{"id":4644,"date":"2016-09-02T11:00:25","date_gmt":"2016-09-02T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-signals-midwest-at-this-age\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:02","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:02","slug":"album-review-signals-midwest-at-this-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-signals-midwest-at-this-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Signals Midwest – At This Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/figure>\n

One minute into the opening track on \u2018At This Age\u2019<\/i>, and Signals Midwest<\/b>\u2019s Max Stern is already getting dewy-eyed about the past, talking of taking the bikes down to the river and building a home. It\u2019s nostalgic, sentimental stuff, enough to make you contemplative and reflective, but played with such urgency it will make your heart burst with positivity.<\/p>\n

Stern\u2019s eager to call on evocative phrases and times to capture this wistful, exciting feeling. The first kiss after coming home from war \u2013 a real crowd pleaser, but beautiful in the context of the buzzing \u2018Should Have Been a Painter\u2019<\/i> \u2013 just one of example of Stern\u2019s willingness to delve behind closed doors and tell fleeting stories of love, loss and regret to get his point across. <\/p>\n

And while \u2018At This Age\u2019<\/i> is wrapped up in issues of age, it\u2019s an entirely relatable topic. If, like me, you\u2019re fast approaching your mid-30s, \u2018West Side Summer\u2019<\/i> and the recall of \u2018Who I Was Before We Met\u2019<\/i> will make you long for the days when summer\u2019s seemed to last forever and chance encounters could leave a life-long impression. <\/p>\n

At This Age by Signals Midwest<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s frequently excellent too. \u2018Song for Ana\u2019<\/i> has just the most wonderfully heart-breaking first few lines there\u2019s a real chance it could leave you a sobbing mess. Yet it\u2019s knowing too; \u201cI get obsessed by distance\u201d<\/i>, sings Stern, mindful that earlier in the album he was singing \u2018We Drive Forever Like It\u2019s Nothing\u2019<\/i>. It\u2019s a brilliant juxtaposition, bringing things full circle in an album obsessed with time and place. <\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the title track, tinged with the regret of missed opportunities and the failure to take chances is grounded in realism; set against the background of frequent tours and a life on the road, it feels like an extension to James Joyce\u2019s \u2018Eveline\u2019<\/i> or Thomas Chandler (\u2018A Little Cloud\u2019<\/i>) \u2013 characters with big plans but plagued by self-doubt and ties to home. \u201cAlways thought at this age I would be settling into a major city. Always thought at this age I would be further than I am now,\u201d<\/i> Stern attests, realising the pull of home and the desire to do more with life than just exist. It feels like a companion piece to the similarly grounded \u2018Should Have Been a Painter\u2019, again, just another excellent example of how Stern\u2019s a master at tying all the threads together.<\/p>\n

It all means that \u2018At This Age\u2019<\/i> is one of those rare gems; a wonderfully literate, almost bookish, indie-punk record. It\u2019ll have you punching the air and singing along instantly, but you could spend years analysing and dissecting the poetic lyrics. <\/p>\n

4.5\/5<\/p>\n

\u2019At This Age’<\/em> by Signals Midwest<\/strong>is out now on Tiny Engines<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Signals Midwest<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

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

One minute into the opening track on \u2018At This Age\u2019, and Signals Midwest\u2019s Max Stern is already getting dewy-eyed about the past, talking of taking the bikes down to the river and building a home. 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