Loveable, But Cluttered.

This will not be the only review that compares The Republic Tigers to The Shins-and with good reason.  Both bands began as side-projects, only to take on lives of their own; both leapfroged from sub-genre to sub-genre within the framework of a consistent sound; both bands strike a balance between lo-fi charm and careful recording craftsmanship; and, if we’re going to get right down to it, the two bands sound more than a little alike.  This is, for the most part, a compliment to The Republic Tigers. ‘The Nerve’, a standout track from the band’s debut LP, Keep Color, is doused in melodies and counter-melodies worthy of The Shins’ buoyant, instantly likeable best.  So what if it sounds a bit familiar?  Pablo Picasso once said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

But as long as we’re learning from The Shins, let’s recall that that Chutes Too Narrow clocks in at a pithy 33:50, packing its hooks and twists and turns tightly.  Keep Color, in contrast, spreads about the same amount of catchiness and invention more thinly, using it to fill 44:40.  That may not be the biggest numerical difference in the world, but it feels like forever.  The opening track, ‘Buildings and Mountains’, has three minutes of pure joy, but then another two during which very little happens.  What begins as an exhilarating lesson in pop-for-pop’s-sake becomes a cautionary tale about riding a riff for too long.  It’s no coincidence that ‘Air Guitar’, easily the album’s shortest track, is also one of its most memorable.  There’s greatness here, but there’s also a good deal of fat that has gone untrimmed - so when the record’s best riffs bring you back for repeated listens, you’ll have a fair amount of padding through which to plod along the way.

That padding shouldn’t necessarily scare you off, of course.  The Republic Tigers’ brand of wide-spectrum rock, with its ubiquitous sense of fun, makes for an excellent listen (You know, like The Shins).  It’s just unfortunate that the good times and tasty tonal turns are spaced out among long tracts of vaguely self-indulgent riff-mongering.  If that sort of mild self-sabotage fails to deter you, then you’ll be in for a tremendously enjoyable ride.  Otherwise, there’s always Chutes Too Narrow.

Drew Messinger-Michaels