The Falcon - Unicornography

What started out as an unambitious side project for four members of Chicago's pop-punk triumvirate has mutated into a semi-serious band, wittled down to a trio, and released its debut LP, Unicornography. The Falcon comprises members of The Lawrence Arms and Alkaline Trio (Todd Mohney, formerly of Rise Against and who appeared on The Falcon's EP, left the band prior to this record's release), two groups who are arguably the leaders of today's pop-punk, or are at least a couple of the wittier and more mature of the pack. The Falcon, as history will have it, was initiated by Brendan Kelly. A veteran of Chicago's punk scene, Kelly spent his later teenage years fronting the legendary ska band Slapstick, which also featured Alkaline Trio/Tuesday/Falcon member Dan Andriano on bass. Post-Slapstick, Kelly teamed up with some members of his old band and former Tricky Dick guitarist Chris McCaughan to form The Broadways, a politically and socially-conscious pop-punk quartet who broke up after a couple albums to split into two bands--The Honor System and The Lawrence Arms. Kelly and McCaughan went the way of the Arms, together with ex-Baxter drummer Neil Hennessy. Sometime in 2004, Kelly decided that he needed an outlet for his songs other than the Lawrence Arms (in which he splits songwriting/singing duties with McCaughan), and recruited Hennessy, Andriano, and Mohney to partake on the recording of the God Don't Make No Trash EP. The songs met with success, helping to kickstart the Red Scare label and Falcon fans clamoring for a full-length and more. Unicornography is that full-length, and while it's not as serious or deep as Kelly's half of The Lawrence Arms, it's certainly not a novelty act or a release worth relegating to the excesses and failures of the "supergroup." While the band's EP met some criticisms saying that The Falcon sounded too similar to The Lawrence Arms, the LP's songwriting says something entirely different. Yeah, Brendan Kelly sounds the same in each band, because his vocals are unbelievably gritty and high, grating, and irritating, but you try singing like that without coughing your ass off. On these songs, he's taken some liberties with his songwriting that might not suit his other group; I don't want to say that The Falcon is less serious, but Kelly's lyrics aren't as intellectual as he's known to write. Even he admits himself that he doesn't "want to overthink" The Falcon. Case proven. But Unicornography is probably his catchiest work, and he doesn't hesitate to take swipes at whatever crosses his mind. And his preoccupations with the Devil, death, and morality have carried over. "Blackout" hints at psycho-ska, a la The Mad Caddies sans brass, then flips the coin to flex the anthem of the chorus, as Kelly bemoans "the garbage on the radio," of which the songs are "nothing more than fat fuck lullabies." If the record was to have a single, "The La-Z-Boy 500" would be it. The simplistic stop-start chord progressions of the verses segue wonderfully into the chorus, "when the bell tolls I'll be fine/they say that living is a lot like dying." "The Celebutard Chronicles" attacks our society's obsession with celebrity culture, from the trashy magazines in the supermarket line to Ashlee Simpson. Much of the material is standard fare for the writer, alcohol-induced recounting of nights in Chicago, friends, etc. True, it's not a huge departure from The Lawrence Arms but it's no digression. Kelly's opinions on our culture are cerebral, acerbic, and most of all, necessary. He takes the less annoying, more poetic road to espousing views and ideas instead of the loud-mouthed one, and it works. It's unfortunate that most progressives lack the ability to write a catchy song, but maybe when Kelly is done with music, he'll find something else to pursue... [www.thefalconisbiggerthanjesus.com]