{"id":11033,"date":"2015-04-01T11:40:11","date_gmt":"2015-04-01T11:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-runaway-brother-mother\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:15","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:15","slug":"album-review-runaway-brother-mother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-runaway-brother-mother\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review:\u00a0Runaway Brother – Mother"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"With \u2018Summer\/Autumn\u2019<\/i>, Ohio\u2019s Runaway Brother<\/strong> delivered one of 2014\u2019s best singles. Charming, wonderfully off-kilter and with just enough hooks to dig its claws in and not let go, it was a triumph of left-field indie-pop\/emo. Signing to Tiny Engines<\/b>, home of The Hotelier, has done little to quell the buzz, making \u2018Mother\u2019<\/em> one of 2015\u2019s most eagerly awaited albums so far. <\/figure>\n

However, instead of being cowed by the weight of expectation, Runaway Brother<\/b> have created a record that\u2019s bigger in every possible way. The hooks are sharper, the lyrics more twisted and neurotic, the music more challenging and idiosyncratic. <\/p>\n

In fact, perhaps Runaway Brother<\/b>\u2019s greatest triumph is that in pushing their sound they\u2019ve created an album that is fantastically accessible and enjoyable but which never plays to its audience. Instead, it\u2019s packed with character that sweeps you along in its vibrancy. <\/p>\n

Mother by Runaway Brother<\/a><\/figure>\n

From the off, it is clear Jacob Lee wants to tell you a story. Heavy with imagery and quick to deliver a smart turn of phrase, he yelps, croons and muses so quick it\u2019s a wonder his thoughts can keep up with his delivery. It means there\u2019s easy comparisons with Say Anything\u2019s Max Bemis, Motion City Soundtrack\u2019s Justin Pierre or The Format\u2019s Nate Reuss \u2013 and if you\u2019re fans of any of those you will adore Runaway Brother<\/b> \u2013 but that only really explains half of the appeal. The other lies in the group\u2019s consistently excellent song structures and constantly playful nature. <\/p>\n

Opener \u2018Harvest\u2019<\/em> is a slow-burning set-up that explodes two-thirds of the way through, while \u2018Moth\u2019<\/em> is a considerably more direct and traditional pop punk cut. Such genre-hopping makes pigeonholing Runaway Brother<\/b> somewhat futile \u2013 especially when they career into instrumental interludes, brief flashes of lounge jazz and the odd moment of math-rock. That it works is frightening; that it actually sounds natural and unforced is frequently astonishing. Of course, the danger is the songs get lost to the showmanship but such odd tangents \u2013 like the crazy banjo line on \u2018Youniverse\u2019<\/em> or the almost 70\u2019s disco break harmony on \u2018Catch\u2019<\/em> \u2013 just ratchet up the charm. <\/p>\n

Naturally, it\u2019s a difficult balance to strike, so it\u2019s to Runaway Brother\u2019s<\/b> credit that they never plummet into a musical mess. Instead, songs such as \u2018Hold Me Down\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Reprise\u2019<\/em> play things much straighter and keep proceedings on an even keel.<\/p>\n

However, with so much constantly going on, and with so much demanding your attention throughout, for all its accessibility and breezy hooks, \u2018Mother\u2019<\/em> is not an album that can be easily digested over a couple of listens. Instead, it make you work a little for its affections \u2013 but songs such as \u2018False Halo\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Makes You Happy\u2019<\/em> are hugely rewarding once you invest the time in them. <\/p>\n

It means that, for some, \u2018Mother\u2019<\/em> might be divisive. For me, it\u2019s akin to being smashed over the head with a kaleidoscope. And I love it. <\/p>\n

4\/5<\/p>\n

‘Mother’<\/em> by Runaway Brother<\/strong> is out now on Tiny Engines<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Runaway Brother<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With \u2018Summer\/Autumn\u2019, Ohio\u2019s Runaway Brother delivered one of 2014\u2019s best singles. Charming, wonderfully off-kilter and with just enough hooks to dig its claws in and not let go, it was a triumph of left-field indie-pop\/emo. Signing to Tiny Engines, home of The Hotelier, has done little to quell the buzz, making \u2018Mother\u2019 one of 2015\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8181],"tags":[5879,6204,15022,105,206],"class_list":["post-11033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-post","tag-album-reviews","tag-mother","tag-rob-mair","tag-runaway-brother","tag-tiny-engines"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review:\u00a0Runaway Brother - Mother - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With \u2018Summer\/Autumn\u2019, Ohio\u2019s Runaway Brother delivered one of 2014\u2019s best singles. 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