Some musicians were born to innovate, to obliterate boundaries and to boldly venture into uncharted musical waters. Others, like Denton trio American Werewolf Academy, are content with following in the footsteps of their heroes, paying respectful homage to those who have gone before whilst hopefully coming up with some decent tunes in the process. You may ask yourself if you really need to hear another bunch of doughy 30-somethings mining Replacements riffs and Archers of Loaf power chords. Can anything pioneering be achieved within the grounded framework of mid-90s indie rock? Probably not, but it’s obvious at this point that legions of young-ish men (and yes, they usually are men) will never stop giving it the old college try.
The fact that almost every review of American Werewolf Academy’s music mentions Guided By Voices in some capacity tells you pretty much everything there is to know. Whilst there’s a bit more going on than one-dimensional Robert Pollard pastiche, one can’t help but feel that they’ve heard everything on offer several dozen times before. There’s not a whole lot of light and shade between the 11 tracks found on ‘Out of Place All the Time’ and brevity proves to be the band’s ally, the most effective tracks being those that are kept around the two-and-a-half-minute mark. ‘Freebeard’ is the album’s definite high spot, a buoyant blast of college-rock jangle that sees vocalist Aaron Thedford toning down his gratingly gruff vocals to a polite Mac McCaughan whine.
Recorded on analogue tape, there’s clearly supposed to be a warmth to the album’s production. Sadly, the poor mixing and the constant high-end of drummer Tony Harper’s clamorous cymbals cause most of the tracks to have an overbearing, tinny sound. Listening on headphones is almost painful. Guitar and bass parts trip over one another and vocals are often buried so far down in the mix that distinguishing between verses and choruses can be a challenge. Placid moments like ‘Edge of the Bed’ and ‘You Vipers Will Kill Me’ are where Thedford’s latent aptitude for melody is given permission to come to the forefront. Harper still lays into the crash cymbals like he’s trying to make them shatter but the distortion lets up a little and the guitars are allowed to chime. It makes you wish the guys would indulge their mellower side a little more often. Elsewhere, there’s not much sweetness to be found. It’s all a little too rambunctious, a little too crude, a little too male. It’s like Exile in Guyville never happened.
It’s not likely that anybody other than flannel-shirted Matador enthusiasts will be doing cartwheels in the street over American Werewolf Academy’s music. Whilst not without its charms, the band’s steadfast aversion to sonic exploration means that ‘Out of Place All the Time’ could never be more than a pleasant retread over more than familiar ground.