Annuals – Such Fun

Described by a well-known indie website as a fantasy hybrid of Animal Collective, The Arcade Fire, and Broken Social Scene, North Carolina-based Annuals struck a compelling, creative mix of qualities from all three groups. On their debut album, Be He Me, the youthful sextet combined the first band’s percussion-heavy adventurism, especially apparent on “Complete or Completing”; the second’s wounded, wistful lyrical perspective, and dramatic vocals, as seen to transcendent effect on first single “Brother”; and the third’s dense, multi-layered psychedelic indie-pop (everything else).

This particular niche of indie-rock—that is, music which is familiar enough to label with references to popular trailblazers, but still compelling and forward-thinking enough to succeed on its own merits—creates high expectations amongst both critics and fans. Indeed, once bloggers took a good listen to Annuals’ aforementioned, fraternally themed, debut track, they reacted with near deafening enthusiasm, even before bigger music-crit outlets arrived to the party. Stereogum, the New York-based blog with a seemingly preternatural tendency to break bands, called Annuals the band “that you wrote about first” (emphasis theirs).

Constant adoration and claim won Annuals a major record deal, but no Arcade Fire-style explosion into the national consciousness, despite the fact that Be He Me was one of the better debut albums of 2006. No matter, as the group went on a busy schedule of typical young band activities, including recording tide-over EPs and forming their own record (whose roster, interestingly enough, includes an Annuals side-project. In other words, they signed themselves to their own record label. Genius).

It’s that kind of work ethic that will undoubtedly keep the band stable through any sort of peaks and valleys that their career may or may not take. After all, there is a pattern of underground tastemakers so thoroughly exhausting the hype of a group that they inevitably become exhausted of the band that they’re supposedly championing in the first place. Think of it as a reverse-Frankenstein—the creator preempts the creation from turning against them. Therefore, the only way to proceed confidently is to become your own master.

Such Fun, the second full-length record from Annuals, shows this advancement to some degree. What is immediately apparent from the opening notes of first track “Confessor” is that the band has become a tighter unit and the better production values on Such Fun has given their work a more crisp sonic sheen. That said, it’s also clear that Annuals have somewhat streamlined their more creative impulses in order to write songs that, while more focused and purposeful, also contains less of the youthful ingenuity and variety that made Be He Me a pleasure to listen to.

“Hot Night Wounds” is a perfect example of the band in this dichotomy. The track begins in a laid-back, syncopated groove over a torrent of minimalist piano arpeggios, and the band spends the rest of the song steadily building toward a vast array of impressive guitar runs. It’s both an impressive display of instrumental prowess and colossally average. Tracks like “Confessor” and “Talking” should make new fans via their constant play on alternative radio. Both songs have clear, catchy melodies and stick with conservative song-structures. They also happen to be the least interesting moments on the album.

Elsewhere, the band thankfully is more compelling when they take stylistic chances in terms of song arrangement and instrumentation. In terms of sound, Such Fun is simultaneously more consistent—there are less glitchy electronic detours like Be He Me’s “Ida, My”—and more varied. The whimsical addition of a old-timey fiddle part like in “Down The Mountain” is positively giddy, and the song’s blend of country ballad and indie-pop anthem is quite inspired. Similarly, “Hair Don’t Grow” manages to put together a down-and-dirty blues riff with the celestial production touches you’d hear on the best dream-pop albums. It’s a creative blend of the heavenly and the grungey.

Other spots on Such Fun show the band competently carrying over ideas from Be He Me—“Springtime” mirrors the harmonic richness and off-kilter percussion of “Complete or Completed,” while “Hardwood Floors” parallels the gentle ballads like “Fair” and “Mama.” In some ways, Fun is a step forward and a step-and-a-half backward. With a genre whose fans are so eager to embrace what they see as unique sounds and whimsical creativity—pretty much the surest way to create insularity—anything that doesn’t meet specific preconceptions will be surely derided. Such Fun doesn’t deserve such a treatment—but not by much.

Tagged as: Asheville, Indie Rock, North Carolina

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