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IN REVIEW: Will Butler - "Policy"

 

As the towering, captivating frontman for Arcade Fire, Win Butler casts a large shadow. However, there's something to be said for younger brother Will who, as the guy who has earned his living in the background and thrashing around gleefully during live shows, proves to be a formidable contributor to his group if his debut solo record is any indication. Though I hesitate to call an 8-track, 27-minute collection an "album" (as it's being marketed and priced as), Policy has no shortage of ideas. 

In fact, the thing that defines the record may be the thing that hinders it, and that's its scattershot approach. Songs wildly hop genres from one song to the next, from the raucous Arcade Fire boogie of Take My Side to the icy new wave pulse of Anna to the earnest piano ballad Finish What I Started to the speedy acoustic shuffle of Son of God. 

That's your A-side, and the B-side is no less eclectic, encompassing fuzzy, Clash-like funk (Something's Coming), playful post-punk (What I Want, featuring its much ballyhooed "pony macaroni" lyric), sparse gospel (Sing to Me) and skittering doo-wop (Witness). And that's the record; admirable in its ambition, hit or miss in its execution and lacking any real sense of what an album experience is supposed to be like. Nonetheless, there are some worthwhile tunes here, and plenty of potential for better, more focused records down the line.

March 10, 2015 • Merge
Highlights Take My Side • Anna • Something's Coming

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