Review: Dads - I'll Be the Tornado
By Ethan Forness, Contributor
[6131; 2014]
Rating: 4/10
Key Tracks: “Chewing Ghosts,” “Sunburnt Jet Wings”
The success of indie/alternative duo Dads is a rather interesting anomaly. Dads’ debut album, American Radass (This Is Important), is a fantastic blend of musical precision and heart-on-sleeves lyrics that tugged on listeners’ feelings. Two years later, now with 6131 Records, Dads are releasing their sophomore effort I’ll Be the Tornado.
I’ll Be the Tornado starts off with “Grand Edge, MI” and “Chewing Ghosts,” two polar opposite tracks. “Grand Edge, MI” starts almost disappointingly slow; as far as openers go, it doesn’t establish a solid footing, instead opening with a dark and depressing tone. “Chewing Ghosts,” on the other hand, is reminiscent of “Boat Rich” from Dads’ 2013 EP Pretty Good; Dads show they still have the ability to mix melodic guitar waves with their emotional lyrics.
However, I’ll Be the Tornado doesn’t improve from here. Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen; this album drags on for a while.
Seven of the remaining nine tracks after “Chewing Ghosts” are either very pedestrian or, unfortunately for Dads, bad. Overall the album lacks a sense of flow; Dads bounce back and forth from song to song with different intensities that make certain tracks feel out of place.
Paired with the lack of cohesion, Dads just don’t sound like Dads on I’ll Be the Tornado. The band is more focused on the impact of its emotional lyrics rather than instrumentation. As a result, Dads sound uncomfortable on each track, like the album was rushed and the lyrics forced.
For five tracks after “Chewing Ghosts” there is palpable disappointment. As a listener, one is like a boxer in a title fight. “Chewing Ghosts” packs a sucker punch, giving a taste of what’s to come. For five tracks one repeatedly staggers, waiting for the knockout punch, but it never comes. “Sunburnt Jet Wings” delivers a respectable jab, representing another track that has the familiarity of American Radass (This is Important), but it’s not the uppercut expected.
“Take Back Today” finally gets the ratio right, a beautiful mesh of guitar and drum synchronizing with emotionally powerful and relatable vocals. The song presents a clear message of cherishing the little things in life: “If everything is always a countdown / I wanna take back today.”
I’ll Be the Tornado ends on two longer, slower tunes. Intended to be tracks that tug at heartstrings, “Only You” and “Do You Still Think of Me?” sound desperate and at times whiny. These two tracks combine to be 13+ minutes, which agonizingly drag on with the underlying level of disappointment contained in the rest of the album.
Fortunately Dads have a resilient fan base and a great string of recent tours. I’ll Be the Tornado won’t hurt them in the grand scheme of things; hopefully they’ll brush it off as a sophomore slump and return in full force.
