Chin Up Chin Up - This Harness Can't Ride Anything

Genre rock Publisher Suicide Squeeze External Links Official Chin Up Chin Up Website Official Suicide Squeeze Website

This Harness Can't Ride Anything, the second full-length album by Chicago's Chin Up Chin Up, continues the band's explorations into the slightly off-kilter side of pop songwriting. Picking up where 2004's We Should Never Have Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers left off, Harness finds them focusing in a bit more on the melodic side of the equation and pumping out a batch of bouncy, upbeat tunes that often brings to mind early Talking Heads. A comparison that, to be fair, has been pulled out far too often during the recent new wave renaissance of sorts, but this is one of the few bands that is actually deserving of such a claim. Lead singer Jeremy Bolen's yelping vocals often recall a young David Byrne, but it is the surprisingly funky rhythm section that makes the comparison most apt.

The title track starts the album off on the right foot with its punchy guitar line and poppy feel, but it's the following one-two punch of "Water Planes in Snow" and "We've Got to Keep Running" that spell out what the album is all about. Subtly interwoven synth lines and computer clicks and glitches add the right amount of texture to the standard guitar-bass-drums formula, giving Bolen a solid base to work from. While neither of these songs feature a typical "hook" that would allow them to slide in easily between The Fray and Gwen Stefani on MTV, they are undeniably catchy and earworm worthy in their own right. With the template set, Chin Up Chin Up spends the rest of the album tweaking the various ingredients by slowing down the tempo and adding harmonica, or sprinkling in some piano or programmed loops. The fat, squiggly bass synths of "Mansioned" and the memorable guitar line of "Islands Sink" are just two of the better examples of what they can do. But it's the driving "Blankets Like Beavers" that best encapsulates the band's approach to songwriting, striking a perfect balance between accessibility and experimentation.

This willingness to experiment and test the boundaries of what constitutes a pop song becomes even more apparent in the second half of the album. The addition of Laura Laurent's vocals on "Landlocked Lifeguards" provides a nice contrast to Bolen, but it's the chaotic instrumental section filled with distorted guitars and crashing cymbals that balances out the sweet gentleness of the rest of the song. "Lifeguards" also provides a good example of the non-linear, freeform lyrical approach that sometimes results in brilliant snatches like "we are maps that want collisions," but more often edge into the nonsensical with lines like "autistic subways blank the porno miles." It's a minor complaint that doesn't hinder the overall feel of the album, but it may put off those who appreciate a more linear narrative. The quiet and introspective "Stolen Mountains," a genuinely sweet song featuring marimba and cello that seems to pay tribute to both the city of Chicago and late former bassist Chris Saathoff, and the folksy but funky "Trophies For Hire" bring the album to a strong finish.

Many critics like to pull out the word "quirky" when trying to gently dismiss a band that relies more on gimmickry than talent, but I'm hard pressed to come up with a more fitting descriptor for Chin Up Chin Up. With This Harness Can't Ride Anything they have refined their distinct sound while bringing a fresh perspective to creating pop music, something that many bands claim to be doing and few ever actually achieve - especially with results as good as this.