Hello again YouChew friends.
After long last, I finally reviewed this beaut'. American Football.
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If you didn't read my last review of their work, here is a little insight on who these guys are.
![Posted Image]()
American Football was a brief alternative/emo/math-rock band, consisting of the majestic trio of indie-legend, Mike Kinsella (of Owen fame), Steve Lamos, and Steve Holmes. This band was almost exclusively a side project, with all three members involved in different projects for Polyvinyl, before merging to form this group. The band recorded this album in late 1997-early 1998 before recording their full-length, self titled LP, American Football, which I will be reviewing next week. The band was praised almost universally for their The group performed a few live shows locally split a year after the second album's release after becoming nothing more than a studio project.
I have been waiting a while to review this, and finally got a physical copy in the mail. So, without further ado, let's dive in.
The first track on the album is Never Meant, which truly launches the listener into the melancholic state that the band is trying to convey. Despite its upbeat, jazzy instrumentation, the lyrics depict a couple's breaking up, throwing lines out such as "Let's just pretend everything between you and me was never meant", self explanitory to the songs title. Near the middle we get a pretty nice breakdown/build up with some talkbox esque vocals that seem to compliment each other and clash quite nicely. Not to mention the words that are spoken that are beckoned by loyal fans:
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Following this is a much slower, sadder sounding ballad, The Summer Ends. The vocals come in after about a minute of a surprising horn segment, which kind of felt forced in my opinion, but none the less sounded nice. The song sort of sounds like something you'd listen to on a sunday evening in the beginning of fall, which is what I believe is where the song takes place, as Kinsella is talking about confusion regarding where his relationship with this unnamed partner he is courting. This song is actually how I found this band, after vaporwave artist/friend of mine Saint Pepsi sampled this track in his single Unhappy. (fitting)
Next comes the track Honestly?. A bit of a tempo pick up from The Summer Ends, but it fits. This song has about a minute or two of vocals before going into a grandiose instrumental that at this point I slipped my socks off and laid my head back in my desk chair. Complete nirvana. If there is one thing I'd like to say about Mike Kinsella, is that he is a musical genius. It leaves you a bit tired though, as it goes on for about four minutes, but I didn't really mind. However, I can see people getting tired of the repetetive sound the track has.
Following this, we get another slow track, For Sure. We are greeted again by horns alongside some a slow, extremely jazz reminiscent instrumental. I got goosebumps on this track the second the angelic sounding vocals came in. I'm not calling it angelic due to my soft spot for Kinsella's work, but the way they reverb and are sung sound like it would be the calling from an actual angel. I will no longer be repeating what I said on the others, since I am going to say that every track on here has to do with a struggeling romance.
From this we get You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon. Here we are greeted by what may be the first obvious sign of influence from math-rock, as the song's structure is arranged in a rather unordinary way, breaking away from the usual time signature of other songs. This track is an instrumental track, so it becomes more apparent to pay attention to the song itself. It's relaxing, and is definitely a nice in between track.
Next up is But the Regrets Are Killing Me. This is probably the saddest sounding song so far from my listening. (I am listening straight through and taking notes.) At this moment, I stare at my lamp in my dimly lit room. I begin to regret some mistakes in my own love life. [name withheld], if you're reading this, I've always loved you, and I'm telling you tomorrow. But that's besides the point. The song is definitely the most reminiscent of emo music, as the chorus repeats on and on "but the reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeets, are killing meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."
DRUMS DRUM DRUM DRUM right into the faster I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional. We get a little more upbeat, but still sad, sounding fast, precise time signatures. Kinsella's delivery is definitely at its most emotional, sounding almost as if he's begging desperately. This has probably been the highlight of the album.
From this we get Stay Home. This seems to be the point of euphoric confusion and otherwise aimless angst, like a reality check for the listener. This is what I believe to be the Five Silent Miles of this album. Like, this is the walking down the road after fighting with your love and literally regretting every breath of it and just want nothing more but to be forgiven, something this album is REALLY good at doing.
(For the record, I teared up at this record a bit, and it has become probably one of my favorite albums ever.)
And at the conclusion at this record, we get The One With the Wurlitzer, an instrumental track. We are greeted with the horns. I feel if there was ever a movie adaption of this album, this would be the music that would play as the credits rolled, zooming out from the ominously lit window on the album, with the victim of heartbreak portrayed throughout the album resides, contemplating what he has done.
![Posted Image]()
And with that, we have American Football. Wow.
This was powerful, like really powerful.
The production was very very clean and well done, as well as the instrumentals, with the exception of the horns at time feeling very forced, but that might just be me.
I can see now why this group has such a large and loyal fanbase, because I too would love to hear anything from them again.
If you are to listen to this, please listen to this in full; start to finish. It's an experience.
I'm going to give this a 9.5/10, only because of the horns. Ugh..... Horns....
