Tiger’s Jaw is a five-piece band from Scranton, Pennsylvania
that has been prominently involved in their respective music scene since their
debut in 2006. The album covered in this review is their second one created in
2008 which is self titled. The band members include Pat Brier on drums, Brianna
Collins on keyboard and vocals, Adam McIlwee on guitar and vocals, Dennis
Mishko on bass, and Ben Walsh on guitar and vocals.
This album’s songs are, for the most part, pretty simplistic
in terms of how the listener initially receives them (in my case anyway). The
band’s aim isn’t to create complex melodies that show off any miraculous talent
(not to say that aren’t talented). Rather, they seem to mainly be interested in
music for the expressive aspect of it.
This expressive element in their music is reminiscent of 90’s emo, which
includes pioneering bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, and Cap’n Jazz when
teen angst was at an all time high. The combination of this type of sound with
pop punk and indie, when combined with deliberate and powerful song structure,
proves to be both catchy and emotionally affecting. They achieve this through
anchored rhythm guitar, simple but memorable lead guitar riffs, electronic
synth highlights, and emotionally charged dual vocals. Ben Walsh provides the steady vocals and
lyrical content while Adam McIlwee prvides the raw, emotional vocals that can
come off as “whiny” when listeners hear him at first. The lyrics mainly revolve
around the emotional experiences of relationships (not just romantic), but its
not uncommon for there to be insights on the human condition which make them
more dynamic. Listening about relationship troubles alone for a whole album
could be tiring.
All in all, this is a fantastic album. I’m more than glad
that I didn’t pass it off after my first listen.
I Saw Water
The Sun
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