Review: Alcoa - Parlour Tricks
By Chris Reinbold, Staff Writer
[Bridge Nine; 2015]
Rating: 9/10
Key Tracks: “Old Habits,” “Always Chasing Me,” “For Holden”
Alcoa began as an acoustic project of Derek Archambault, best known as the lead vocalist for melodic hardcore outfit Defeater. The group began in the American northeast as nothing more than an acoustic solo project, but with the release of 2013’s Bone & Marrow, a fleshed-out, full band folk-rock sound took shape. Now, with Alcoa’s newest release, Parlour Tricks, the band exhibits amazing growth, in part due to the collaboration amongst members.
“We took more time to build the songs, as opposed to me having final say. Their influence helped give the songs a little more life and breathing room,” commented Derek Archambault, Alcoa’s lead vocalist and guitarist. “Gram Parsons is just a huge influence,” he said in an interview with ACRN. This statement is obviously true from the first country-inflicted guitar strums of the album opener, “Old Habits.” Throughout the entire record, Archambault flawlessly toes the line between folk, country and rock. At the start of the song, there is a trebly strumming on the guitar and a kick-snare punk beat on the drums that wouldn’t sound of out of place on an Against Me! release.
Immediately, there is the shimmer of some Nashville-style pedal steel work overtop. The bass settles into a subdued, stuttered rhythm that helps the listener relax as Archambault’s voice smoothly flows over the instrumental. The bending and mixing of genres sets the tone for the rest of the LP. The band keeps everything coherent, but still experiments enough to hold the listener.
“Always Chasing Me” begins with a guitar that sounds like it was inspired by a clean passage on Defeater’s Empty Days & Sleepless Nights. The intro swells and the guitar is joined by Archambault’s voice, “You know I’ve always been scared of you / Sneaking up on me.” Alyssa Archambault’s voice joins in and harmonizes well with husband Derek’s in the chorus.
The way the husband and wife duo harmonizes produces an extremely intimate feel, especially when coupled with the sole guitar. This technique makes the listener focus on the lyrics, which discuss the topic of death as it lurks around, waiting. “You chase me down / Nearly every night /And every morning I leave you unsatisfied / My blood longs for a poison of any kind.” The song is not technical by any means, but does demonstrate how Archambault tries to tell a story, similar to northeastern rock legend Bruce Springsteen.
“Oasis has been like my second-favorite band since I was a little kid, besides The Clash. I think I definitely let that really indulgent rock ‘n roll shit bleed into this record,” Archambault said. By the time track nine, “For Holden,” rolls around, that statement is well-demonstrated. “For Holden” begins with a trudging bass and drum foundation as sparkling guitars relax above. When Archambault’s voice joins in, the song takes on an indie rock vibe. When the chorus arrives, the listener can instantly sing along, “I thought you lived and died by your word!” It’s simple and instantly gets stuck in the listener’s head like maple syrup.
After the extended chorus at the song’s halfway point, Archambault lets his inner Oasis shine through with the “indulgent,” howling guitar solo, backed up by a smooth, sliding bass and masterful cymbal and tom interplay on the drums. Even though this is the album’s longest track at five minutes, not a second seems boring or rehashed.
Overall, Alcoa displays massive amounts of growth and improvement from Bone & Marrow. From the subtle and more subdued folk-rock sounds the band originally built on, it expands its musical vocabulary more than anticipated, again due to the collaborative songwriting process for Parlour Tricks.
“We took turns playing different instruments on the record and it was kinda fun. It felt natural,” Archambault commented. Drummer Mike Moschetto’s production is as tight as an ill-fitting pair of jeans with each instrument having its own clearly defined space. Not a moment passes that feels rehashed from earlier on the record or from Bone & Marrow. Even with familiar instrumentation, the album feels fresh from the inclusion of indie and arena guitar-rock elements. It’s obvious that Alcoa is coming into its own and isn’t living in shadow anymore.
