Pitchfork

From the first few notes of Cities' self-titled debut, you know what you're in for-- a few stark notes of guitar under heavy reverb, some galloping high-hat, and strained, theatrical vocals. Collectively, it's reminiscent of the oft-cited college-rock milestones of the 1980s (once more with feeling): Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, and R.E.M. If that's a sound you're jonesing for, Cities can mash that particular button. They plow through their revival on all cylinders, eschewing the minimal and heavy-handed style of similar artists like Interpol in favor of inertia; the band rarely stops to catch its breath over the album's 10 tracks. But a copy of a copy always gets harder to read, and I'm still squinting at Cities' debut for any sign of personality.

Cities add a Western gallop to opener "A Theme" and an amphetamine rush to the strumming of "Lakes", but both just scratch the surface of their influences, showing plenty of verve but not much in the way of dynamics or memorable melodies. They do, however, feature lots of slipping in and out of "passionate" falsetto from singer Josh Nowlan, particularly on "Lakes" and "OOC". (Full disclosure: They also feature former Pitchfork staffer Rob Mackey.)

I'd like to say Nowlan is spiking the band's watery punch with an effeminate streak borrowed from of Michael Stipe or Jeff Buckley (rather than, y'know, Chris Martin), but nothing here implies they're quite that discerning. Cities practically revel in their meat-and-potatoes approach. "Cons, Thieves, and Murderers" is a sparser, less strum-happy highlight that's buoyed by stick-clanging drums. More switch-ups like that from the rhythm section could have lifted this record to higher peaks (why do those trailing behind Interpol never realize the band's secret weapon?), but just "Cons" and "OOC" have much interplay between the band. More common are tracks like the angst-ridden closer "Barricades & Garrisons", its build-and-release too predictable to be cathartic.

Chalk it up to tentative steps on a debut LP, but calling Cities workmanlike is almost being too generous-- albums like this make Editors sound innovative. Too polished for the garage, but too complacent to be ready for the bright lights, Cities have a long way to go.

 

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