IN REVIEW: The Trews

IN REVIEW: The Trews - S/T

Being a fan of The Trews hasn't always been easy. Sure, there have been great triumphs over the course of the Toronto by way of Antigonish crew's career; they've racked up hits on all four of their previous albums, but haven't crafted a really good album since 2005's Den of Thieves (in this guy's opinion, at least). Follow up No Time For Later may have spawned a couple of great singles, but marked a stylistic step down overall. Hope And Ruin, despite its stellar title track, tended to plod dangerously close to Nickelbackian waters in terms of musical and lyrical simplicity. In their attempts to dumb it down and appeal to a wider audience, they started seeing the opposite effect as average Joes remained indifferent and diehards lamented diminishing returns.

Of course, The Trews are better than this, and they went about the process of making things right with Thank You And I'm Sorry, a 2012 EP that saw them loosen up and concentrate on what brought them to the show in the first place. It was a literal act of gratitude and apology to their fans, and that same goodwill isn't simply carried over to their new album, it's amplified.

By self titling their fifth album, The Trews imply a rebirth, the desire for a do-over; for many bands what it actually means is that they've run out of ideas, but that's not the case for The Trews. Maybe more a refocusing of efforts than an outright reinvention, it makes the previous two LPs feel like misguided experiments. That's not to say valuable lessons weren't learned from those swings for the fences; there are sharp hooks on this record that may not have been possible without them. What makes the difference this time out is that the hooks are executed with less calculation and more passion. The album's best example of what I'm trying to convey is Permanent Love, a song that will do great on radio if they choose to release it, but it boasts smarter lyrics and a more intricate melody than past attempts.

Another clear highlight is 65 Roses, a sweeping acoustic eulogy for their former manager that's their most powerful song since Highway of Heroes, and it really showcases the depth of both band and album. Lead single What's Fair Is Fair packs a different kind of punch, with crunching power chords and a deep groove. However, the album's brightest shining star has to be In the Morning, a real stunner with a gentle vibe, summery melody and an impressive vocal appearance by Serena Ryder. It's the quietest song on the record, but it's a straight up smash.

It's immediately followed by the album's heaviest track, online hater-baiting New King; it shows just how effortlessly they can unleash a big rock song. If I'm being honest, perhaps the album could have used a couple more like this (although opener Rise in the Wake sports a nice crunch too). However, it's hard to be too critical of the softer songs when they're penned so well.

That song writing is the crux of The Trews; yes, they're a little more refined, but they're also more enjoyable, intelligent and mature. It's an album made for fans while being mindful of the fact that the fans have grown up with them. And, most importantly, it's an album full of songs that were written not for what they could achieve, but what they could become. What that end result is is up to the listener, but it adds up to a minor triumph for this one.

April 22, 2014 • Home/Entertainment One

Highlights Permanent Love • 65 Roses • In the Morning

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Sam Roberts Band

SAM ROBERTS BAND I Feel You From: Collider Released: May 10 Having already endured the breakout success ( Brother Down was Canada's it rock song of 2002), the tentative dabbling in the U.S. market, as is the rite of passage for all moderately successful Canuck artists (2003's debut We Were Born in a Flame was the best time to try; one of the best albums of the year, it made a small dent in the American mindset upon its release there a year later), the difficult, druggy third album (the aptly named 2005 disc Chemical City ), and the subdued creative step backward (2008's Love at the End of the World , aside from hit single Them Kids , was really kinda bland), it seems according to script that Sam Roberts would start settling in on his fourth album (and first with the band credited as equal contributors), Collider (you know, I think it was a bad idea to give me brackets). Well, as far as settling in goes, Roberts does and doesn't on Collider . W...

IN REVIEW: Rancid - "Trouble Maker"

As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

SOUND BITES

Search This Blog