After a long day in the sun and a few too many cocktails I awoke this morning with a head full of cotton batting. This too, shall pass. While I wait for that happy occasion, let’s talk music, shall we?
Disc 1752 is…City Club
Artist: The Growlers
Year of Release: 2016
What’s up with the Cover? Outside a club. Based on the thinning crowds and desultory vibe I’d guess this is about 30 minutes after the lights have come up. There are people heading home, people hooking up and people chatting in the hopes that a hook up is still in the cards.
It looks to be a shit neighbourhood, and I encourage everyone here to get home safe. Even that guy in the Miami Vice white suit situation, who looks like a total douche.
How I Came To Know It: Sheila and I were planning a trip to San Francisco about seven years ago and we were looking for bands we might enjoy seeing while we were there. This involved me exploring a whole bunch of different bands who happened to be playing, and the best one I found was the Growlers.
We didn’t see them, though. They were sold out and we went to the Frances Luke Accord instead, who were also good (review at Disc 1051).
How It Stacks Up: I have three albums by the Growlers. “City Club” is in a statistical tie for first with “Chinese Fountain” but since you don’t not-pay me to equivocate, I’ll put “City Club” second. Listen to both and decide for yourselves. Here’s the full list, since this is my last Growlers review in my collection, at least for now:
- Chinese Fountain: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 1091)
- City Club: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
- Natural Affair: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 1496)
Rating: 4 stars
There is a lot going on with “City Club”, multiple beats, grooves, thumps, riffs all dancing with each other. It would feel like a late-night jam session if it weren’t so damned tight and deliberate. Instead, it is an orchestra of cool, and you’re invited into the pit to experience it in 3-D.
The Growlers call this auditory soup “Beach Goth” and I can’t think of a better name for it. Beach because the whole thing feels laid back and chill. Goth because it is mysterious and dark in its delivery. The beach at night, full moon, sans bonfire.
“City Club” feels like the soundtrack to one of those movies where all the action happens in a single night, and the plot gets crazier and crazier with each passing hour. Streetlights surrounded by clouds of moths, neon buzzing, steam coming up from manhole covers, and random weirdos sauntering and swaying down the sidewalk.
Presiding over all this crazy groove are the sleazy swagger vocals of lead singer Brooks Nielsen. He’s a bit nasally and he won’t bowl you over with power, but he is exactly what this kind of music needs. You can sink into the beat and tap your toes or you can float lazily about it all by focusing on Nielsen. He doesn’t tell stories so much as he paints evocative scenes and then encourages you to wax philosophical over what you see.
This existential angst threads itself through the lyrics. Saddest (and most beautiful) is the broken relationship described in “When You Were Made”:
“His
old boots finally wore out
And the fire in his belly faded
Her supple breasts sadly sagged
As her tender heart grew jaded
“A life
of love is a long time
When you know that it's only one time”
A small comfort is provided in the song’s refrain of “they were in love when you were made”. Just not anymore.
The end effect is a record you can enjoy in multiple ways. It is good for a dance, a thoughtful wallow or even a drive, and it gets better the more you listen, each time exploring a new element. I started with the unique tone of Nielsen’s voice, then I went to the drum beat, then the groove. The lyrics came last, which is not common for me, as that’s usually where I start.
Whatever order you choose to explore “City Club” you’ll enjoy the journey from start to finish.
Best tracks: City Club, I’ll Be Around, Vacant Lot, When You Were Made, Rubber & Bone
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