Album Review: Audible by Football, etc

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.