reviewed by Jeff McAllister
Last November I was sent an EP to review by a band from Hamilton, Ontario called The Rest. The group had recorded an album in honor of their recently deceased friend, lost it in a computer crash and then resurrected it using the same type of company that pull messages from airplane black boxes. The story was odd, heartbreaking, and alluring as hell. The EP—which features two tracks off the full-length, “Always on My Mind” and “The Last Day”—is very much the same.
It turns out this is not the end of the Seesaw saga—the LP, expected in early 2012, was delayed again by the mysterious disappearance of one band member, who popped up in the hospital one week later. I was about to tango with an album under a fucking curse!
Just like the child’s toy after which it’s named, Seesaw is an album of highs and lows. Although it’s the tragedy and bombast of “Always on my Mind” that initially drew me in, it’s the fractals of sunlight— the calypso heartbeat of “Laughing and Yearning,” and the lyrical playfulness of “Young and Innocent”—that drive the record home.
I previously described “Always on My Mind” as heartsick and heaving. Lyricist Adam Bentley was dubbed the younger cooler brother Keane balladeer Tom Chaplin. But after hearing his spirited yip on tracks like “Hey! For Horses” or the more upbeat moments of “John Huston,” the comparison no longer seems apt. Pedals still glaze the surface of the album. Shoegaze guitars still make it quiver and spark. But beneath those smoke and mirrors sits a melody-focused pop album. That said, the smoke and mirrors sure make for a stunning experience.
Perhaps most revealing is that Seesaw is an album The Rest themselves deemed worth preserving, despite all evidence that suggests being forced to rewrite their work would have made the LP much stronger in the end. If the album were more sterile—the songs more formulaic —I would have agreed. However Seesaw is a chaotic, dynamic, and—yes—emotional affair. Given that most of its appeal comes from the nuances in the recording itself, it’s safe to look back on The Rest’s inevitably expensive decision—undoubtedly exhausting given the events that surround the recording’s conception—and simply say: Thank God they did.
Seesaw is available through Bandcamp.
Top Tracks: ”Laughing and Yearning,” “John Huston,” “Young and Innocent,” “The Last Day”
Rating: Proud Hoot (Really Good)
