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3.5 stars
out of 5
It's hard to imagine a more affable sound than that present
on Roman Candle's first official release, The Wee Hours Revue.
For a band that's gone through a worse set of music industry
wringers in its infancy than most will experience over an entire
career, this is an especially unexpected achievement.
Granted, the majority of the material on this album was intended
for release four years ago and was actually the pivot point
of most of the band's struggles, but nonetheless, this set of
songs exhibits an exuberance and vitality that one rarely finds
in the alt-country arena. Even four years behind its time, it
feels new and refreshing.
This is almost a direct result of the charisma of vocalist/guitarist
Skip Matheny. His voice is boyish yet powerful, and it seems
to beam happiness on almost every track. It's hard to imagine
him convincingly emoting a downtrodden ballad.
Even a slow-burning number like "Sookie" has a certain
quality of resolve that keeps away any hint of desperation.
This may actually function as a point of detraction for some
alt-country regulars, which is why I almost hesitate to label
this crew as such.
The rootsy, acoustic-driven feel of the songs is undeniable,
but Roman Candle just aren't nearly as willing to whine as their
most likely fanbase may want them to be.
But there are remedies to this situation. One is that even the
saddest alt-country fan will eventually need an aural pick-me-up,
rendering this album an essential prescription for the depressed
of the No Depression set.
The other remedy, and this will take some broadmindedness, is
that for some stalwart hipster indie pop fans, Roman Candle
may just be the alt-country band (other than Wilco, who really
haven't been alt-country for a while) that they can appreciate.
In fact, one connection that I kept making in my mind while
listening to The Wee Hours Revue was to the ultracool French
soft-rockers Phoenix. The initial spark of this comparison was
Matheny's vocal similarity to Thomas Mars, but after a little
more thought, I realized that Phoenix have repeatedly shown
interest in some country sounds (take "Summer Days"
or "Funky Squaredance" from their debut). So there's
proof already that this gap can be bridged.
Regardless of who exactly shows up to buy their record or attend
their shows, I feel fairly confident that there are bright days
ahead for this band. Let's hope that's not just the sunny mood
of the music talking...
1. Something Left to Say
2. You Don't Belong to This World
3. Another Summer
4. I Can't Even Recall
5. New York This Morning
6. Help Me If You Can
7. Baby's Got It in The Genes
8. Winterlight
9. I've Got a Reason
10. Merciful Man
11. Sookie
12. From an Airplane Window
13. Driving at Morning
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