Grenadier - Hand Offensive

When I started writing this review, I wanted to make some clever comparison of the music of Grenadiers debut, Hand Offensive, to that of the result of a live hand grenade. I was going to describe the explosive power of both band and miltiary weapon, the fact that the shrapnel from a grenade is kind of hit or miss, and the idea that if you're in the arena for a grenade to be in use you're already in some serious shit that you might want to reconsider your life choices. But then I realized that last part really doesn't apply to music, and my desire to make some correlation between pulling the pin on a grenade and the anticipation of hearing this disc was just ridiculously lame. So how do I describe Hand Offensive if I can't make some over the top, completely inappropriate, comparison to a weapon? Especially considering that Grenadier is not an onslaught of any kind - at least not in the "holy crap this is some explosive stuff that could induce fear and/or death" sense. I guess I start off by telling you that the album consists of guitar, bass, drum, and the occasional keyboard (not to mention a bit of banjo and horns). The majority of songs are midtempo, somewhat introspective, rolling tracks with a musical interlude ("Turdler") and some upbeat tracks here and there ("Powerless","Smile Away Pt 2"). Hand Offensive is self-described as "quintessentially Midwestern," which is an allusion to the idea of living a quiet life while the hustle and bustle is going on around you. However, Midwestern is often a term that is associated with being average - it's just the middle of the country, nothing particularly special. I think this applies to the first half of the disc in question, while the band finds their stride (maybe it's the acceptance of the hustle and bustle) in the second half of the disc. Grenadier has the chops to write a rather catchy pop song, but you've got to filter through the other stuff before you get there. The disc takes several listens to really appreciate the parts that should be appreciated (check the lo-fi harmonies on "Gods of Gravity") and the apparently overall flow that the album contains. [www.grenadiermusic.com]