Track Star - Lion Destroyed the Whole World
(Better Looking)
Writing a pop song is probably an art form as much as it is a formula. Find the components that best fit together and use them to your distinct advantage. Track Star might have such a system in place, but it is an efficient one that produces quality results that improve with each listen. Take a quiet verse playing basic chords, couple it with a chorus complete with either dynamic volume or understated melodies, add lyrics that are personal and/or lovelorn, and then repeat until reaching the desired consistency. Serve fresh, preferably in an intimate live setting.
Track Star not only enjoys the benefit of having two distinct singer/songwriters in one band, but they also seem to understand the importance of giving each other room to breathe on a record. Wyatt Cusick's songs tend to feature nearly whispered vocals about broken hearts and other damages that love can do, the notes from the guitar echoing with reverb through the empty spaces left by his muted strings. His melody lines are simple but exact, accentuating the tune of the song as much as his own restrained delivery. Matthew Troy brings immediacy to the table, as his songs tend to be more energetic and straightforward. His singing is more intimate and less calculated than Wyatt's, providing further contrast between the two guitarists. But it is the combination of their individual styles that proves to be the key to the band's sound. Most of the album is somewhat quiet, dripping with the tension that comes from singing of sadness, but Track Star still knows how to muscle its way through a song. Cuts like "Something to Do" and "Cities on Cities" pick up your ears and shoves them two minutes into the future, while "The One We Play" and "Pretty Close to Nothing" rely on the driving beats of Brian Girgus (formerly of Lowercase) to push them to their final ringing fade out. Perhaps the only drawback is the brevity of this full-length, or is that a strongpoint given the focus that can be paid to each song on an abbreviated release? Probably the latter.
Lion Destroyed the Whole World may be the first Track Star record since their 1997 debut Communication Breaks, but the time has afforded them the opportunity to hone their sound with precision. Although the album clocks in at just over 30 minutes, hitting repeat is a natural compulsion given the hooks that each song can sink into you. Their sound is familiar and yet entirely unique; you can identify a Track Star song at first listen, even if you've never heard it before. And the price is right when ordering directly from their label. You can also find no less than four mp3's there. Check them out now and thank yourself later.
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