Skinny Sad Girls is the first track on Girl Named Never, and it soars due to the smart instrumentation and vocals, which have a decidedly Elvis Costello feel to them. What results then is a track that will stick with listeners long after the track wraps up, a perfect microcosm of the collection of tracks on this album. Girl Called Never is a slower track that flips the relationship between the vocal and the instrumental. Hints of Lou Reed’s Perfect Day are present, with a sorrowful horn line that is weaved through the track.
No matter how different the tracks on Girl Named Never may be from what is currently receiving heavy rotation, I feel that there is a compelling sound to them. The narrative that is created on this album is nearly tangible; the rich emotion provided listeners during We Used to Kiss is something in which listeners will easily be able to identify.
Pickin’ Wheat speeds things back up and provides listeners with the momentum that they need to finish the title. I feel that the band is one of the few to possess the talent necessary to keep innovating; late-disc tracks like Silent Screaming and Devil Inside are easily as solid of efforts as Catch and Release or Skinny Sad Girls. Silent Screaming has a very understated instrumental opening. This opening swells and expands to overwhelm the vocals, making for a decidedly different dynamic than has been heard from Last Men On Earth. The band marches to their own drummer, and I feel that Girl Named Never is one of the most unique albums we’ve heard this year. Pick it up today!
Top Tracks: Skinny Sad Girls, We Used to Kiss
Rating: 8.6/10
Last Men On Earth – Girl Named Never (CD) / 2012 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.facebook.com/lastmenonearth