Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There are those who look upon melancholia as one of attention seeking abuse, that to even feel the nerve as it pulses is a perpetual motion of excessive drip feeding of depression in which the recipient feeds off the substance as though it were nectar, ever hunger, never satisfied until every ounce of remorse has been shed in anguish and destructive torment.
Melancholy though has its uses, it can drive the emotions onward to a place of sensory investigation, to a land of discovery, and what people may see as melancholy is actually exuberance of being free, of being able to pursue the devils out of the darkness.
The Dreaded Laramie use the endearing result to tackle the beauty in radical vulnerability, the revelry of honest opinion given time within the confines of an album that exemplifies the finest attributes of their genre, but with a sense of the power pop attitude underlining the moments of vivaciousness underneath.
It is in their own attitude and regard for the themes and uniqueness on Princess Feedback that the subversion of sound overflows with sincerity, the juxtaposition between the heart on the sleeve and the outgoing desire to set the record straight is a palpable feeling of undisguised joy, and one that MC Cunningham elicits a response from the listener in which they not only feel the elation, but understand the pain as well.
Through tracks such as Life Is Funny, Fishnets, Communion, Birmingham Bulls Win!, the excellence of Breakup Songs, and the finale of Where’s My Crystal Ball? what transpires is angst turned sideways, inside out, and pulled six ways till Sunday until the listener and the band are in synch with their feelings, with their paths set on the same indestructible course.
An album that combines an earthy experience with the very best of human responses to the modern angst, of how to show a side to the world that you are not beaten, that you will not be cowed by the action, but live peacefully with the reaction you have; this how Princess Feedback works so comfortably and with a positive nature for all to hear.
Ian D. Hall