Barring a few bad eggs, Illinois has been a reliable source of good music and with a bit more diversity and depth, The Braves could be yet another reason why this is true. While everyone is out trying to put out the next sound and cutting themselves away from other bands, The Braves simply decide to play their own light jangly college rock. We're not talking about the neu-campus rockers, but rather the early to mid-nineties kind of stuff that's long been past its prime and plays cycles in your head as you try to tie your old flannel shirt around your waist that sadly doesn't fit anymore. This band has put together nine songs (at just thirty-one minutes, it's a tad short) that go well together and have just enough push to get them past mediocre, but not enough to reach memorable.
Everyone's had run-ins with The Braves' sound at least 35,476 times in their life: scanning the radio and unfortunately landing on "the hits of 70's, 80's, 90's and today," walking around in a grocery store, or yes, experiencing it in its heyday in college during the peak period of its flailing madness. It's easy for me or anyone else to say such things about this sound and it's even easier to make it appear humorous and ridiculing, but those are only a teeny tiny part of my sentiment. This is good rock, the band comes together well and they're able to write catchy hooks and keep the understated vocals where they need to be. The weaknesses of this album come in the lack (although not a complete lack) of songs that stand out from one another and the bands' inability to cut loose from this net.
You've got to hand it to The Braves for making music that mirrors what they listened to growing up, not too many bands have the balls to do that outright. They'll get a few cheap shots here and there for doing it and hopefully that doesn't get them down and away from focusing improving their sound. "Love and Mercy" is a good arrow pointing toward they're going with their accessible sound, yet there isn't much that makes you want to come back to it-the trick is just starting it and letting it play, after that you probably won't go back to it unless you're bored or curious. This one's worth lending an ear too, but beyond that, it gets a little hazy. The Braves have got the hard part out of the way, let's see where they go after this. So then, time for my cheap shot: Now put your ten years ago head phones on and then read the rest of this. If you're into the sounds of REM, Counting Crows, and The Lemonheads, then this one's totally for you! Jammin'!
- Philip Del Costello | 2005-04-10
