Football, etc. – Audible
Release Date: 13 August 2013
Record Label: Count Your Lucky Stars Records
Rating: 9.5
Far Fans Of : Dowsing, Everyone Asked About You,
Joie De Vivre
By Ben Curttright
It’s been two years since Football, etc.
released The Draft, and now, the
Houston-based trio is back. Their sophomore LP, Audible, contains more sweet melodies, more twinkly guitar, and
more American football references. I don’t mean the band American Football,
though Football, etc. was certainly influenced by Kinsella emo. For reasons I
don’t quite understand, Football, etc. exclusively name their work using
arbitrary football terms, leaving us with song titles like “Hut 1” and “Extra
Point”.
But hey, I don’t judge. At least, not based
on song titles. I judge based on musical proficiency, songwriting ability,
production quality, catchiness, and the awkward, wonderful feeling that I get
when I hear things like the crescendo at the end of Mineral’s
“&Serenading”, like my heart is being rained on or something.
With Audible,
Football, etc. are poised to establish themselves as masters of that feeling.
The opener, “Fair”, displays the same combination of poppy drumming and clean
guitar that made The Draft as good as
it was. The most noticeable step up is in Lindsay Minton’s pure-toned singing
voice. Minton flows beautifully from quiet, low notes to higher, moving
melodies without missing a beat, truly carrying the band from movement to
movement. And, yes, it does feel crazy to say that Minton’s voice has improved
since The Draft; I could hardly point
to an error on that album if I tried. Still, Minton seems a lot more confident
in her low range right from the beginning of Audible, giving Football, etc. a more complete sound.
Lyrically, of course, the songs are not
generally about sports. Minton sings primarily about the relatable youthful
feelings of displacement and loss on Audible.
From ‘I want sleeplessness for nothing / I want endless roads to nowhere’ on
the second track, “Goal”, to ‘We put people in pretty things / when we put them
into the ground’ on “Hut 1”, the words stay poignant, and memorably so.
After
the similarly styled “Forfeit”, Football, etc. provides a very American
Football-esque interlude in the form of the instrumental “Extra Point”. Placed
directly at the album’s midpoint, this song could have been reasonably titled
“Halftime”, if not for the fact that Football, etc. already has a song by that
name. From there, the album picks up pace a bit; three of the last six songs
are under two minutes long, and a fourth, the clever, upbeat “Time Out”, is
only 2:22. This slight change in tempo across songs makes the album seem a bit
like a race to the finish. “Red Zone” and “Turnover”, tracks nine and ten,
respectively, are the two fastest songs on the album and the only two songs
that give off anything resembling a punk vibe. It’s definitely a tempered
energy, though, largely due to Minton’s restrained guitar and soft voice.
“Return” slowly draws the album to a close,
building from quietly plucked guitar chords to moving chorus and then trickling
back down again. The effect is incredible, and the interplay between Minton,
bassist Mercy Harper, and new drummer Edward Reisner is never better than right
at the end. Overall, Audible is an
incredibly satisfying experience, so head on over to the Count Your Lucky Stars
bandcamp page and give it a listen.
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