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Eulogies
Eulogies
(Dangerbird)
First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2007, Volume 14, #10
Written by John Metzger
In more ways than one, indie songwriter Peter Walker caught a lucky break
when he was tapped to support Starsailor during its 2006 tour. Not only did he
find himself gaining prominent exposure from the sojourn, but he also connected
so well with drummer Chris Reynolds and bass player Tim Hutton, the musicians
that he hired to form his backing band, that the trio decided to stay together.
Adopting Eulogies as its moniker, the group quickly laid down the tracks for its
self-titled debut. In listening to the endeavor, however, there’s little doubt
that the collective could have benefitted from spending some more time together.
Throughout Eulogies’ eponymous effort, Walker pushes to the fringes of his
songs the alt-country inflections that previously had framed his work. In their
place, he embraces the lo-fi atmospherics that are commonplace among indie rock
outfits. Although his cracked and weary voice still bears the same
cigarette-stained markings as Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, the arrangements combine the
gritty grunge of Nirvana with the buoyant bass lines that drive the Smashing
Pumpkins’ material. Crossing Dinosaur Jr. with Kings of Leon, Eulogies uses Life Boat to rough up the chorus to The Flaming Lips’ Do You Realize,
while the subsequent If I Knew You begins in the spirit of the Velvet
Underground’s minimalist mourning before it erupts in a blaze of tormented
vocals, chugging guitars, and crashing cymbals. Elsewhere, Walker sings One
Man with an air of resignation as the music clatters around him, and despite
the resistance that is inherent to Running in the Rain’s hard-driving
groove, the tune reiterates the permanency of his defeat.
As the band winds its way through its self-titled affair, however, Eulogies
increasingly loses its way. Whether crawling slowly through Little Davie’s
ominously drugged-out death march or slipping back into a sluggish reprise of
Can’t Relate, the songs begin to feel claustrophobically similar.
Nevertheless, although the set doesn’t exactly live up to the ensemble’s full
potential, it doesn’t deflate it any either, and while, midway through its
self-titled debut, Eulogies’ forward progress slips away, it at least succeeds
in laying the groundwork for better things, which undoubtedly will come. 
Eulogies is available
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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