American Football [LP3]

American Football [LP3]

by American Football
American Football [LP3]

American Football [LP3]

by American Football

Cassette(Cassette)

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Overview

After releasing their reunion album in 2016, the members of American Football started trading song ideas and demos back and forth and realized their sound had evolved. LP2 came across like a continuation of what they had begun so beautifully on LP1 15 years earlier; LP3 takes that sparse, intricate, and emotional sound and expands it in new and interesting ways. The quartet stretch the songs out, adding long instrumental passages. They add a wider range of instruments to the arrangements -- including vibraphone, bells, keyboards, and vocal choirs on one track -- all of which give the songs a new richly burnished feel. For the first time, they bring in outside vocalists to sing with Mike Kinsella. Land of Talk's Elizabeth Powell adds lovely French backing on the languid "Every Wave to Ever Rise," Rachel Goswell of Slowdive adds softness to one of the album's few up-tempo songs, "I Can't Feel You," and Paramore's Hayley Williams adds her strong vocals to "Uncomfortably Numb." Their contributions mostly work well, adding texture to the arrangements, though Williams' powerful style does threaten to overpower Kinsella and adds a layer of pop sheen to the proceedings that is somewhat at odds with the resigned and introspective nature of the lyrics. All the sonic changes seem organic enough; the band doesn't do anything that sounds out of sync with their past efforts. The album does err a little on the side of slickness, which at times dulls the emotional impact of Kinsella's words and aching vocals. It also means that the record slips into the background at times, especially when the songs stretch past the six-minute mark as they almost all do. That being said, it is still an American Football record and they still know how to splice jagged and jangling guitar lines into affecting shapes, craft melodies that pluck gently at the heart strings, and write words that cut deep -- though it'll be interesting to learn how well the themes of parenthood and growing older resonate with the young fans who've recently discovered them. Anyone over the age of 40 should recognize most of what they're singing about, and even if you don't, the sweeping melancholy and epic presentation should be enough to make this deep dive into relaxed angst a journey worth taking for the third time. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date: 03/22/2019
Label: Polyvinyl
UPC: 0644110037442
Rank: 8581

Tracks

  1. Uncomfortably Numb

Album Credits

Performance Credits

American Football   Primary Artist
Kristina Dutton   Violin
Amanda Stevenson   Vocals (Background)
Kristin Dennis   Vocals
Mic Vredenburgh   Cello
The Omaha Children's Choir   Vocals (Background)
Rachel Goswell   Vocals,Featured Artist
Hayley Williams   Vocals,Featured Artist
Elizabeth Powell   Vocals,Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Mike Kinsella   Composer,Group Member
David Kutch   Mastering
Steve Holmes   Composer,Group Member
Kristina Dutton   Violin Arrangement
Chris Strong   Photography
Steve Clarke   Engineer
Steve Lamos   Composer,Group Member
J. Andrew Shropshire   Engineer
American Football   Composer
Jason Cupp   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Nate Kinsella   Composer,Group Member
Adria Otte   Engineer
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