The Working Title – Bone Island

Album Reviews • Friday July 3rd, 2009 • 3:59 am

Though I suspect this to be ultimately true of all genres, what frustrates me the most about indie music is that it’s difficult for me to decide which bands are worth my time. Time after time, everyone that is “hip” and “current” will choose a band that no one has ever heard of, and will preach that outfit as gospel, claiming that their music will change my life. Though this is true in some cases (take The Shins, for example), many claims are often borne of wishful thinking. In the ceaseless search for something fresh and innovative, we tend to forget to ask ourselves which records will be remembered five years, or perhaps even five days from now.

While none of the songs on Bone Island are immediately forgettable, very few cuts here should wow the listener. The sole exception, however, is opening track “Physical Love”, which may or may not shock the audience with its unrestrained bluntness. Slight distortion introduces the song, before giving way to fuzzy beats and clashing percussion reminiscent of something Californian outfit the Cold War Kids might have conjured up. Lead singer Joel Hamilton sets the tone for the record when he announces, “I know better than this/I should have left/I could have been/back in my bed/hours ago/but I’m inside a stranger” in a manner that comes across as both sarcastic and self-damning.

An eclectic mix of instrumentation is present on the album, as is the norm with much of what the modern alternative music climate has to offer. Though pleasant, the inclusion of atypical sounds (such as a xylophone in “Wolf”) are arguably little more than novelties, failing to significantly contribute to the overall experience of the music. The occasional studio trick (the sound of raindrops open and close “Followed”) prove to be nice yet unnecessary. On a positive note, the sequencing is quite refreshing: Bone Island opts for pacing that refuses to play out predictably.

Illustrated by Joel Hamilton’s wavering voice, a theme of desperation runs throughout the album’s thirteen tracks. It’s difficult to imagine any of these songs becoming sing-along anthems. Who finds joy in vocalizing sentiments that lament one-night stands and drunken stupors? The Working Title may live up to their name in more ways than they have originally meant. The art that they have crafted seems to suggest a state of flux, as the stylistic vein and lyrical content appear to be at odds with one another. On one hand, the vein of the music is energetic and inviting. On the other hand, the lyrics are deft; contemplative and guilt-ridden. Whether or not the songs on Bone Island are the result of genius or an identity crisis remains to be seen.

Picking up where the Cold War Kids left off, they present a handful of stories about lost individuals “born in the Bible Belt” (“Physical Love”) with an audacity and mastery that would make even the most hardened skeptic blush. While it’s hard to tell if The Working Title’s best efforts to be “edgy” and “relevant” are actually met, they fearlessly go where Switchfoot and all other Christian rock groups are afraid to go; fully spelling out what those acts merely hint at in their strongest criticisms of rebellious Christian-borne youth. Think of The Working Title as the reactionary response to the indulgent lifestyle chronicled by The Hold Steady. Whereas that band recalls wild parties with the joy of a travel journal, The Working Title recalls those same parties with cautionary regret.

Musically, Bone Island emanates what has been done before and done better (“Might As Well” employs electric organs and building drums that all but plagiarize a track off of Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible). What truly distinguishes them from their peers, however, is the writing. They are always bold and occasionally brilliant. Much like mid-period Pedro The Lion, The Working Title paint vignettes of conflicted people trying “to fill that hole with boys and booze” (“Someone Else”) who “talk daily to God” (“Physical Love”). Though sparse, there is some redemption to be found on this Island, as several cuts plead for a higher power to “save the good inside of me from me” (“Love Make Me Free”), and for the audience to “wake up, listen, read, decide, and make up your own mind” (“Listen, Read, Decide”).

Stylistic comparisons to the Cold War Kids are sadly inevitable, due to The Working Title presenting character sketch after character sketch over angular guitars and sonic distortion. This is a shame, because there are very few artists out there quite like The Working Title. Though I may ultimately dismiss Bone Island as a classic, or something to be revered, I can say without hesitation that it at the very least merits a visit.