Speedy Does It Again!
Speedy Ortiz: Foil Deer
8.5/10
Speedy Ortiz are a very intriguing little band. Sadie Dupuis is a very good singer, but she also is a pretty quirky personality. She reminds me of one of those typical goth-emo girls you would think of, but she is not completely dark. She has some sweetness to her for sure, and I think this is reflected well in Speedy Ortiz's music. While their earlier, home recorded EP's demonstrate a more bleak and grimey side of them, their debut album Major Arcana showed plenty of glow amongst all the grime. I really have enjoyed everything they've done up to this point, especially Major Arcana. This album soars huge guitar riffs and very charismatic personality. There are a lot of bands in the vain of Speedy Ortiz, but none of them seem to pull off their style as masterfully as them to me. So with a follow up LP officially released, did Speedy slow down, or did they keep the pace? Well, I would say Foil Deer is another grim, well executed album from the band. This album is another sprint to the finish line.
The sound on Foil Deer is a little more honed in. This is noticable right out the gates with bombastic pop tunes such as Rasing The Skate. This song is very reminiscent of Major Arcana, but I think it is more confident and refined. That's not to say it's better, but I think this band has really found their own skin on this album. The Graduates is a tune that highlights the maturity of the record. The song tells the story of mischievous students getting into trouble, but it does not sound angsty or immature. It simply tells it how it is, and for that I can really appreciate it. It is also catchy as all hell. Homonovous is another tune that really caught my attention. This tune sounds like a classic Speedy song. It has that grim atmosphere, but amongst all the chaos there are some pretty guitar tunes. The tune seems to undergo many transformations, and it never struggles to do so. This one is certainly a favorite of mine. It's dark, compressed shout section is absolutely vintage Speedy Ortiz. It blends a lot of their dissonance with the aggression that they have been known to occasionally show. Puffer is possibly one of the weirdest tunes the band has made to dates, but it is certainly not bad. The track is absolutely filthy, but it kind of just floats there and finds its way into your brain. It's a pretty haunting track actually. Definitely some of their weirdest guitar work to date as well. Zig and My Dead Girl also stand out as emotional stand outs on Foil Deer. The album overall plays very well all the way through. The last two tracks: Mister Difficult and Dvrk Wvrld are some of the band's most intimate tunes. They showcase a more intimate side of Sadie, and overall they are a little more tame than most of the band's material, but they do not suffer because of this. I think these tunes really hit home because all the instruments feel very emotive and Sadie's lyrics feel very real as well. It's really nice to get tunes like this from a Speedy effort, and overall it is really refreshing to hear the band trying new things. While I do like that they tried a less explosive effort, I will say that Foil Deer is still not too far from their roots at all. If you once liked this band, you still will.
Overall, I think Foil Deer is an extremely solid follow up to Major Arcana. The album is pretty good all the way through, but I will admit it certainly lacks a little bit of the excitement of the first record. Tunes like Tiger Tank, and Pioneer Spine both packed energy that I felt few tunes on this thing had. More tracks on Major Arcana blew me away, but Foil Deer is certainly still a great album that does many new things, and moves the band forward as a whole.
Best Songs: Raising The Skate, The Graduates, Homonovous, Zig, My Dead Girl, Mister Difficult, and Dvrk Wvrld
Worst Songs: Dot X, Good Neck, Ginger
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