Alamo Race Track
September 1, 2003
Excelsior Recordings
It's easy to start comparing Alamo Race Track to other bands, chiefly among them Radiohead, Fleet Foxes and Mercury Rev but at the same time it is incredibly difficult to compare Alamo Race Track to any of these bands or the other 40 or so bands mentioned by critics and press. The explanation for this is quite simple: Alamo Race Track does tend to operate in a spectrum adjacent to the sound and feel of dozens of other bands but they never sound alike. They pick and choose, they rearrange, they tinker, which results in equal parts inspiration and conception. This leads to a gorgeous mix of layered pop songs with a rootsy and alternative edge. SOme of these songs are catchy and accessible but some are a little more awkward and complex. This diversity provides tangible tension and suspense for the record. Not all of the songs hit you instantly but that's great. Because when you are listening to "Birds At Home" a year from now you can fall for it all over again.
We should disregard the electronica-infused opening remarks as that is exactly what they are. Very quickly Alamo Race Track settles into a Britpop-esque stretch with the bubbly Happy Accidents and the groovy We Like To Go On. On the latter of these two tracks, Alamo Race Track's signature awkwardness is introduced. On close listen you can imagine batteries dying and wolves howling. The vocals go off into an indie-rock cascade more and more as the song lives on. It may all be a little strange but it really works. It grabs your attention and becomes an integral part of the music.
At times the band turns moodier as it touches on a sound adjacent post-grunge (Trunk) to Radiohead (Short Leave/Life is Great), The Doors (Life is Great) and even a somewhat darker version of The Beatles (Birds at Home). But on their most impressive tracks Alamo Race Track shows excellent versatility and musicality. It's a like enough to bands like Weezer & Blur (Summer Holiday) on the spunkier, catchier songs to come across familiar but still different enough to surprise and entice. At the same time the band delves deeper into that musicality on album standouts The Low End, with its epic tension build-up and layered complexity, and the infectious bluesfolk of Wild Bees, both of which manage to lift the album to a higher level.
While the sequencing of the album could be questioned concerning the balance of jumpier, poppier, catchier tunes on the first half opposed to slower and more complex arrangements on the second half one could also view the sequencing as a modern twist on Side A / Side B divisions of the vinyl age. In that case, the sequencing would be spot on. The tone and feel of this record are very suited to that vinyl age and if the opportunity presents itself I would very much advise you to listen to the record on vinyl. Not every song on "Birds At Home" is a homerun and the record won't be for everyone. Yet it still is a gorgeously composed album with depth and substence that should easily stand the test of time.