Album Review

Matthew Kelly has earned his stripes. Fronting the pioneering, yet often forgotten Autumns, the band has danced with perfection in the past (most notably, 1997’s The Angel Pool), but this record is more than a perfect dance. This self-titled record is the stars aligning, the union of pure beauty and bitter dissonance. This record not only defines The Autumns as a band, it defines music as an art. I find it interesting when a band releases a self-titled album in the middle of their career. To me, it symbolizes what a band essentially is. “We are ________________, and this is our record!” It’s almost a definitive statement. Having said that, I don’t know if a better self-titled album exists.

Let’s start with “The End”, a heart gripping lead-off that is both spiritual and highly emotional, casting Matt Kelly ‘the vocalist’ in a light you’ve never heard him in before. The music is new-wave shoegaze with an overtly fairy-tale like bent, and the fairy-tale, dreamlike sequences carry through every song, most of which blend together without silence to separate tracks. The 2 most orchestrated instrumentals (“Flies in the Eyes of the Queen” and “The Moon Softly Weeps a Lullaby”) demonstrate a wide grasp of arrangement, child-like melodies, ambient droning and classical composition. If The Autumns were to be an instrumental band, nothing would be lost. But the cohesiveness of this record is astounding. String arrangements weave into songs meshed with acoustic guitars and layered vocal tricks. I am literally left numb upon repeated listens.

There are few albums that have paid as much attention to detail as The Autumns (few that come to mind are OK Computer, The Soft Bulletin, and Michigan). “Hush, Plain Girls” is perhaps my favorite song because of the intricate focus on the vocal melody (which continues to build until it reaches a giant climax) and guitar parts that ‘noodle’ behind it, until multiple guitar tracks become unleashed. “Every Sunday Sky” ties the influence of U2 to the songwriting of The Autumns, but the track is a worthy ode to such a band. “Slumberdoll” is the first single, and might be the most classic Autumns moment in the loud/soft sense, but compared to the other songs on the record, it’s more of a teaser than a single. The explosiveness of “Cattleya” is undeniable, with the vocals continuing to scale until the massive drumroll and wall-of-sound ending. And as beautiful as the album opened, “Heartsick on the Open Sea” dreamily swoons you adrift the end, with a very 60’s-esque croon to match reverb drenched, high school dance riffs.

Kelly has taken his band to new heights. The vocals compete with anything Bono, Chris Martin or Jeff Buckley has ever done. The music is the most realized of any guitar band. Simply put – you can’t find a better record than The Autumns. And the album art is lovely.

~ Garrett Johnson of Grace Hotel & The Black & White Mag