Yesterday, I reached a milestone birthday in my young adult life. Before I went to bed, I reflected on how I’ve grown as a person – musically. Too many times I hear my students at work tell me I’m “too old” to enjoy certain bands or know the lyrics to certain songs. Music is ageless, folks, but that doesn’t mean you’re not prone to adapting and digging more mature sounds. Coincidentally, pop-rock band, Said The Whale, released their third full-length album, Little Mountain, on Hidden Pony Record, leaving me with a lightweight epiphany.
The album’s first single, “Heavy Ceiling,” is what initially drew me in, the chorus being extremely addictive. I anticipated, as I often do with most albums, to hear more-a-less the same tone in each song as the single. However, Little Mountain is comprised of songs that range from catchy melodies you’d find on an eco-friendly car commercial, to songs that have a slight twinge of that of 90s grunge. Despite its title, “We Are 1980,” reminds me more of Nirvana than it does of their preceders, R.E.M.. “Lucky,” I feel, is more reminiscent of that musical era.
Little Mountain also offers some more musical theatre pieces, like, “Big Sky, MT,” alongside their short 50-second song, “Guilty Hypocrites.” These tracks might not be blatantly theatre quality, but for those who have listened to bands such as The Decemberists and Forgive Durden, the elements are there, which separates them from other songs on the album.
I’m completely enamored by the album as a whole, as it offers a buffet of sounds. From its simple Ben Folds-esque pieces, “Seasons,” to its We Are Scientists pop-rock flair, “Loveless,” Said The Whale allows old folks like myself to experience different eras of sound all under an hour.
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