*This is in no way reflective of my actual opinions on the album...just trying out different titles.
Pity Sex is an indie rock group from Ann Arbor, MI. Feast of Love, their debut album, was released in June 2013 on Run For Cover Records, and I recently bought it when it was featured in Soundsupply's tenth drop (it's the second album of ten that I am reviewing, I told you I'd do it!).
It's easy to see why the band lists "shoegaze" on their Bandcamp page. This album has such a thick, droning sound quality, that resembles bands like Yuck and The Boo Radleys. In some ways their density is offset by some lead guitar lines that stand out from the muck (again in the best way possible).
The lead line on the first track, "Wind Up" just barely floats over the rest of the instrumentation, and it really gives the song some texture. Granted, some of the moments I enjoy on the album are--according to Wikipedia and an entry on Allmusic.com--less characteristic of shoegazing music. The lyrics to songs like "St. John's Wart" or "Honey Pot" are definitely thoughtful, and audible enough to actually understand (unlike some Yuck songs). On "Wind Up" and "Honey Pot," the two fastest songs on the album, the guitar solos separate themselves very clearly from the rest of the droning haze.
Pity Sex is most interesting when they use their passion for various guitar effects to create tension from moment to moment. "Sedated," which opens with a very thick, distorted bass line, plays around with different effects to give the song momentum--significantly more momentum than it would have if the effects were constant throughout the song. At 1:42 the guitar's distortion cuts off for about ten seconds, and it really gives the track some room to breath, and it's tremendously effective.
The effects work better on some songs than on others. On "Smoke Screen," track four, right when we could use a little change in sound, the guitar's distortion is stripped away, but it's chorus tones get over powered by the distorted bass. After a catchy riff, the distortion kicks back in, and the parts start to merge into a buzz again. At the end, there's a nice opportunity to bookend the song, but there is this uncomfortable feedback that doesn't fit well with the opening riff.
This album really isn't bad, and I suspect people with more of a taste for pop punk and punk will enjoy Pity Sex's interpretation of shoegazing. There are some moments I really love on here, but I do feel the album wears itself out after a bit. If you are more into this style of indie rock, I think this album is a solid purchase. I'll say 7/10**, and I hope that comes off how I want it to--seriously though when did "C for satisfactory" become such a bad thing? You ever feel satisfied? It's pretty good to be satisfied by something.
As always, if you heard this album, what did you think? Love it? Hate it? If there are any shoegaze fans reading, how did I do? What albums do you recommend I listen to to get a better picture of the genre? Who do you think Pity Sex resembles?
Let me know in the comments what you think I should review next. If you don't, I'll actually have to make a decision--that terrifies me.
**I did not give them a higher rating out of pity, and while I think that goes without saying, I wanted it on record. Of course by saying this I only create suspicion about my integrity as a "music critic," which--let's really be honest--was never really all that high. If you still feel the need to list your "title" in quotes, you probably aren't all that confident in your ability to fulfill your role--this has really gotten away from me this time.
Sources:
-http://www.plyrics.com/p/pitysex.html
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoegazing (YUP: It happened again!)
-http://www.allmusic.com/style/shoegaze-ma0000004454 (Didn't know this was a thing, and I am so glad it is)
