The bio that came with my Skating Club CD describes
the music on the album as "shy." I mostly agree. You
could call the music shy because it's quiet; it
doesn't have to be the center of attention. With the
lightly strummed guitar and the often tranquil vocals,
Skating Club's music often seems content to hang
around in the corners. However, the lyrics and the
emotions the music portrays are revealing—too
revealing to be completely shy.
After listening to this album, I feel like I know
Aubrey Anderson (or whoever the song's narrator is) a
little bit, or at least like I know something about
his love life, because the lyrics in each song tell
some sort of story or explain a situation, and the
music portrays the emotions behind the story.
The album's second track, "Denver," is a prime
example of a Skating Club love story song. The music
is made with strummed acoustic guitar and gentle
drumming along with soft bells and a shaker. The
vocals are clear and upfront, and the lyrics go
something like this: "I saw you there with your rock
star intonations/I couldn't stop my eyes in their
fixation/You shook my hand like a drunken Annie
Oakley/ ... So later I sidled up to the bar and
asked you questions/I made them up—twenty reasons to
keep talking."
The lyrics and instrumentation in "Denver" are
similar to the rest of the album, although some songs
tend to be more dark than others, like "Halloween."
The aspect of the music that stands out most is the
resonant quality of the strummed electric guitar that
can be heard in many songs. Other instruments build on
the guitars nicely, like the xylophone in "G.T.I.,"
which cascades through the music every once in a
while. The drumming on the album is often simple and
subdued, and there is other percussion as well as
piano throughout the album. Aubrey Anderson's voice is
sultry and mellow and complements the instruments
perfectly.
Sometimes, the music can be slow and quite
repetitious, like in "Pepper Ann," which is a sweet
ballad with simple guitar and minimal drumming. The
focus is on the clever lyrics, but the song seems too
long since the music hardly ever changes. But that's
okay, I am happy with Skating Club. The album is warm
and comfortable, but it's not so comfortable that
there aren't moments of sadness or anxiousness.
Skating Club doesn't demand much, just that you sit
back and listen. It is gentle, simple music, which is
so nice in our complicated world.
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