Will Schube is the ill crimin-al sumblin-al
Everyone’s got that one band that goes criminally ignored for extended periods, before one of their song’s shows up randomly on your iTunes one day and you’re like, “Shit, I need to listen to them more”. And then you don’t. This process is cyclical. We all die alone. Fresh & Onlys is that band for me. “Waterfall”, from Play it Strange is one of my favorite songs from the past five or so years, but that distinction has done little in the way of discography exploration. I enjoyed their last album, Long Slow Dance, but I didn’t give it more than four or five truly solid listens. Why some bands are treated with such ambivalence is preposterous (especially when considering my relationship to Fresh & Onlys because they’re so fucking good).
Things weren’t looking any better when the Bay Area band announced their new record, House of Spirits, which was accompanied by a totally un-engaging first single. Ambivalence turned to distrust—wait, maybe these dudes don’t deserve the attention I thought about giving them—and I once again filed their tracks to the already dusty digital cabinet they occupy. They just released the album’s second single, “Animal Of One”, and it’s really good. The band doesn’t do anything particularly distinct—Tim Cohen’s deep, assured voice carries the band’s best work, and “Animal of One” is no exception. Tinges of shoegaze and post-rock are carried by a loping bassline and spaghetti-western guitars. Cohen comes out guns blazing: “The point of forgiving is so you forget/That being forgiven is all in your mind”. The song reminds me of what I most enjoy about the Fresh & Onlys: the music is both understated and bombastic. Cohen’s voice manages to be subtle yet explosive. The new album is out June 10th, and based on “Animal of One”, I’m guessing the record is going to be really good and totally under appreciated.
