Review:

on 2012-08-05 Crispy_Spumoni Said:

The title of Philly indie punk band Glocca Morra's new album Just Married seems intentionally ironic. Most songs share the overarching theme of getting, in the writer's words, "fucked over" in relationships and dealing with disillusionment and loneliness as a result. It's notable that the first word the vocalist utters is fuck -- despite a sprinkling of cliched similes and metaphors, the lyrics draw from a limited, repetitive, and often vulgar vocabulary. For this reason, each song sounds like it could be written as a self-absorbed paragraph in a teenager's diary. This might disappoint listeners looking for something more poetic, but the immaturity and simplicity of the lyrics may resonate with the middle and high school crowd.

A whiny, self-serious vocalist would have made Just Married an unbearable listening experience. Fortunately, the singer uses a raw, unaffected tone, giving each track an honest and believable quality. When he escalates into screaming, it adds energy and a bit of needed silliness to an otherwise bleaker theme.

Sophisticated, '90s grunge-style guitar riffs and a consistently upbeat tempo add a refreshing contrast to the lyrics. As is common in the indie genre, the melodies wander around with no chorus to return to, and most of the songs blend together. I had trouble telling the songs apart, even after repeated listens. One stand-out exception is "Me + Geniene." The subtle horns on this track bring back memories of Neutral Milk Hotel, and the satirical emergency phone call recording adds amusing black humor as the album draws to a close.

Rating: 7/10