Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club presents a mixed-bag track listing on their 2010 debut album, Tourist History.
This project starts off with a very strong three track run in “Cigarettes In the Theatre,” “Come Back Home,” and “Undercover Martyn.” The first of these opens with a trilling set of guitars pinging off of one another, before the track up with a sharp lead guitar; this pairs wonderfully with a knockout drum kick. Lead singer Alex Trimble translates these elements of the music into words by detailing the infatuation phase of a relationship, which was only possible because of a cigarette. “Come Back Home” follows up with high energy by describing troubles in the same relationship, leaving the audience to wonder what happened between the first track and this one. This song features my favorite drumming throughout the album, as well as one of the more versatile vocal performances. Hearing “Undercover Martyn” again for the first time in years was a treat, as it’s a song that gives me a great sense of nostalgia for music I never knew the name of when I was young. As I’m sure was intended, this one strikes a personal chord with me as an introvert; it almost feels as though Tremble is reaching out personally to tell the listener to get out and pursue new passions, using the name Martyn as a metaphor for the relating audience. The track listing soon settles down with “Do You Want It All?” Here, the band seems like they’re going for a vibe similar to that of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle,” but the track appears rushed both in lyrics and instrumental. There is an awkward jump from verse to chorus at almost every instance, throwing off the listener in a way that isn’t necessarily good. The following cut “This Is the Life” is a return back to the prominence of the first few songs, with a feel good sensation and a brilliant call-and-response chorus between the vocals and guitar. “Something Good Can Work” is a somewhat bland take, not bothering to venture toward any interesting area of production or vocals. This is followed by “I Can Talk,” a decent song that appears heavily influenced by The Strokes. The opening guitar riff sounds like definition math rock, progressing logically up a set of stairs. Although I don’t feel that I enjoy it as much as other tracks, the vocal performance here certainly strikes me as the most peculiar one created for the project. It may seem like a bad thing to copy and paste tracks in any context, but in terms of the song “What You Know” including practically the same chord progression as “Undercover Martyn” except using a guitar, I actually like it. I would even go so far as to say that I enjoy “What You Know” more, out of the two. With the resourceful instrumentation, this track is an irresistible groove and would bode incredibly well in social situations. I also believe this song to have the best lyrics out of any song on the album. Conversely, the following “Eat That Up, It’s Good For You” has the worst lyrics; the track can be somewhat salvaged by the instrumental, however, with an excellent climactic outro. “You’re Not Stubborn” is a rather mild closer, with tame vocals that come off jaded as well as another uneventful instrumental. I can appreciate many of the great moments presented on this project, as the highs are high. Indeed, the greater songs here give off a wistful quality which I’ve found myself enjoying recently, like in tracks such as Phoenix’s “1901.” However, much of the remaining portion of the track listing pales in comparison to the rest of the album. In conclusion, this album is great when I edit the track listing on my own to create a more consistent version. Highlights from Tourist History to take a look at are “Come Back Home,” “What You Know” and “This Is the Life.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorEnrique Cardenas III Archives
November 2021
Categories
All
|