(Editor’s note: As the title suggests, we’re going to be dedicating the entire day today here at Citizen Dick to Eulogies. First up in Part 1 is a review of their upcoming album, Here Anonymous, which will be released on April 7th on Dangerbird Records. Part 2, to be posted later today, will be a recap of their live show from last night at Ronny’s Bar in Chicago, so you have that to look forward to later to help get you through the afternoon.)
If you’ve been paying attention to the blogosphere in regards to indie music lately, you have probably caught some of the buzz leading up to the release of Eulogies’ upcoming album, Here Anonymous. Starting a couple of weeks ago, the band’s singer, Peter Walker, has been randomly releasing tracks from an acoustic teaser EP called The Homespun Sessions as a preview to their new LP coming out on April 7th on Dangerbird. The EP features five songs, all of which will be present on the band’s full-length, recorded solo-acoustic style in Walker’s own home/bedroom. The first three tracks have already been circulating for a bit, including my personal favorite “This Fine Progression,” with the next two expected sometime before the official release of Here Anonymous. In case you haven’t caught any of these yet, check out the mp3 of “This Fine Progression” below:
Eulogies – “This Fine Progression” (Homespun Sessions)
The tracks from The Homespun Sessions lay down a great foundation for what to expect from Here Anonymous, with most songs focusing heavily on Walker’s soothing vocals and allowing the spacey melodies to blend in without taking over. Compared to the band’s previous album, 2007’s self-titled debut, this new material is far more accomplished musically and in many ways more uplifting to listen to. The thing to keep in mind here is that, although predominately slow and emotional, Here Anonymous is not what I would consider a melancholy or depressing album; this is something I consider to be a true achievement.
The album starts off with a trio of spacey pop gems, the type of songs that allow Eulogies to truly shine and show their strength. “Day to Day,” Eyes on the Prize,” and “Bad Connections” are the types of songs that make you wonder what it would sound like if Mercury Rev were to make an album of Americana tunes; each one is spanning and spacey yet maintains a mellow, straightforward down-to-earth vibe. The album then takes a bit of a left turn for the almost folky “Two Can Play,” featuring Nikki Monninger from Silversun Pickups joining Walker on vocals. From there the album starts to pick up some pace, with the group of tracks from “To Be Alone” through “Darker Place” providing a handful of moments where you feel the band is just on the precipice of completely rocking out just before they pull in the reins and show a hint of restraint. “Goodbye” and “The Fight I’ve Come to Like” slow things back down again before they embark on “”Stranger Calliope”, perhaps the most experimental track on the album, and close out with another standard Eulogies track in “Is There Anyone Here.”
All in all, the album is remarkably consistent and very listenable. It flows well and there is virtually no filler material, so you can easily just throw it on and let it play without the need to skip a track here or there. As I mentioned, the album drops on April 7th. But you can tide yourself over until then with “Two Can Play”:
