Was a time I didn't think much of Elf Power. Dismissed 'em as second-generation Georgia retro-pop-- well-executed but by-the-numbers 70s psych-rock with a bunch of chord changes snatched outta Lou Reed's ass pocket. But one day, I came around to these small-town, tousle-headed geeks. Seemed the closer I listened, the more I became aware of the subtle differences that came with the hints of Middle Eastern melody, the quick bits of slide guitar, the occasional accordian or flute or organ, and the sporadic bursts of feedback scattered sparsely through albums like The Winter Is Coming and A Dream in Sound.
Sure, the songs were simple and even a bit derivative, but there was enough unique flavor to each one to keep things interesting, while still definable within the vague boundaries of rock music. They were no longer just normal pop songs-- they were dark pop songs, cold pop songs, desolate pop songs. The moods matched the subtle changes in timbre which were both unexpected and stunning. But now these Elf Power kids got a new album, and though I hate to say it, I might as well be frank: it sorta sucks.
Yeah, it's still got those fuzzy and jangly guitars. And yeah, there's still gentle vocals about goofy shit-- monsters and creatures and all that, but there's nothing that actually steps forward or makes an attempt to stick out. Tracks like "Let the Serpent Sleep" are built around strikingly familiar melodies (in the case of the title cut, one of their own); "Visions of the Sea" sounds like a sped-up version of R.E.M.'s "Sweetness Follows." "Everlasting Scream" is distorted twee-vocals over Ramones-inspired (though to say "inspired" might be stretching it) three-chord rock. There are a ton of acoustic guitar-based tracks that drift right on by-- like they aren't even there!-- despite the attempts by a cello on "The Modern Mind," a twangy steel-pedal guitar on "The Creature," and violin practically everywhere else. Problem is, where Elf Power previously made every extra instrument sound like an essential part of their songs, here, these things just sound like last-minute additions aimed at making one song sound remotely different from the next.
Maybe I shouldn't be so tough on the guys. After all, I know what rejection feels like, and Elf Power's been through a few tough breaks of their own lately-- what with bigshot producer Dave Fridmann moving on to greener pastures with Mogwai and former member Bryan Poole leaving the band to rock out with the drummer of Jucifer. Maybe that's why the new album sounds so faint and distant, and why this new Elf Power seems only a shadow of their former selves.
But sympathy or no, these guys just aren't nailing it on Creatures. Elf Power always stood out as one of the few Elephant 6 bands capable of pulling off the Phil Spector-on-a-budget thing. And they didn't even have to make it their trademark! Instead, they'd employ the technique sparingly, and even manage it with subtlety and respect for the song's basic structure. These days, they don't even try, whether that's from some misguided stab at so-called maturity, or just overconfidence in their formula.
Creatures sees a band trying desperately to hang on to a sound that's clearly gone-- kidding themselves into thinking the same old routines will still work, sans Bryan. It's a sham, miserable and obvious. The group's remaining members need to wake up, to reevaluate, to cease living in the past, to change, to adapt, to allow themselves to become something different. Otherwise, they're just another little indie band in a sea of little indie bands, and though that might sound cute on paper, it's not.
