While you may not run into Soulja Boy on campus, critiquing local musicians can be risky. In the attempt to discover local music and at the suggestion of a fellow writer, below is a local band review.
The Early Twenties is a four-piece band with brothers Luke Wessling (vocals, guitar) and Aaron Wessling (keys) and two friends, Keegan Walsh (lead guitar, mandolin) and Rachael Miles (bass).
Their self-produced album was recorded in Walsh's apartment over a period of two and a half months. It was unveiled to the public at their last show on June 5.
Their music has an unmistakable sound that The Early Twenties share with other regular performers at Tim and Terry's, including The Impossible Shoelace and The String Theory. The sound relies heavily on acoustic guitar and emotional, down-to-earth vocals. It has cut its own sub-genre in the Gainesville music scene.
Most of the lyrics on the album depend on confused imagery, often haphazardly throwing typical metaphors together. Strong drinks, lost homes, turning tides and burning candles all fit into the mix. Although painfully earnest at times, it tends to fit with the music. Luke Wessling does a tremendous job of turning his husky baritone voice into an instrument of its own. Still, the lyrics leave me frustrated and puzzled.
I find "Old Poland" to be the strongest track on the album. It is a track where my ears hang onto every word, careless to what the words even are. It reminds me of a phenomenon that often happens when listening to Radiohead - a situation where the lyrics are often ridiculous if analyzed alone but, when sung by Thom Yorke and backed by the tremendous band, resonate with more power than any Bible verse ever could.
The band adds a smidgen of The Doors with Aaron Wessling's keys - particularly with the organ punches after the choruses on "Old Poland."
Some tracks pick up, adding a mandolin to the mix. Tracked drums sneak into a few others. Surprisingly, the rhythm instruments coexist peacefully without getting in each others' way.
Miles' bass is spot-on and never too busy for the song. Her bass is mixed in strong at the beginning of the tracks but disappointedly fades into the mix after the introductions.
The album has a great range of sounds, though the mix of instruments as a whole seems to be inconsistent. Despite rough edges in its sound, the album has more than enough soul to balance it out.
