the 31 best of 2008 – 30: Wild Sweet Orange – We Have Cause To Be Uneasy

In at number 30 is a band that hails from nearby Birmingham, Alabama. This indie-rock set first caught my attention with their song Either/Or, mostly because of the unexpectedly different melody and timing they used in the song; the stop and start of the beat and the buzzing guitars is really something quite amazing. It was something that I couldn’t ignore, and I ended up falling head over heels in love with that song, so I naturally had to check out the rest of the album; and I am very glad that I did. Not only do I love their name (it has Orange in the title!), but I have really come to love their sound and this record.

We Have Cause to Be Uneasy is full of a wide variety of mid tempo rock tracks, as well as a fair share of down tempo, soul searching confessions. They also sneak a little of their local roots in with a banjo and some country flair near the middle of the album. The eloquence with which the imagery in each song comes across makes for a great story, and coupled with the melody and music, makes for some great music as well; all intimate, and sometimes tragic (such as the track Sour Milk, which is the heartbreaking tale about a deadbeat father, and the disappointment in parents when they don’t live up to perceptions of what parents “should be” — damn I can relate to that). I really have to give another nod to the masterful use of imagery in their song writing, because there are many times that you can’t escape the moment that they are trying to catch you in; which for a musical act, is a huge success, as far as I’m concerned.

The vocalist reminds me a bit of what Connor Oberst might sound like if he shouted every once and a while, and got himself in to such a flow of raw emotion, that he had to just let it all loose on the record (which is NOT a condescension to Connor, I love that guy just like he is). This explosion of emotion happens many times on the record, and really expresses the real feeling that went into some of these songs; again, making for some fantastic music.

Overall, this is a great indie-rock album that has some really raw, emotional, and fantastically crafted songs on it. I am so incredibly excited that I found out about these guys, because they are really doing something slightly different, and they are doing it really, really well. Fans of bands like Death Cab For Cutie, as well as Bright Eyes (aka Connor Oberst), should definitely get this album now; these guys have made a great album, and a fantastic contribution to their music genre, and it definitely deserves its place amongst my favorite records of the year.

Sparkle Factor:
Standouts: Either/Or, Ten Dead Dogs, Sour Milk, Night Terrors, Land Of No Return.