Not northern, but pretty great
Is this the next big L.A. indie-pop band? All signs seem to be pointing to yes, even if their home base is pretty much the diametric opposite of their name.
Great Northern have been getting a lot of attention in the short few weeks since the release of their second LP, Remind Me Where The Light Is, a slab o’ wax that offers a stately compendium of sounds previously captured by groups like Rilo Kiley, Metric, and Silversun Pickups. Like Great Northern, those bands have all spent at least some formative time in the greater Los Angeles area during their career.
The two principal band members have spent some time in other outfits, most notably (and sketchily) 30 Seconds To Mars. Since setting out on their own, Rachel Stolte and Solon Bixler have been trying to carve out their own niche with dreamy, sometimes atmospheric pop songs. Piano was the driving force on their first album, whereas rock guitars step up in a big way on this latest release.
Like Metric, some songs (”Story,” “Warning”) lock themselves into a groove to hammer home a riff or hook, attempting to elevate that section for the listener. Fuzzed-out guitar tones and noodly leads (”Houses,” the outro on “Snakes”) evince the guitar histrionics of Silversun Pickups, and on tracks like “Fingers,” “Snakes,” and “Stop” the duo recalls the more anthemic boy/girl tendencies of Rilo Kiley. Those songs build up on the back of pianos and well-arranged strings, soaring to some of the albums highest points. Rather unexpectedly, when Bixler plays the piano and takes over lead vocals, he occasionally ventures into a very Spencer Krug-type tenor that kind of catches you off guard.
Of course those comparisons aren’t meant to diminish the effort being put forth. Those elements are seamlessly integrated into the bands existing aesthetic, which on this album seems to be shifting to a motif that is at times brooding and melancholy. That’s most apparent in the early stages of my favourite track on the album, “Fingers.” Stotle’s vocal performance is downright menacing, especially when paired with creepy, Hitchcockian strings in those beginning moments.
If there’s any significant downside, I’d say its that the lyrics seem to be as random and enigmatic as some of the sounds. F’rinstance: a song with a title as succinct and evocative as “Warning” really ought to give you a sense of foreboding, put you on alert, get your hackles up. Instead the lyrics talk about missing and loving someone, and “This is a warning/calling” repeats roughly a thousand times.
Its a far more mature and complex group of songs than one might rightly expect from former members of 30 Seconds To Mars. If they keep it up I expect we could see them featured on CW and/or Fox shows, swooped up by a major level, and reaching Death Cab For Cutie/Rilo Kiley levels of fame.
Great Northern albums are reasonably priced and available from Eenie Meenie Records. Check them out here. iTunes also is a thing that exists.
