Cruiserweight – “Big Bold Letters” Album Review
Last summer, Dave and Yogi from the Austin Texas rock band Cruiserweight graced the Geekscape couch with their opinions on Michael Bay’s Transformers movie. Actually, they graced our very own Ben Dunn’s couch, which was handily fitting in for the (regular at the time) Girlfriend’s couch. The band was in Los Angeles for a month holed up in a Korea Town recording studio putting down tracks for their upcoming album Big Bold Letters, released this week by Doghouse Records (the home of label mates Say Anything, Limbeck and The All-American Rejects).
I’ve been listening to the songs on Big Bold Letters for a little over a week and the first thing that jumps out at me is the complete feeling of the album. Although I really liked the majority of 2005’s Sweet Weaponry, those songs were written over a long period of time and by the album’s release were no longer representative of the band’s sound. With Big Bold Letters, Cruiserweight has released a more accurate depiction of the current band’s style with an emphasis on consistent song writing. The 13 song album starts off with a lullaby, ends with a desperate plea and kicks all sorts of nonstop ass in between. I’ve known the band for a very long time and this is the album I’ve always wanted them to release.
Cruiserweight is made up of singer Stella Maxwell and her brothers Urny (guitar) and Yogi (drums). David Hawkins, who shared the Geekscape couch with Yogi, plays bass and is often mistaken as a fourth sibling. The songs on Big Bold Letters work together seamlessly in the same way that the band members compliment each other musically. The lyrics that would be familiar to you from past Cruiserweight albums are similarly written here but seem to work more fluidly with the melodies and guitar riffs this time around. The words don’t exist in push and pull conflict with the songs’ rhythms as they did at times in the past. Here, Stella’s voice really gets showcased in perfect fluidity with the music and even though those past songs might have worked to make the vocals stand out, here they actually become more memorable because everything works in wonderful unison. Fitting that the album is called Big Bold Letters.
There are a couple songs that are highlights on an already consistently strong album. Balboa, the second track, might be my favorite Cruiserweight song ever written. It’s the most sing along friendly on the album and after the quiet lullaby of the first introductory track, hits with the most force. It’s familiar Cruiserweight but with the kind of new shine that will embrace new listeners. Lyrics mention “new coat” and “new day”s and I think that’s appropriate. This is Cruiserweight with an upgrade. Distraction has some pretty cool voice work and a consistently hitting rhythm. The breakdowns also seem like something the band has perfected over the past decade and they give way to running choruses at just the right time. Spread Like Fingers is the requisite mid-album slow ballad and it clocks in at just the right length of time. “And I’m pulling my hair when it’s like pulling teeth for you”. The band has had slower ballads in the past but this one is the most mature and well orchestrated by far. It builds in all the right places and reflects all the proper emotions at the right times. Save this one for a late night drive home when everyone else in the car is asleep. Slack is a fun kickstart into the last half of the album. Coming on the tail end of the ballad, it’s the kind of fast running song that you want to see and sing along to live. You Were Right is about as much fun as an admission of guilt mixed with a cry for help can be. The vocals do a good job of exploring this juxtaposition with lyrics like “If you want I will drive but my autopilot’s only good for a while/can you help me think of something” while the song runs along at an up-tempo beat. It’s the sweetest way I could imagine admitting that you were wrong and asking for help in return.
The songs on Big Bold Letters personify the kind of open honesty that the band has always showcased but here they do it in the cleanest and most direct way yet. It worries me that a band that has worked this hard for this long has finally accomplished the kind of breakthrough album that I always knew that they were capable of but may see potential listeners pass them by because of the current state of the music industry. Big Bold Letters deserves to be heard. Don’t allow unfamiliarity to keep you away from one of my favorite bands of all time. You’ve already met Dave and Yogi through the vastness of the Geekscape. Take that extra step and discover the best album that the band has released to date.
Cruiserweight is currently on tour with The Pink Spiders. Dates are available here.
Big Bold Letters is available in most record stores nationwide, as well as on iTunes and the Doghouse Records website.
