Husband&wife – Dark Dark Woods
  1. Husband&Wife
  2. Dark Dark Woods
  3. Crossroads of America Records
  4. myspace.com/husbandwife

Husband&wife – Dark Dark Woods

It seems every band today claims total originality. Amid a boring and repetitive market, every band wants to say they are the ones that break the mold. They are the only band that offers something unique. Like all the other bands they sound like, they are truly innovative. This claim rings false more strongly with some than others, and indie rockers Husband&wife would like to remind their genre that “You sound like everybody else, when you say you haven’t got a friend in the world.” However, as these words are repeated over and over on the dark and minimalist track “Haven’t Got a Friend,” they soon transition into “I sound like everybody else, when I say I haven’t got a friend in the world.” This is where I have to start paying more attention, because these guys obviously have something real and honest to say.

Just to set the record straight, this is not a husband and wife duo. It’s an all-male four-piece band of friends who just decided to use the name Husband&wife for their band. Confusing, but hopefully not so much so that it isolates potential listeners, because there’s definitely a lot worth listening to on Dark Dark Woods, their ten song sophomore release.

Just take the initial track, “Comp Jam,” a slow builder with an acoustic guitar base that reminds me of the softer darker material from Anathallo or Death Cab for Cutie. From here the album goes into the equally slow and dark “Haven’t Got a Friend,” although the vocals of this track are some of the best of the album, using a passionate tone that really conveys the feeling of the words. And just when you think you’ve figured Husband&wife out, they turn things around with “I Got Fat,” an upbeat, country-influenced pop song with horns and a crooning chorus that says “You weren’t the only one to tell me I’m wrong about love.” It’s certainly still indie rock, but it shows just how diverse this genre can be. From here on out, things become more even, focusing on a style that blends the mellow pop of Farewell Flight with the complex indie-folk of The Snake the Cross the Crown, all while maintaining the influence of the bands mentioned above. Some tracks are more acoustic, others more electric. Both types use open and spacious drums, along with subtle vocal harmonies and sometimes horns.

The slower songs, such as “England Lives,” seem to be where Husband&wife best communicate their lyrics, as the peaceful sound only adds to the tongue-in-cheek thoughtfulness of words like “I found my heart today. It wasn’t where I had thought. Buried in what you say, not in my own conviction.” Another slow but light-hearted track, “I’ll Avenue Body,” begins with the lines, “Oh Heaven help us, because I’m afraid it’s not Hell we’re afraid of.” This poetic reversal and repetition seems to be a device used often in the lyrics on this album, and I’d say it was used pretty effectively to engage the listen and reinforce the thoughts and feelings coming through.

With a smattering of wide influences, Husband&wife come together to create an interpretation of indie rock that is not entirely unique, but at the same time fresh and engaging. Most of the songs are well written and well executed, with creative lyrics that are both straightforward and cryptic. For fans of somewhat softer, open, and innovative indie rock, let Husband&wife guide you through the Dark Dark Woods of their complex minimalism.