Western Fifth - Stand Like a Thief

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RIYL

Ghost Buffalo
Murder by Death
City and Colour
Jenny Lewis

Tracklist

1. We’ve Got the Rain
2. Hello, Goodnight
3. In the End I Went Away
4. Wait Until Dark (A Good Time to Shine)
5. Smiles of Gold
6. (Today)
7. A Matter of Principle
8. Madeline
9. Revolving Door Blues (A Good Time to Fall)
10. 100 Broken Angels
11. I Will Keep You Warm
12. I am Not Cold Anymore

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Recent Ratings

Right up until I was getting ready to put the metaphorical pen to the digital paper for this review, I was having an extremely difficult time finding any solid information whatsoever on Western Filth. There was nothing good on MySpace or Last.fm -- it was as if I was listening to the well-produced demo of a middle-of-the-road bar band. Then I finally took a good look at the band’s name, and everything came together. That’s “fifth,” not “filth.” Western Fifth may still sound like the well-produced demo of a middle-of-the-road bar band, but at least I can actually prove they exist.

In all honesty, though, Western Filth would be a much more fitting name, as their sound is a very grimy, downtrodden take on the simplicity of Midwestern folk music with the quaint banjo plucking and the rare inclusion of a tarnished brass section along with wallowing strings that give hints that the band is trying to keep things fresh. Unfortunately, it’s just not enough, and while Stand Like a Thief starts out with much promise, it quickly becomes obvious that this depressing funeral march isn’t going anywhere fast.

Much of this monotony can be attributed to the vocals. The pained, wallowing whine never deviates from the mold cast in “We’ve Got the Rain.” The album never picks up anything that could even be mistaken for enthusiasm. There’s nothing wrong with a slow, somber album, but Stand Like a Thief doesn’t even seem like Western Fifth are enjoying playing it. The gang melodies near the end of “Revolving Door Blues (A Good Time to Fall)” and in “I am Not Cold Anymore” along with the unprecedented guitar solo that finishes off “I Will Keep you Warm” seemingly exist only for the most dedicated of listeners, as they have to make it through the drudgery of the first eight tracks to get there.

Western Fifth have the ability to write a good song. It remains to be seen if they can write two.

--Greg Burchell

Author

monkeybars
Last updated: 09/29/2009 09:01PM

Comments

Rick Gebhardt
11/18/2008
09:10AM
Age: 31
Location
Minnesota
I like to support local MN bands but, yeah, this is pretty blah stuff. I was bored stiff by the third song.

Find me EVERYWHERE:

Mike Duchnowsky
11/18/2008
04:47PM
Age: 27
Location
West Haven, CT
I never heard of these guys before.
I like this,
Thanks for the good find.

The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.

monkeybars
11/18/2008
07:01PM
Age: 25
Location
Markham, ON
You're welcome, but if you're just going by their MySpace songs, prepare to be a little disappointed, as half the songs on their MySpace represent 2/3rds of the really strong tracks on the album.

P.S. This is what the alphabet would look like if you removed Q and R.