Posted on: July 31, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Masons – Let You Down Easy / 2007 75 or Less Records / 14 Tracks / http://www.themasonswebsite.com / http://www.75orlessrecords.com /

“Preemptive Denial” is a track that has in it a very early nineties alternative sound, with equal hints the B-52s and Sonic Youth. There is a simplistic approach to the vocals that matches well with the instrumentation present during songs like “Preemptive Denial”. The thing that makes this track into a success and the band pick up more momentum has to be the fact that the song cuts out at the two and a half minute mark rather than trying to work the same style for four or five minutes. The band keeps the instrumentation tightly reined in for the disc’s second track “I Am A Raindrop”. The vocals seem to meander a little more during this track.

This decision gives the band a slightly different feel as well as creating a dramatic tension between the two elements of The Masons. This tension has the benefit of making each band work that much harder, so that the resulting music is even more impressive than it was during “Preemptive Denial” and “I Am A Raindrop”. The variation present during “I Am A Raindrop” allows the band to work with another half-minute and not fall into a rut. The expansion of their sound continues into “Crazy You”, which features the inclusion of a mournful harmony to the mix. “Crazy You” has endearing instrumentation, but the vocals present during the track elicit tears. There seems to an TMBG-like style to these vocals, but The Masons seem to push on an earlier style of popular music with this track, allowing for a wider segment of listeners to find something they can appreciate in this track.

This track will get the most play on “Let You Down Easy”, for reasons beyond the contemplative vocals present. This is also due to the guitars that wink on and off at the periphery, as well as those that screech and squeal, giving that much more body to the band’s compositions here. The Masons make me feel as if I’m listening to a tape back in 1992 rather than their CD on my computer in 2007. While I usually say things like that in derision, the band is able to come out with a vibrant interpretation of an earlier style. One needs only to listen to the rocking scramble that is “Comedown Baby” to hear the allure of The Masons; the Soul Asylum-like sound of the band during this track has a grit that was not present in any of SA’s albums. Pick it up, if you have any love for alternative music.

Top Tracks: Comedown Baby, In The Water

Rating: 8.1/10

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