Rock and roll is here to stay thanks to bands like Late Model Humans. On their fourth album Fallen Angels, released this year, they channel artists like Buddy Holly, The Ramones, and early Beatles. This New York five-some bellows straightforward rock ‘n roll without a hint of pretension. But don’t just dance to this album. If you listen you’ll quickly find poetic verse and bare emotion that boost these fourteen songs to a higher level of cool.
The album covers a pretty good range of mood and subject matter. The opening track “The Little Things You Do” is an enthusiastic love song, but it’s followed by the Clash-esque “Pick Up the Gun.” This tune shows us a montage of gritty scenes and includes the lyric “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice I’ll kill everyone.” That tune and the others written by James Power tend to have a darker edge than those by his band-mates, including his brother and long-time collaborator Michael. There are also some melancholy moments, like the title track “Fallen Angels,” a series of eccentric biblical allusions, and the poignant ballad “Your Broken Heart.”
The band’s vocals were an acquired taste for me. The band members take turns at lead and they all sing in a markedly unpolished style. After a couple of listens, however, I couldn’t imagine the voices any other way. Their rough vocals are essential to the honest, unassuming character of the band, and the more aggressive, punk-rock moments ring true like when a great actor really nails a scene.
I’m glad I came across the Late Model Humans and I think other rock and roll fans will be, too. Their refreshing sound is full of unmistakable intelligence and musical maturity. Fallen Angles is an excellent reminder that simplicity and depth go great together, and honest emotion always blows pretentiousness out of the water.
Nathaniel Rolnick – MuzikReviews.com StaffNovember 17, 2009
