Review: Grooms - Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair
By Sam Carroll, Contributor
[Western Vinyl; 2015]
Rating: 6.5/10
Key Tracks: “Bed Version,” “Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair,” “Grenadine Scene from Inside”
Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair is Grooms’ fourth album. The Brooklyn-based band continues using its indie-rock roots to create noisy garage pop. The album displays the band’s change in sound while maintaining its technical style found on previous releases.
“Bed Version” opens the album with palm-muted guitar repeating a broken rhythm that sounds similar to whirling propeller blades on a helicopter. An organ slowly enters the mix, adding a constant drone that fills space while providing ambience. The drums follow suit, sounding slightly off-tempo. The musicality on “Bed Version” is diverse and well organized. It isn’t what one would expect to hear on a pop album.
The title track sounds the most like Grooms’ previous material. It’s the most energetic track on the album and does not rely on heavy reverb for its sound. The guitar has a unique octave effect that makes it sound like two guitars are playing in different tunings, making it stand out in the mix. The drums tackle through bombastic fills while maintaining rhythm with the guitar and bass. Lyrically, the track is forgettable. They take away from the listening experience, particularly around the chorus when he repeats “whoa."
“Grenadine Scene from Inside” is driven by fat, elastic bass drums. This is the only track where the drums have a bouncy sound to match the airy atmosphere created by the twangy guitar repeating the same series of notes throughout the song. The effect works well to make the track sound like transitions could occur at any time, but the approach sounds copied from Uncle Acid’s “Ritual Knife." The guitar tracks in both follow a minimalistic approach by repeating the same series of notes. However, the most noticeable difference between each song is Uncle Acid’s heavy distortion.
Despite the talented musicality, the lyrical and vocal components leave a lot to be desired. The vocals are monotone, nasally and are often drowned out by the music. “Bed Version” is victim to too much vocal reverb, which makes listening for the lyrics more difficult. Clarity wouldn’t help the lyrical content much. The themes are forgettable. “Doctor M’s” writing best shows the awkward writing. “You have the saddest eyes, saddest / Sing soprano / You want to sing soprano”.
Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair is a solid release. It still conveys the band’s style, but it isn’t as blunt as it was on 2013’s Infinity Caller and 2011’s Prom. The tone is moodier and occasionally builds a faint, brooding atmosphere similar to bands like The Doors and the Moody Blues' early material. The change in sound shows the band’s change in direction for a more refined sound than what was found on earlier records.
