Eagle and the Worm - Good Times (02/07/2011)
Melbourne band, Eagle and the Worm, burst onto the Australian indie scene this year with their infectious single All I Know, a catchy tune which captured the fun and carefree side of the group. The 8 piece, led by Custom Kings man Jarrad Brown, have the traditional guitar, bass, drums but also include a brass section of trumpet, trombone and baritone sax. This brings a mix of genres including folk, country, classic rock and indie to their first long player, Good Times.
Summer Song is a five minute ballad which starts out but never quite reaches the epic heights it seemed destined for. As an opening track, it doesn’t do the job it’s meant to and drags on far too long whilst staying too safe which fails to showcase the band’s full capabilities. Futureman however, brings a much needed kick of energy to the record with obvious country rock influences and a likable enough chorus. Next up is All I Know, which, as previously mentioned, is where Eagle and the Worm are at their best with a tune that makes you want to jump around and have a good time.
The rest of the album, unfortunately, doesn’t draw on these stronger elements and slips into a familiar pattern of ballads and uninspiring melodies which can’t seem to reach the level of earlier songs. There’s the Beach Boys inspired Too Young, drawn out love sick ballad Not Coming Home and closer Already Stands which sounds like an Angus and Julia Stone b-side. However there is the occasional highlight such as Estranged, a more unstructured and free-flowing track that has unexpected solos, an interesting melody and a memorable chorus.
It seems as though Eagle and the Worm have tried too hard to make a mature first record and have come unstuck due to the structured and tedious nature of the majority of songs. First albums aren’t meant to sound so grown-up and it’s why a large majority of fans tend to rate their favourite band’s early work so highly. And it’s obvious that Eagle are at their best when they choose to just rock out without a care in the world.
Sebastian Betten
Summer Song is a five minute ballad which starts out but never quite reaches the epic heights it seemed destined for. As an opening track, it doesn’t do the job it’s meant to and drags on far too long whilst staying too safe which fails to showcase the band’s full capabilities. Futureman however, brings a much needed kick of energy to the record with obvious country rock influences and a likable enough chorus. Next up is All I Know, which, as previously mentioned, is where Eagle and the Worm are at their best with a tune that makes you want to jump around and have a good time.
The rest of the album, unfortunately, doesn’t draw on these stronger elements and slips into a familiar pattern of ballads and uninspiring melodies which can’t seem to reach the level of earlier songs. There’s the Beach Boys inspired Too Young, drawn out love sick ballad Not Coming Home and closer Already Stands which sounds like an Angus and Julia Stone b-side. However there is the occasional highlight such as Estranged, a more unstructured and free-flowing track that has unexpected solos, an interesting melody and a memorable chorus.
It seems as though Eagle and the Worm have tried too hard to make a mature first record and have come unstuck due to the structured and tedious nature of the majority of songs. First albums aren’t meant to sound so grown-up and it’s why a large majority of fans tend to rate their favourite band’s early work so highly. And it’s obvious that Eagle are at their best when they choose to just rock out without a care in the world.
Sebastian Betten