Cheyenne - The Whale
Uprooted Pop Gets Real
Big city, hard times don’t bother Cheyenne, they’re a country boy at heart. The Oklahoma based band has seemingly outgrown their lo-fi roots with their relocation out East but you’d be hard pressed to argue against its merit. The band who has for years now flirted with everything from cowpunk to rural pop has come into their own. There may be big city lights gleaming from their eyes but on Cheyenne’s sophomore stab, The Whale, it’s obvious that home is where their heart is.
Much of their sound has always been an alt-country infused indie-rock coalesce. But it’s never been this certain. Beau Jennings continues to breathe beauty into music that would otherwise be all too familiar. Opening track ‘The Whale’ is inventive, precarious, and downright gorgeous. From the burrowed pulls of the cello strings to the bouncing piano keys, it bops in and out of chaos with the coolness of Andrew Bird and grandeur of Okkervil River. Somewhere between their debut EP’s and now, they’ve discovered an edge they continue to flirt with on The Whale; much of which resides in Harper’s frantic and timely guitars. ‘Painting Horses’ mirrors the same dreamy satire sway but with stronger legs to run wild with. So strong in fact that one can forgive the gritty grinder ‘Broken English’ for pushing it all over the brink of predictability when the clever picks of ‘That Was The Ghost’ roar loud.
There are moments when Beau sings as if he’s talking to himself or dictating his actions for the world to hear: from walking down the street or reaching in his pocket. And sure, some of the more subtle moments are as vastly empty as the band’s homeland of Oklahoma, but there is beauty in those fields of oblivion. And by keeping it dumpy, the albums quick jaunt never overstays its welcome. These are tight well thought hook wonderments. Beware of those naysayers out there who would have you believe this is nothing more than tried pop. They think harmonies inhabit in the safe conventional waters of indie-gone-label mainstayers. We believe in the charm that resonates in The Whale’s song.
Sean Kendall
