Out with the old, in with the … old?
Never Shout Never has come a long way since their beginning in 2007. They have changed their name (a little), added band members and changed their sound. For fans that have followed them from the beginning, they are almost like an entirely new band and with a new band comes a new album, “Recycled Youth.”
The album does not contain new songs, but does offer old songs reworked to match their new image. Unlike the acoustic and upbeat sound the band was known for in the beginning, these reworked songs are slower with an almost melancholy sound.
A few different elements contribute to this new sound, including the addition of instruments like tambourines and shakers. This addition allows more variation between the album’s songs, making each one different from the last. You never know what random mash of instruments will happen next.
The vocals have also changed, becoming much deeper and slower – a fitting parallel to Christofer Drew’s growing maturity as an artist. There also seems to be an increase in the amount of voices featured in the songs, as opposed to just one vocalist.
None of these changes are necessarily bad, but they could be strange for fans of the older songs.
Overall, this album is an interesting listen.
“Sweet Perfection” is more upbeat and folky feeling, while others like “Robot” are slower and softer. “Trance-Like Getaway” has a whistling/harmonica combination that sounds like nothing else on the album.
At times, however, the music and the songs themselves didn’t seem to work together. Some of the songs might sound better if there wasn’t so much going on at once, like too much harmonica or tambourine.
If only for the uniqueness of this album compared to earlier work, it’s worth a listen. There aren’t many other songs that have the same sound going on as other bands.
If you are familiar with their old stuff, though, be prepared for a completely different sound, having nixed the ukulele for full instrumentation. If you are expecting a similar listening experience, you may be disappointed.
