Evangelicals - The Evening Descends
(Dead Oceans; 2008)
81.6%
[mp3] "Skeleton Man"
Towards the end of "Bellawood," a swirling, haunting epic of a song about a mental institution named, you guessed it, Bellawood, singer Josh Jones repeats the phrase "Strange things keep happening / all around my head / strange things keep happening." With topics that cover ghost stories, drugs, and a boy who nearly dies following a car crash only to actually die from the shock of having his legs removed in order to save his life - to name only a few - it's quite possible that these lyrics might very well contain the album's not-so-hidden mantra.
But The Evening Descends is more than just a vehicle for Josh Jones' fantastic, slightly twisted imagery, there's also some great fucking music. The album is what you might get if you tossed some early Flaming Lips (naturally, given the Oklahoma connection), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's most epic climaxes (not to mention Jones' voice, which at times is similar to Alec Ounsworth's caterwauling yelps) and Sunset Rubdown's seamless production into a blender with hallucinogenic mushrooms. It's a dense, layered album that teases the brain and really takes hold with repeated listens on headphones, where the music best lends itself to Jones' storytelling. Though its way too early to make any bold predictions, I feel confident in saying that 2008 should be a good year for Evangelicals, and I'm proud to say that The Evening Descends is, at the very least, the year's first really good record.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Album Review:
Evangelicals - The Evening Descends
Monday, January 14, 2008
Have You Heard:
Evangelicals
Is there something in the water in Oklahoma, because the musical landscape in the Sooner state just got even weirder.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Norman, Oklahoma's very own Evangelicals. If I were forced at gunpoint to make any sort of comparison, I guess I'd have to say Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but even that is a stretch. Granted, singer Josh Jones at times yelps his way through climactic moments much like Alec Ounsworth, and some of the arrangements are so excitable you can't help but feel rather giddy, but CYHSY never sounded this tripped out. Since a good comparison is hard to come by, I implore you to listen for yourself. The band is streaming their upcoming full length, The Evening Descends (out January 22 on Dead Oceans), in its entirety on their MySpace page. Or, if you prefer just a quick taste, you can use our nifty little player to sample the tune "Skeleton Man," or download it via the Dead Oceans webpage.
[Midwest Spin] I've only been able to find two Evangelicals tour dates, but lucky for us both are Midwest shows! The first is a free show in Norman, while the other is in Columbia and is almost free (six freakin' dollars). Here's hoping that when the proper tour is finally announced they'll have a KC/Lawrence date in as well.
1/24 - Evangelicals @ Meacham Auditorium (Univ. of Oklahoma) (CD Release Party)
2/15 - Evangelicals w/ Headlights, Gentleman Auction House @ Mojo's (Columbia, MO)