3 out of 5

Label: Touch and Go

Produced by: Steve Albini, Kadane Brothers

New Year’s The End is Near is excellent… ly underwhelming.  It’s an “I think this is really good?” experience that has you tapping your toe but wondering why you’re not stirred to sing along, or, perhaps, stirred at all.

A big element of this is summarized in the album’s first line: “The end’s not near…”

Oh.  From an impressively ominous title, appealingly plastered on a pleasing baby blue background, right to the denial.  Cheeky.

“…it’s here.”

Oh oh.  Clever.  But instead of doing the Bedhead minimalist bit and harping on the state of the world, the Kadanes – sharing vocal duties but both employing in a mid-range, inoffensive sing-speak – comment a little on millennials, and satellites, and… the song ends.  The biggest failing of End is that its tracks rarely go anywhere thematically, but some choice lyrics and the buildup of distortion and drums leads you to believe otherwise.

In other words, these are, on the whole, great sounding songs.  Albini, as ever, gets the live sound down: Kadane’s and crews’ slow, nigh-sleepy, and yet propulsive playing style, with the Kadane’s vocals playing their part when whichever one has to strain their tepid mid-range to rise above the noise.  At a key point – midway through the disc – this results in some amazing songs that broach Silkworm common-man poeticism and rawk: Plan B, Disease.

Elsewhere, though, the humdrum lyrical content and unwillingness to really let it rip betrays the intent; the songs are pleasing but they’re coasting.  When closer Stranger to Kindness adds some musical layers atop the guitar / bass / drums, it’s definitely an attempt at climax but it feels so distanced from the actual song ir falls flat.

This is all very harsh sounding because I want to like the album, its barebones hushed rock format right up my alley – and again, structurally, every song works.  It just doesn’t hit me in the gut where I feel like it wants to. So it’s with a more scowly sneer and starry critical eye that I approach this review, tearing down the high walls of praise End is Near otherwise received.  Gosh dang.