Keeping Tabs and Their Eyes on You
So here we are, desperately trying to break the monotony of this endless summer. Those of you in other locales are no doubt starting to wrap yourselves in sweaters, your bodies remember how it feels to be cold. Over here in the west it’s just business as usual. It’s definitely time for a change, in all aspects, in all areas. Today came close. With an overcast, almost sprinkley morning to greet us, we’re getting our first few whiffs of potential.
And here we have Koufax. You remember Koufax, right? They game out of the gate on Vagrant back in the early aughts with a bajillion organs and keyboards and melodies for days. Like a lot of other bands, they sort of got swept up in the jacket and tie cool of the Strokes and sort of lost their way. Social Life was a good album, but not as good as It Had To Do With Love. Hard Times are in Fashion on Doghouse got lost in the shuffle back in 2005, but it had its moments. And now we have Strugglers. An album where Koufax finds their voice again, with the understated epic production, the boiling organs, and Robert Suchan’s stories of mundane family life.
Roll the Dice is the peak of the album, opening with slow strength and building to confident heights. It’s all about wanting to take a risk on some change, casually dropping first names of philosophers, casually mentioning the need for divorce. Something tells me he’s not going to go through with it, but that’s where the tension comes from.
Anyway, the new album is great and I recommend it. You can preorder it from our friends over at insound.