Under the Gun Review

REVIEW: Elder Brother – ‘Heavy Head’

March 11th, 2014 John Bazley

Artist: Elder Brother
Album: Heavy Head
Genre: Emo/Indie Rock
Label: Pure Noise Records

Elder Brother is the indie rock side-project of Kevin Geyer (The Story So Far) and Dan Rose (Daybreaker) with in-studio assistance from Matthew and Charles Vincent (The American Scene). Drifting far from the aggressive and simple pop-punk that The Story So Far has come to perfect, the duo’s debut LP Heavy Head showcases the songwriting prowess of Geyer and Rose in a more relaxed environment. The record is unexpected and mostly brilliant, with a few standout tracks that almost instantly require repeat plays.

After the mellow and catchy “Pennsylvania” sets the pace for the record, “Throw Me To The Wolves,” introduces the group’s distinct blend of relaxed pop-punk and emo-flavored indie rock. Kevin Geyer’s surprisingly intricate guitar work instantly takes the forefront, weaving noodly, American Football-esque riffs through the driving bass line. Given his penchant for writing power-chord driven tracks in The Story So Far, it’s hard to believe how much he lets loose throughout Heavy Head. Simple chord patterns are scarce at best, and the layered tracks make repeat listens more interesting. Fans of Transit’s Listen and Forgive era will feel right at home here instrumentally, but Rose’s deep voice compliments the spacey style in a way that Transit has yet to achieve.

Dan Rose’s impressive vocal performance and subtle delivery fits harmoniously with the overall tone of the record. He sounds at ease hitting the lower-register vocal melodies and his vocal timbre in the soaring moments of “Lightning Bug” is unbelievably natural. While Rose has shown his competence in the vocal department with his work in Daybreaker, he has never sounded better than he does on Heavy Head, partially due to the fantastic vocal production. It’s immediately apparent that this is a Panda Studios record, with crisp tones on all fronts that serve to create a poppy overtone. The occasionally brooding rhythm section calls to mind producer Sam Pura’s work on Basement’s Colourmeinkindness while the meaty bass tone in “Throw Me To The Wolves” shows how far Pura has come since his early work with The Story So Far’s debut record.

Monotony occasionally limits the record’s lasting value due to track listing flaws and repeated stylistic choices. Filler tracks like “Really Free” are easily skippable due to the lack of a defining trait. Without the sample, “A Slow Comfortable Deep Breath” is hardly memorable and easily the weakest track on the record. It serves as something of an interlude between the two halves, but is largely unnecessary and fits awkwardly in the vibe of the rest of the record. Meanwhile, “Any Sort Of Plan” breaks up the pace of the front half with a mostly-acoustic song that wouldn’t feel out of place on mainstream indie radio, and “In My Bones” builds to a grand ending before vocalist Dan Rose gives one of his most memorable performances in closer “Sunday Mornings.” However, these peak moments are a bit too spaced out to keep the record varied and ultimately lead to skipping tracks.

There’s something here for fans of Rose and Geyer’s main bands, as well as anyone drawn into the past year’s impressive showing of emo bands like Have Mercy and You Blew It! Reminiscent of the way Tim Landers turned heads in 2012 with Misser, Elder Brother have the potential to make a huge splash in the scene in 2014, already lining up spots on Glamour Kills’ Christmas show and Pure Noise Records’ 5-Year Anniversary show. Heavy Head is relaxing and impressive, giving Geyer and Rose a strong position and a convincing reason to focus on the side-project in 2014.

SCORE: 8.5/10
Review written by John Bazley (follow him on Twitter)

John Bazley
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