Two Cow Garage
Speaking in Cursive
Suburban Records
7 out of 10
Some bands aspire to be all that and a side of cheese grits. Other bands are all that and a side of cheese grits. Listening to Two Cow Garage’s new album Speaking in Cursive, one gets the feeling that the Columbus, Ohio based band falls somewhere in the middle between being merely good and being great. From the drum-heavy opening track “Your Humble Narrator” to the quick, lush closing number “Swallowed by the Sea”, there is a definite sense that the quintet is shooting for the moon. The result is a blend of folk, rock, and alt-country tunes that manage to be seize the ears without being over-the-top.
The first thing that jumps out about the album is the unevenness of the tracks. Listening to the, dark folk-rock inspired “Your Humble Narrator” side by side with the upbeat “Brass Ring”, it is easy to get the feeling that this is a work in progress. Yet despite the songs don’t sound polished, like a lot of tunes do these days, their appeal lies in the fact that they are so raw and emotional. If anyone is expecting the status quo ante from this group, think again. Their effort to stand out is helped by Micah Schabel’s throaty, smoke-filled voice and talent for storytelling.
His voice is reminiscent of Tom Waits or a lyrical Charles Bukowski. Appropriate, given the album’s rumination on all things forlorn and bittersweet. Shane Sweeney’s deep, bass vocals don’t disappoint either, although at times he seems to aspire to be the next Bruce Springsteen, especially on “The Heart and the Crown”, which at certain points is eerily reminiscent of the folk-rock icon’s “Born to Run”. Yet, as the great poet once said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and no band is more sincere than Two Cow Garage.
However, in terms of its intensity and depth of feeling, no album comes even close to Speaking in Cursive, not least the albums this writer has heard. One would have to go back several years–indeed to the root of the grunge, alternative and post-punk scene which was the musical incubator for Schnabel and Sweeney during their youth–to find records as moving. That the band mines gems in genres that has been quickly forgotten by the public, is both praiseworthy and a sad commentary on the state of indie rock in general. Whereas other bands forsake authenticity in favor of big cars and even bigger paychecks, the quintet stays true to who they are. That is the highest compliment that anyone can say of a band that, in the space of only six years, has gone from being a regional player in the Great Lakes to having a significant presence on MySpace.
Though it would be easy to dismiss this band as yet another group of would-be rock stars hanging on to the last threads of their rock-and-roll dream, to underestimate them would be like underestimating an avalanche. Sure, it might not look like much at first, until someone is buried by the snow. Two Cow Garage is that avalanche, and we are its victims.
-John Winn