands share a lot in common – most notably their knack for using those melodic, twinkling guitar tones made famous by some guys with the last name Kinsella. Where they differ, however, is in how they compliment those guitar tones. You won’t hear any clean, crisp tones or vocals on the band’s first full-length, Some Kind Of Cadwallader, because the fellas in AGERNON CADWALLADER like it dirty and gritty. The vocalist shouts and screams his way through the band’s songs, and while it’s often hard to make out what the hell he is saying, it works well within the context of the rough production. Moreover, he shouts with such conviction that it’s easy to see why one of the band’s strongest traits lies in their passion and aggressive energy.
Like their 2007 demo, Some Kind Of Cadwallader flies by with songs that are right around the two-and-a-half-minute mark. Even with such a quick running time, the band manages to bust out many noteworthy songs. Opener “Casual Discussion In A Dome Between Two Temples” is full of all the things that make the ALGERNON sound so refreshing: those guitar tones that weave around sick basslines, throaty vocals, and a surprisingly optimistic vibe. It also has one hell of a breakdown, if I can call it one. The title track has one of the quirkiest guitar and bass leads on the record, and the chorus features solid gang vocals that speak to the band’s punk influences. “Katie’s Conscious” borders gritty pop-punk territory because of the more standard guitar playing and the infectious chorus. This is a style that ALGERNON does rather well, and it’s just the kind of song an album like this needs in order to stray from the side of repetition. Excluding the abnormally long closer (“In Response To Irresponsibility”), “Horror” comes in as one of the longest and most subdued ALGERNON tracks to date. Once again, the band perfectly tackles this slight change in approach. The song has a really relaxed vibe, not unlike LOOK MEXICO’s “Guys, I Need A Helicopter,” except “Horror” has vocals in the form of a shouting madman. This mix of really chill music and throaty shouting is an odd one, but that passionate energy is able to seep right out into the listener’s headphones or speakers.
Whenever I think of ALGERNON CADWALLADER, I always think of them being “the little band that could.” This could result because the band name reminds me of the little mouse Algernon in the short story Flowers For Algernon, but I’d like to think it could be applied regardless of the name connection. The fact is that this relatively unknown band has done a lot with a little and are clearly on the cusp of something great as Some Kind Of Cadwallader would indicate. I feel like it’s a cop-out to end this by saying that ALGERNON CADWALLADER make me stoked on music in a time when that feeling is hard to come by, but it is certainly true in this case, and I have no problem declaring that so all the phonies out there will take note.
Be Happy!
