Record Review: The Grownup Noise

by | May 1, 2011 | Reviews

The Grownup Noise
This Time With Feeling
Boston, MA

“Don’t get too comfortable”

The Grownup Noise sum up their sophomore album quite well in the opening of their song “The Same The Same,” a sweet, meandering instrumental break crashes into Paul Hansen’s staccato proclamation, “I can tell it’s gonna be one hell of an evening.” Comprised of songs with hints of folk, alternative rock, and classical influences that retain their poppy appeal, This Time With Feeling is one hell of an album.

Listeners are kept delightfully off kilter throughout the highs and lows of this record; just when heartfelt but droll vocals begin to wear thin, Katie Franich’s crystal clear voice kicks in, even toned and exotically low. In the same sense, numerous tales of yearning and heartbreak are broken up by the sarcastic “Attention” and high energy “Carnival.” To say that This Time With Feeling is all over the place doesn’t give justice to how great all of those places are.

The album wraps with the sweeping “Gone Is a Four Letter Word,” an eight-minute tribute to loss and hope, followed by the banjo and vocals only “Somehow We Escaped.” These two songs, polar opposites in arrangements and styles, show the quality and breadth of The Grownup Noise’s songwriting. (Self-released)

Produced by The Grownup Noise // Mixed by Scott Solter // Mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering // Songs by P. Hansen

thegrownupnoise.com