Piebald - Accidental Gentlemen

Piebald’s last record, 2004’s All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time, didn’t seem to do a whole lot for the band; despite its abundance of solid, witty power-pop and memorable choruses, the album didn’t really push the Massachusetts quartet forward any. Accidental Gentlemen, the fifth proper album to surface from a decade’s worth of material, delivers all the loveable nuances the band has honed over the years and puts them back into the public's conscience—for some reason, it feels like they've been MIA from the hype machine and the Internet blabber-boards for far too long. Early incarnations of Piebald weren’t a far cry from what was being called “emocore” at the time, but over the years the growth that ensues both from personal maturity and on one’s instrument set the band on a path towards some kind of serious, bastardized nerd-rock that’s left them with an instantly recognizable sound and style. Anyway, Accidental Gentlemen is up there with the band’s best—completely rocking throughout, Travis Shettel’s lyrics are still sharp and to the point, and hell, even a cover of The Kinks’ “Strangers” makes an appearance. What really sets the record apart from its predecessors is the leaps in technique from guitarists Shettel and Aaron Stuart. The past was full of lots of very simple progressions and power chords, but now they’re meandering on the strings, slowly venturing into more technical, wiry territory. “Oh, the Congestion” could be ‘90s emo (a la Braid, Mineral, The Promise Ring), at least moreso than what Piebald was doing at the time. “Roll On” borders on piano lounge music, and “Shark Attack” sounds like something from the new Maritime record. Despite all those references to a decade past, this record doesn’t sound dated at all—and while it doesn’t have all the huge, goofy hooks of past Piebald, it’s more instrumentally thought-out and composed. Shettel would probably call it “music for riding bikes to,” a pastime he’s discussed in numerous songs. Didn’t he get jumped by some assholes last year while riding his bike? I’m pretty sure that’s the case. Regardless, Piebald has surfaced from their absence with their strongest all-around record to date, and we'll be sure not to forget about them this time. [www.piebald.com]