Tuesday, May 1, 2012
New Music The Mad Flight releases 'Break, Heart; Break!' this Wednesday
Posted by Chad Radford @ChadRad on Tue, May 1, 2012 at 12:20 PM
Vocalist Paul Cantrell sings with the voice of a heavyhearted vampire; his voice rises over the bustling arrangements, slightly louder than the rest of the mix, as he ponders something of a relationship impasse in “Pen Ultimatum.” He sings, “Was hunched over a desk I was philand’ring with a sophomore, while you’re off God knows where discreetly fuckin’ your philosopher. I’ve wrapped my mind around it. I’ve explained it to the officer. But there is not a way that I can find provides an alternate.”
Such hues of resentment, loneliness, loss, and rumination color the album’s chromatic melodies in “Dress Gordon Nightmare,” “Before I Wake,” and “Wager.”
There is a moment or two, tucked away inside "Pen Ultimatum" or "Her Majesty" when a deceptively country thing starts taking shape in the melodies or the occasional lap steel swipe. But they're only passing nods. These are rock songs to be sure, and although the baroque singing style, which is form-fitted to match the instrumental arrangements, is accomplished, it also feels a bit too earnest in its dedication to being earnest. But what the band lacks in sharp angles, it makes up with murky and literary existentialism.
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