It seems that one of the characteristics of our age is that a work of art doesn't have enough meaning unless it is dark and dreary. Whether in film, literature, or music, art doesn't affect us unless it shocks us through sadly immoral narratives or fatalistically depressing "slices of life". And nowhere is this notion clearer than in the independent music scene where it seems that so many artists seem to seek refuge from the meaningless jingly-jangly rhetoric of America's insatiable Top 40 scene by creating dark and solemn worlds of their own. Because sad and solemn is meaningful isn't it?
I admit, I fall victim to this notion. And it isn't until something like the recent self-titled album by the indie-rock band Serene comes along that I can snap out of that misconception. An album whose very bright and perceptive melodic radiance makes for a profound musical adventure. The Arena Rock Recording Company's latest addition is apparently the brainchild of the ultra-talented Ryan Beatty, accompanied by the likes of the Christian indie-rock scene's intelligentsia: Jesse Sprinkle, Matt Greene, Joel Votaw, Brian Moore, and Sydney Rentz lending a wonderfully gentle hand on track six.
Serene really is tough to nail down stylistically. Moving seamlessly through tempo and melody shifts the band seems to layer the pleasant dissonance of Sonic Youth's happier moments over something like Tristeza's transcendent approach to guitar-work. Not only are the innovative musical tendencies of the album remarkably uniform until the last two tracks, but Serene itself verges lyrically on a concept album. Somewhere in there is a story, and the lyrics read like we are outsiders looking in on a very personal exchange. But somehow it seems okay that we are a witness to it and the disc leaves us with the sublime impression of having come through something difficult and life changing.
The first track opens on a rainstorm and merges slowly into the counter- punctual riffs and undulating melodies that comprise the album itself. Somehow these melodies always end right back where they started with the vocals fitting perfectly into each song as an afterthought. The second track, "beggars of the sea," really gets the album started and introduces us to the incredible range of the vocalists on the album. The lyrics are delivered throughout with everything from the clarity of a school-boy harmony to something akin to the raw emotiveness of Ian MacKaye's early Fugazi years. The next few tracks highlight the upbeat counter-punctuality of Serene's style and build the vocals over grooves that make keen interior sense. "Sir Tumnus," the fifth track, is a great example of Beatty's lyrical style. "The skin is cooling on my sunburnt feet...as I ride across the sand next to the sea..." Good music should fill us with images. Images that we take through the day as we whistle them like soundtracks. Serene tends to do this, and this album is as visually stimulating as it is listener-friendly.
In the middle of the album we meet Sydney Rentz delivering the vocals for "the angels are on our side", and set against Serene's sonic landscape she lands somewhere between The Sundays and Projekt label's latest starchild, Mira. Not to downplay the vocals on the album, but I did wonder through the rest of the tracks why they didn't have her sing at least one more, they seemed to fit together so well. The next few tracks tread familiar, yet endlessly welcome territory. The uniformity of the album is never wearisome and you will find yourself enjoying the subtleties of each song in and behind the pleasant melodic haze. Track ten, "last words of a fallen angel," really brings all of the elements of Serene together in a spectacular way and leave you with a satisfying glimpse of an album you will want to return to as often as I have since I got it in the mail.
It is nice to have these albums that so effectively break me out of the solemn malaise of much of today's indie-rock scene. Serene is simply an intelligently crafted, well-produced introduction to a highly successful musical collaboration. Behind the pleasant uniformity of their songs lies addictive and undulating subtleties that interweave Beatty's lyrics with grace and meaning, leaving the album as a seamless glimpse into the power of comfortable music.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Ken MuellerI'm not a very emotional guy. In fact, there are those who probably feel that I lack any emotions at all. But this new disc from Serene just has me flying high. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful albums I've heard in a long time. I hesitate to use the word "pretty" because of all the connotations that brings with it, but the songs on this disc are pretty. Not in a soft rock, love ballad…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Trae CadenheadAt first listen, Serene's self-titled release may seem to just be pretty music. However, repeated listens will reveal the music to be beautiful instead of just pretty, and the lyrical backdrop only contributes to this sonic art. Ryan Beatty released most of these songs on the Beggars of the Sea album in 2000 on Lewis Hollow Records. Now, re-recorded and released on a larger label, Beatty's work…Opus 2001Reviewed by Jason MoreheadConsistency is a musical double-edged sword. If you lack it, you run the risk of sounding all scattered and unfocused. The result is music that claims to be adventurous, but just sounds like it has a bad case of ADD. On the other hand, too much consistency is just as bad (if not worse), because it produces music that quickly becomes formulaic and CDs that sound exactly the same from start to…Similar sounding releases
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