Civilian - Should This Noose Unloosen

Die erste Vorladung (VII)

Personalien:

Die Ursprünge von Civilian sind im Jahre 2006 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, zu lokalisieren, als sich zum Singer/Songwriter Ryan Alexander noch Alex Bennett, Nash Nardone und Nick Nardone gesellten, damals noch unter dem Bandnamen Alexander. 

Tathergang:

Als jedoch Alex Ebert von Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros ein Soloprojekt unter dem Bandnamen Alexander startete, beschloss das Quartett diesen Namen abzulegen und fortan unter Civilian zu firmieren. 

"Should This Noose Unloosen" ist deren Debütalbum, das von Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra, A Rocket To The Moon) produziert und von T.W. Walsh (Sufjan Stevens, Pedro The Lion, Cold War Kids) gemastert und in ihrer amerikanischen Heimat bereits im Mai veröffentlicht wurde. Die finanziellen Mittel dazu generierten Civilian über Kickstarter.

Plädoyer:

Civilian liefern energetischen, von Gitarren dominierten US-Indierock, der nicht immer den geraden oder vorhersehbaren Weg geht und Freunden von Dashboard Confessional, Cold War Kids, Further Seems Forever oder Death Cab For Cutie gefallen könnte. Sie beschreiben ihre Musik als "dark songs masked in happy rock n' roll" und legen dabei besonderen Wert auf die Aussagekraft ihrer Texte (die dann auch mal geschrieen werden dürfen):

“We’re not writing songs to write songs. We’re writing songs to change people.” (Nash Nardone) 

Zeugen:

On "Everybody's Hungry," the slow starting but deliberate album opener, we're introduced to Alexander's unassuming candor as he expertly describes what society describes as the perfect woman-"God blessed with large breasts, straight teeth and light skin / Every demographic wants what you have." Carrying these generalizations is a trade-off between both guitars that establishes a driving groove while the song teeters on the precipice of a mid-tempo breakdown.

"Bottom Dollar" and "Don't Lose Heart" follow with a one-two salvo of similar timbre, this time showcasing a tight rhythm section, extremely precise in delivery, yet uniquely styled and bombastic in a way that does not sound hyper produced or pitched. And if the explosive nature of these two songs leave no question that Should This Noose Unloosen is an indie rock record through and through, then "James Kent" features a side of Civilian that emphasizes ruminative storytelling over pure vigor. The track graphically describes a crushing narrative involving a homeless man of the song's namesake and his death as he lays his head on the local train tracks. The subsequent funeral and a scathing critique of those who never took the time to help follows: "I find it odd that in death / They circle you with flowers and they tuck you in bed / Where they tell you that they loved you / But for 25 years you slept under a bridge / Where you were dying of AIDS and smoking a crack pipe."

Over the course of 12 songs and a 54-minute duration, Should This Noose Unloosen proves that Civilian can hold their own with the heavyweights of indie rock. With such a grandiose and earnest collection of songs combining prose well beyond their years, one can only imagine what this band will achieve on future releases. 

(Punknews)

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