"Communication is breaking down."
That lyric perfectly sums up the eponymously titled first album from Housing. Listening to the album, you get the feeling of a lost soul trying desperately to connect with something, anything. It's a cold and lonely landscape, but also beautiful and hopeful.
Housing is made up of:
Cory Greene-Bass
Devin Metzger-Guitar/Vocals
Justin Pennington-Drums
Paul Wurth-Guitar/Vocals
From the opening chords, as the first voice comes fading in, the music reflects the feelings of alienation and disconnect that the lyrics describe. "Talking backwards...spun out of control...we can't hear you...stuck in limbo...should I just stop asking questions?" are just some of the phrases that come floating up as Wurth's voice sounds like a conscience looking for someone to call home. The music matches the feeling of unease, moving in fits and starts from full throttle guitar rock to quieter and more melancholy sounds.
Housing is the perfect name for the band and the album. Housing is not home. Home is comforting and a place where you always belong. Housing is a last resort or something you're forced into or a holding pen until you find something permanent. The world this album creates is one of that middle place where we all find ourselves sometimes when we're adrift and nothing feels anchored. We're not where we belong and we know it. The words and music on Housing create that kind of off-kilter sense of being adrift.
Don't get me wrong, though. The album rocks like a bitch. The one-two punch of "Waist Side" and "The Setup" are going to sound really good blasting out of my car speakers this summer. "Waist Side" in particular, employs a monster beat and lyrics dripping with contempt that carry you, headlong, all the way to final "Fuck you!" at the end. There's never a moment when there isn't something interesting happening on the album: From the melodic chorus of "Counting Clean" to the otherwordly backing vocals on the atmospheric "Soft." The album was recorded and mixed by Shelby Preklas at Loud and Clear Studios and the sound is amazing. The guy knows how to mix a rock and roll album.
The album closes with the nine-minute "Nice Man." I'm not a huge fan of long songs. They're usually just endless noodling and end up sounding like the band is just playing with itself. Dammit if this long ass song doesn't have a structure that holds my attention for it's entirety, though. From Greene's opening bass riff to the last few seconds when the vocals and the melody come crashing back in, it's riveting. If it were a movie, it'd be 70mm cinemascope. The same could be said for the whole album.
Housing is available on iTunes.
Don't get me wrong, though. The album rocks like a bitch. The one-two punch of "Waist Side" and "The Setup" are going to sound really good blasting out of my car speakers this summer. "Waist Side" in particular, employs a monster beat and lyrics dripping with contempt that carry you, headlong, all the way to final "Fuck you!" at the end. There's never a moment when there isn't something interesting happening on the album: From the melodic chorus of "Counting Clean" to the otherwordly backing vocals on the atmospheric "Soft." The album was recorded and mixed by Shelby Preklas at Loud and Clear Studios and the sound is amazing. The guy knows how to mix a rock and roll album.
The album closes with the nine-minute "Nice Man." I'm not a huge fan of long songs. They're usually just endless noodling and end up sounding like the band is just playing with itself. Dammit if this long ass song doesn't have a structure that holds my attention for it's entirety, though. From Greene's opening bass riff to the last few seconds when the vocals and the melody come crashing back in, it's riveting. If it were a movie, it'd be 70mm cinemascope. The same could be said for the whole album.
Housing is available on iTunes.
