They Sang As They Slew

Item: Get Well
Author: Justin Brinker

Get Well

(2004)

Reviewed by Justin Brinker

Discogs Bandcamp

Label Northern RecordsDecapolisJanuary 2005

alternative rock indie rock post-rock

At certain times, certain records can mean so much. We all have been there, during a trying time you put in an album and it strikes a chord deep inside of you, and suddenly you no longer feel alone. Little did I know that They Sang As They Slew's debut full-length Get Well would be that album or that I would be going through this time of heartache and struggle. Get Well had been sitting on my dresser for about six weeks but through all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season I had little time to actually sit down and listen to it. I had no idea that shortly after the holiday season I would also be faced with an extremely difficult time, both emotionally and spiritually. I finally decided to give Get Well a worthy listen and every word and every chord made sense.

For those unfamiliar with the band, They Sang As They Slew is the brainchild of Luxury and Canary member, Jamey Bozeman. Bozeman dissolved Canary for various reasons and began writing new material and would team up with Doug Andrews, Aaron Baber, and Jordan Thomae in what would be the current line up for They Sang As They Slew. The opening track, "Her Left Hand Rocks The Cradle" boasts acoustic and electric guitars, over a wall of driving drums and lush keyboard parts. The extremely poppy "I Can See With My Eyes Closed" brings to mind Denison Marrs before the heavy powerful drum parts set the tone in the chorus over Bozeman singing, "Turn those cameras off There is nothing here to see We traded if all for a form of vanity." "Death In The City" embellishes one of the most impressive bridges I have heard in quite some time with gigantic, haunting keyboard parts and distorted guitars. It leads perfectly in to "Bleeding To Death" an ethereal ballad replete with sonic noises and breathy keyboards over a minimal rhythm section. Bozeman sings in and out of falsetto as he employs, "I'm bleeding to death it's not my fault. A strange exchange for what was once me, if it makes me cry it's not my pain I feel someone else hurt so that I could become real."

The second half of the disc is a bit mellower with "Bleeding To Death" setting the pace. The acoustic guitar and drums set the tempo for "Palace Arms", one of my favorite songs on Get Well. They Sang As They Slew has a penchant for minor chords and beautiful, haunting choruses. "Palace Arms" is a perfect example of this. The dynamics carry the song as it slowly builds until the colossal, chilling chorus sets in. The lengthy "One Day I Woke Up" spans over nine-minutes and is one of the weak moments on Get Well as it can get repetitive and loses the listener about halfway through. The acoustic driven title track puts Get Well back on track and you cannot help but feel the passion as Bozeman sings intently "Come on get well, Come on get well." Things pick back up with "10,000 Candles" which weaves in and out with loud distorted guitar parts and picking parts before the closing track "It Goes On" quietly finishes Get Well with Bozeman using vocal effects and just an acoustic guitar softly picking and keyboard-string effect as it comes to a hushed close.

Northern Records continues to impress with yet another strong release. Get Well is an album that is both beautiful and cathartic, with an underlying theme of hope for those hurting or just trying to live this life.

3.5/4