The Scene Aesthetic

Brother

To be honest, however big the Scene Aesthetic might perceive their potential audience to be, it’s bound to be pretty narrow. You definitely have to have a stomach for earnest sentimentality and a preponderance of lovelorn balladry. Eric Bowley and Andrew de Torres (Danger Radio), who formed the band in Seattle in 2005, combine Dashboard Confessional-esque emo-pop, bright folky adult-contemporary pop in the vein of Jason Mraz with forays into the watery, blue-eyed soul-pop of Maroon 5.

It sounds way too safe, if sometimes cleverly crafted, and the attitude is Richard Simmons-level peppy. Tracks like “Talk About Love” suggest if they fail at music, they might have a future as motivational speakers: “Don’t you understand/What it takes to be your friend/I wish you could see/What you’re doing to me.” On “Why Don’t We Try,” they thoughtfully inform the listener in a trite, Bon Jovi-worthy rhyme scheme that “You only get a chance, it’s now or never/Once a moment’s gone, it’s gone forever.” (D’ya think?) They’re even amateur psychologists, explaining what it is to be “Human”: Deep inside of yourself, there is a soul starving for some affection… All you ever wanted was to fit in, so I wrote you this song.” (Uh… thanks?)

It’s all so cloyingly earnest that you just want to grab the both of them by the neck and slap them around a few times, demanding to know where they hid the blow and buried the hooker. But big, broad emotional appeals have always sold well, and this attains Barry Manilow-level sap on the aforementioned “Humans,” as he avers, “If it were up to me, I would construct a key to your heart to finally set you free.”

That said, this is a big step forward from their self-titled 2006 debut (which was re-released a couple years later while Bowley went on a Mormon mission to Rosario, Argentina). It sounds far more professional and put together. Certainly Bowley and De Torres have very complementary voices, and easily trade lines and verses throughout. One’s voice is a little deeper, so it’s noticeable, but not jarring, and they make very effective use of it.

There are a couple songs that stand out against the more schmaltzy stuff. The re-cut “Beauty In The Breakdown” is well written, with a ringing, Counting Crows-esque fervor and a big hook, as well as reasonably interesting lyrics (“You say that we’re all tied up and wrapped around in useless states of mind”). It’s easily the album’s most fully formed song.

The other memorable track is the rootsy, Soul Coughing-ish (and apparently Yoda-titled) “My Humility, You Are” which features the two running off a litany of amusing, boastful proclamations (“I’m bros with Ryan Gosling”) balanced against the fact that she leaves him “like a child, I’m stuck and won’t get anywhere.” It’s bubbly and lighthearted in a way that’s too often missing amidst the album’s overwrought emotionality and pandering positivity. They’ve got a few things going for them, but by and large this is formulaic and full of pretense. It seems nice enough—perhaps if they had a few whiskeys before they record the next one, it won’t feel so tight and anxious.

Self-released http://www.thesceneaesthetic.com

“My Humility, You Are”