Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: The Stanfields - "Modem Operandi"

 

The Stanfields explored their roots on their third album For King and Country in 2013. Ably performed but lacking the raucous Maritime energy of their first two records, I found myself not going back to it very often. Now, that record feels kind of like a stopgap release, as fourth record Modem Operandi charges from the gate; White Juan is a quick, furious blast of punk-inspired mayhem that acts as a jarring intro to the album.

The majority of Modem Operandi splits the difference between the traditional east coast leanings that came into full fruition on For King and Country and the Dropkicks-inspired pure rock fury that endeared them to fans from day one. There's a fair amount of new ground to the band to cover as well; they recently swapped out two members, so changes were expected. Granted, they still sound like The Stanfields, so no need to worry.

Perhaps the greatest departure is The Marystown Expedition, an ambitious folk/rock tune that turns into a Floydian ballad at around the halfway mark. That's followed by rowdy first single Fight Song and a pair of muscular, catchy tunes in Sunday Warships and Mainline. Streets of Gold, meanwhile, should easily find a home on any Maritime radio station that proudly plays local music, with its particularly melodic, traditional arrangement. Lady Argyle stays in the same neighbourhood, but brings back the electric guitars and utilizes an uptick in intensity that's befitting of an album's penultimate track. Will the Circuit Be Unbroken, a near seven-minute shapeshifter that closes the album, has epic intentions and nearly delivers on them, but drones on a little much and concludes with an abrupt bizarre saxophone solo that feels grossly out of place.

All in all, though, there really isn't much of anything on Modem Operandi that I can accuse of being filler; however, when you consider that this record's eight tracks make up an album that barely reaches a half hour running time, it does overall feel slight at best and incomplete at worst. A couple more songs, even of inferior quality, might have could the album out and given it a more proper feel. That's the worst criticism I can level at Modem Operandi, though, and it's more likely the record was made with our society's short attention spans in mind than middle aged music geeks who operate amateur critic blogs in their spare time.

September 18, 2015 • Groundswell/Warner
Highlights The Marystown Expedition • Sunday Warships • Streets of Gold

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up!  What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...
Post a Comment
Read more