Wheat - White Ink, Black Ink Review
Posted by C.A. Bell on 07.22.2009
Wheat have managed to stay under the radar for over a decade. Does their new record transcend into the mainstream, or stay on the indie scene?
Track Listing:
1. H.O.T.T. – (Wheat) 2:27
2. Change Is – (Wheat) 3:52
3. My Warning Song (Everything Is Gonna Be Alright) – (Wheat) 3:07
4. El Sincero – (Wheat) 2:56
5. Living 2 Die vs. Dying 2 Live – (Wheat) 3:07
6. If Everything Falls Together – (Wheat) 2:50
7. Music Is Drugs – (Wheat) 4:41
8. Coke and Tanqueray – (Wheat) :31
9. Mountains – (Wheat) 3:41
10. I Want Less – (Wheat) 4:03
11. Baby in My Way – (Wheat) 2:07
Label: Rebel Release Date: 07.21.09 Genre: Indie Pop Running Time: 33:18 Producer: Raymond Jeffrey
If you haven’t heard about the band Wheat yet, you’re not alone. Though the band has been releasing albums since 1998, they have yet to establish a national fanbase. Their only major label release, 2003’s Per Second, Per Second, Per Second…Every Second distributed by Columbia, put the band on the road with large underground acts like Liz Phair and Toad the Wet Sprocket, but failed to drum up the kind of following needed to keep their record contract. After that, founding member Ricky Brennan left the group to pursue a solo career, leaving only Scott Levesque and Brendan Harney to continue the group’s work. This week marks Wheat’s second release as a duo with White Ink, Black Ink. Though the group was originally linked to the British shoegaze movement, White Ink, Black Ink finds a sound more steeped in indie pop than anything else. Somewhere in between the songcraft of Wilco, the instrumentation of Tortoise, and the poppy attitude of the Apples in Stereo is what you’ll find on this record.
The album opener, “H.O.T.T.” (meaning ‘half of the time’) is catchy and repetitious in a way that is almost reminiscent of the Decemberists, but without the old folkie attitude. This is probably the best track on the album. “H.O.T.T.” introduces the album as indie pop with an electronic background. While that would normally make one cringe at the thought of too oft treaded territories, it does come out in a refreshing way as the electronic sounds are developed more as a danceable backbeat, instead of a meandering experiment. The album’s happy, fun, and danceable mood continues with the next track, “Changes Is”. This song carries an infectious, hammering bass line and perhaps the catchiest lyrics on the album, as Levesque sings, ‘…if time were to pass, I’d be the last to know.’ If “H.O.T.T.” isn’t the best song on the record, than “My Warning Song (Everything is Gonna Be Alright)” is. The Heroic Doses/Five Style/Tortoise guitar work on this track is an absolute groove, and the song carries an undeniably positive message that remains authentic. “Music Is Drugs” is a fantastic underground rock track that recalls the best days of Pavement with its repetitious beat and quirky lyricism.
The wheels begin to fall off the bus on White Ink, Black Ink a bit as the last few songs of the record are a disappointment. “Mountains” comes off a bit like something from the bad side of Britpop (though the percussion is still a fun listen). “I Want Less” and “Baby In My Way” are more akin to Death Cab for Cutie or Coldplay than anything else, and are pretty boring in comparison to the other tracks on the record. They provide an uneven end to an otherwise enjoyable record.
The 411: White Ink, Black Ink is enjoyable, but its short running time and few flaws keep it from being anything too memorable. It feels a little bit like the last half of the album was phoned-in indie pop, and that certainly hurts an album that's only 33 minutes long to begin with.
