Real Gone is a return to the territory Waits has rummaged through for the past 20 years or so, with a few surprises thrown in to make sure nobody gets bored.
In 2002, John Nolan and Shaun Cooper left Taking Back Sunday and formed Straylight Run with Nolan’s sister, keyboardist Michelle, and drummer Will Noon.
Guided by the ghosts of Built To Spill, Modest Mouse, and Jeremy Enigk, songs streamline the convergence of technical prowess and quirky pop sensibilities.
Lock And Key invites you to pump your fist within seconds. But the guitars slow down after half a minute and Ryan Shanahan’s angst-ridden vocals take over.
Kathleen Hanna’s seething siren howl blaring over Johanna Fateman’s chunky, fuzzed guitar and JD Samson’s writhing and cranking beats is perfection to my ears.
A catchy yet lingering acoustic-based pop gem as heartfelt as anything by Dido or Norah Jones. Not an album you listen to, it’s an album you experience.
Metaphorical and rife with self-reference and examination, Lubwikowski’s confessional lyric style weaves storybook sensibility around his inventive narrative.