Customer Reviews

Loose in the Air

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Loose In The Air could've been incredible, the next-best step in the post-punk/new-wave revival that would've pushed the movement beyond mere nostalgia. See, for the past year or so before The Double signed to Matador, the band was putting on incredible live shows that brilliantly combined the Echo & The Bunnymen/Cure songcraft that was big at the time and damaged it with squalling noise and feedback that pushed their songs into unparalleled new realms. The Palm Fronds album on Catsup Plate is a bit of a fine example of this, but the live shows took the difficult experimentation of that record and made it into something special.

The Double are still putting on incredible live shows, that's for sure, but on Loose In The Air, the edges have sadly been a bit dulled so that the band feels less like pop-experimentalists than another, albiet enjoyable and clever, entry into the hip NYC band cannon. Tracks like "Idiocy," "Up All Night," "On Our Way," "Hot Air," and "Dance" are all amusing highlights despite the comparitively polished production. The only other drawback is the presence of some filler, with some slower tunes that could easily have been replaced by some impossible-to-find (but existent) re-recorded versions of Palm Fronds favorites like "Black Diamond" and "Mohawks."

Loose In The Air is a nice record for sure, but it's a shame that it in some ways sells The Double far too short. See the band's live show to get a better impression of what this band can do, or better yet, give Palm Fronds a spin. After all is said and done, Loose In The Air is fine, but a small indication of the powers at work.

Speaking as a proud Noo Yawker, I too am getting sick of the whole "Brooklyn hipster" music scene, despite the fact that I have to admit it's produced a lot of bands I'm in awe of, such as Gang Gang Dance, The Liars and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. As I mentioned in a review of the recent GGD album (highly reccomended, in case you're wondering), Williamsburg is SO over. Still, here I am again, about to heap a load of praise on "Loose In The Air," the new album by Brooklyn's The Double.

The Double are influenced by any number of 80's post-punk bands, have a tendency to be moody and are signed to Matador Records. Somebody call Interpol! But wait, don't make a judgement just yet. While Interpol are essentially a guitar/bass/drums lineup, the Double liberally augment their sound with electronic percussion and keyboards, which should make them more icy and detached, but then there are bouts of guitar noise and actual live drums, not to mention the fact that David Greenhill's vocals are full of emotion (but not "emo") and usuallly front and center, so they're far more intimate than you might expect. Actually, if I wanted to be snide and insulting (a favorite pasttime of mine) I'd just dismiss The Double as Interpol meets Radiohead. That would be grossly unfair. They actually seem to have more in common with The Fire Show, a Chicago band of just a few years ago who travelled much the same territory. Despite being brilliant, they remained obscure, but their three albums of noisy rocktronica are treasured by their fans, namely me. I don't know if The Double have ever heard of The Fire Show, but it seems they're continuing where FS left off.

Even though The Double aren't the most "original" band out there, considering this is only their second album, they have nowhere to go from here but up. So as a request from one hopeless music geek to another, don't let another great band get lost in the shuffle. In short, make them rich.

The Double, Loose In The Air
It takes a couple listens to literally program your mind to hear what The Double is playing in their album Loose In The Air. Outside of the organ driven emo rock with neat beats and instruments, every time I listened to the album I heard something new. Loose In The Air is not instantly gratifying, but it does promise to remain as interesting and musically addicting as a Radiohead or Doves album. Web link: [...]

Hey, Matador! One Interpol is enough! With such a diverse number of bizarrely talented groups, it's baffling why such an established label would put out a band such as The Double. While Loose in the Air isn't a horrible album, frankly, it sounds like a collection of experimental Interpol covers. Upon hearing the scratchy, deep vocals of David Greenhill, one could see why such a comparison takes place. And while most songs are washed over with spooky, at times distracting, vox and Casio lines courtesy of Jacob Morris, almost every melody recalls a sense of deja vu. The epic "What Sound it Makes the Thunder," with its climbing keyboard lines and feedback, almost makes one eat their own words, until the next song starts.

- Nick Walker
Synthesis.net