![Posted Image]()
After long last, I finally reviewed this beaut'. American Football.
If you didn't read my last review of their work, here is a little insight on who these guys are.
American Football was a brief alternative/emo/math-rock band, consisting of the majestic trio of indie-legend, Mike Kinsella (of Owen fame), Steve Lamos, and Steve Holmes. This band was almost exclusively a side project, with all three members involved in different projects for Polyvinyl, before merging to form this group. The band recorded this album in late 1997-early 1998 before recording their full-length, self titled LP, American Football, which I will be reviewing next week. The band was praised almost universally for their The group performed a few live shows locally split a year after the second album's release after becoming nothing more than a studio project.
I have been waiting a while to review this, and finally got a physical copy in the mail. So, without further ado, let's dive in.
The first track on the album is Never Meant, which truly launches the listener into the melancholic state that the band is trying to convey. Despite its upbeat, jazzy instrumentation, the lyrics depict a couple's breaking up, throwing lines out such as "Let's just pretend everything between you and me was never meant", self explanitory to the songs title. Near the middle we get a pretty nice breakdown/build up with some talkbox esque vocals that seem to compliment each other and clash quite nicely. Not to mention the words that are spoken that are beckoned by loyal fans:
Following this is a much slower, sadder sounding ballad, The Summer Ends. The vocals come in after about a minute of a surprising horn segment, which kind of felt forced in my opinion, but none the less sounded nice. The song sort of sounds like something you'd listen to on a sunday evening in the beginning of fall, which is what I believe is where the song takes place, as Kinsella is talking about confusion regarding where his relationship with this unnamed partner he is courting. This song is actually how I found this band, after vaporwave artist/friend of mine Saint Pepsi sampled this track in his single Unhappy. (fitting)
Next comes the track Honestly?. A bit of a tempo pick up from The Summer Ends, but it fits. This song has about a minute or two of vocals before going into a grandiose instrumental that at this point I slipped my socks off and laid my head back in my desk chair. Complete nirvana. If there is one thing I'd like to say about Mike Kinsella, is that he is a musical genius. It leaves you a bit tired though, as it goes on for about four minutes, but I didn't really mind. However, I can see people getting tired of the repetetive sound the track has.
Following this, we get another slow track, For Sure. We are greeted again by horns alongside some a slow, extremely jazz reminiscent instrumental. I got goosebumps on this track the second the angelic sounding vocals came in. I'm not calling it angelic due to my soft spot for Kinsella's work, but the way they reverb and are sung sound like it would be the calling from an actual angel. I will no longer be repeating what I said on the others, since I am going to say that every track on here has to do with a struggeling romance.
From this we get You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon. Here we are greeted by what may be the first obvious sign of influence from math-rock, as the song's structure is arranged in a rather unordinary way, breaking away from the usual time signature of other songs. This track is an instrumental track, so it becomes more apparent to pay attention to the song itself. It's relaxing, and is definitely a nice in between track.
Next up is But the Regrets Are Killing Me. This is probably the saddest sounding song so far from my listening. (I am listening straight through and taking notes.) At this moment, I stare at my lamp in my dimly lit room. I begin to regret some mistakes in my own love life. [name withheld], if you're reading this, I've always loved you, and I'm telling you tomorrow. But that's besides the point. The song is definitely the most reminiscent of emo music, as the chorus repeats on and on "but the reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeets, are killing meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."
DRUMS DRUM DRUM DRUM right into the faster I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional. We get a little more upbeat, but still sad, sounding fast, precise time signatures. Kinsella's delivery is definitely at its most emotional, sounding almost as if he's begging desperately. This has probably been the highlight of the album.
From this we get Stay Home. This seems to be the point of euphoric confusion and otherwise aimless angst, like a reality check for the listener. This is what I believe to be the Five Silent Miles of this album. Like, this is the walking down the road after fighting with your love and literally regretting every breath of it and just want nothing more but to be forgiven, something this album is REALLY good at doing.
(For the record, I teared up at this record a bit, and it has become probably one of my favorite albums ever.)
And at the conclusion at this record, we get The One With the Wurlitzer, an instrumental track. We are greeted with the horns. I feel if there was ever a movie adaption of this album, this would be the music that would play as the credits rolled, zooming out from the ominously lit window on the album, with the victim of heartbreak portrayed throughout the album resides, contemplating what he has done.
And with that, we have American Football. Wow.
This was powerful, like really powerful.
The production was very very clean and well done, as well as the instrumentals, with the exception of the horns at time feeling very forced, but that might just be me.
I can see now why this group has such a large and loyal fanbase, because I too would love to hear anything from them again.
If you are to listen to this, please listen to this in full; start to finish. It's an experience.
I'm going to give this a 9.5/10, only because of the horns. Ugh..... Horns....
