{"id":8880,"date":"2015-06-29T10:28:16","date_gmt":"2015-06-29T10:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-northbound-death-of-a-slug\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:12","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:12","slug":"album-review-northbound-death-of-a-slug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-northbound-death-of-a-slug\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Northbound – Death of a Slug"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/p>\n
If the album title \u2018Death of a Slug\u2019<\/i> sounds familiar, you\u2019re not imaging things. You see, this is a re-recorded version of Northbound\u2019s<\/b> 2014 album \u2013 and it\u2019s a very different beast to the previous one, featuring two new songs and a whole host of re-worked music, including full band versions of five songs which were originally recorded acoustically. If you\u2019re already a fan, then such thoroughness is sure to leave you salivating.<\/figure>\n

Hailing from Boca Raton, Florida, Northbound<\/b>, AKA Jonothan Fraser spent a decade honing his craft before releasing music under the name Northbound<\/b> in 2012. Willing to play and record both acoustically and with a full band meant Fraser\u2019s been prolific in terms of shows and recording, and this re-recorded version of \u2018Death of a Slug\u2019<\/i> represents the culmination of all of this work.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s something of a surprise to learn that it\u2019s all a bit flat. With such a pedigree and work ethic I expected so much more, yet Northbound<\/b> is adding very little new or exciting to the over-saturated emo revival\/pop-punk scene.<\/p>\n

And things don\u2019t get off to the best possible start. Opener \u2018Lucky Sentimental\u2019<\/i> sounds like a Sum 41 B-side, and as I found the Canadian oiks annoying the first time around, it means Northbound<\/b> are facing an uphill struggle from the off. Fortunately, \u2018Leech\u2019<\/i> and \u2018Everyone But Me\u2019<\/i> are much better. Perky, preppy and definitely not stuck in late 90\u2019s timewarp they\u2019re enjoyable, heartfelt uptempo pop-punk cuts that show Fraser at his best.<\/p>\n

\u20186 am Beer\u2019<\/i>, however, is something of a trial, not least of all for the horrible pronunciation of countless words throughout. Phraseology isn\u2019t something that usually bothers me, but it\u2019s really noticeable and quite jarring. It certainly doesn\u2019t seem natural and sounds forced. I guess if you\u2019re 15 and you like sneering, nasal vocals because they sound punk then you might enjoy it, but I like to hear authentic voices so this really doesn\u2019t do it for me. It\u2019s a similar story throughout \u2018Death of a Slug\u2019<\/i>, but never so noticeable as on \u20186 am Beer\u2019<\/i>. <\/p>\n

The one thing that the first third of the album has going for it is that it is an enjoyable romp, with the songs kept short and punchy. No such joy on \u2018The Effort Is Never Worth The Outcome\u2019<\/i>, which is entirely forgettable, while \u2018Actor\u2019<\/i>, despite being blighted by yet more horrible phraseology, is probably the best constructed song on the record.<\/p>\n

The second half of the record follows a similar pattern than the first. The pop-punk songs sound great ( \u2018Kiss\u2019<\/i> in particular is stellar), the phraseology makes me want to cringe in places and the torch songs are entirely forgettable.<\/p>\n

It all means \u2018Death of a Slug\u2019<\/i> is a messy, inconsistent album, with some real highlights and some horrible low points. If I think back 15 years, I\u2019d have bought anything off certain labels, regardless of the quality. Sometimes you struck gold, others I\u2019d only listen to once or twice, only to stick them at the back of the CD rack and forget all about them. Northbound<\/b> would sit in this latter group. It means, that \u2018Death of a Slug\u2019<\/i> is not great, it\u2019s not terrible, it just is. And when an album promises so much, that\u2019s sometimes the worst thing. <\/p>\n

2.5\/5<\/p>\n

‘Death of a Slug’<\/i> by Northbound<\/b> is out on 30 June on Animal Style Records<\/b><\/p>\n

Northbound<\/strong> links:
\nFacebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

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

If the album title \u2018Death of a Slug\u2019 sounds familiar, you\u2019re not imaging things. You see, this is a re-recorded version of Northbound\u2019s 2014 album \u2013 and it\u2019s a very different beast to the previous one, featuring two new songs and a whole host of re-worked music, including full band versions of five songs which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8181],"tags":[4319,2054,5376,1926,15022],"class_list":["post-8880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-post","tag-album-review","tag-animal-style-records","tag-death-of-a-slug","tag-northbound","tag-rob-mair"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Northbound - Death of a Slug - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If the album title \u2018Death of a Slug\u2019 sounds familiar, you\u2019re not imaging things. 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