You Kiss By The Book, Bear Leader
Posted on 23rd Sep 09 by Connor Moloney | 
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Phibsboro based five-piece You Kiss By The Book’s debut is an album which sets its sights firmly on the other side of the Atlantic. Drawing heavily on the alt-folk of Conor Oberst and at times recalling the slow burning atmospherics of Sparklehorse, Bear Leader comes steeped in old-timey Americana, as the group paint a rurally blissful picture of a world of chopping wood, fishing, and of course, contending with the odd bear trap.
Phibsboro based five-piece You Kiss By The Book‘s debut is an album which sets its sights firmly on the other side of the Atlantic. Drawing heavily on the alt-folk of Conor Oberst and at times recalling the slow burning atmospherics of Sparklehorse, Bear Leader comes steeped in old-timey Americana, as the group paint a rurally blissful picture of a world of chopping wood, fishing, and of course, contending with the odd bear trap.
You Kiss By The Book, Bear Leader
There is nothing at all wrong with such escapism: after all, large parts of rock ‘n’ roll history were built on as much, and these ingredients should have the makings of a thoroughly enjoyable record.
The problem here is simply that, while they seem to have got the influences right, You Kiss By The Book’s songcraft simply doesn’t stand up to the work of their peers. If You Could Predict The Future, for instance, recalls the ragged charm of Willy Mason, but lacks his soulfulness and lyrical precision. Similarly Smile promises the kind of trad-country reprisal done so well by the likes of Songs: Ohia, but isn’t delivered with the same finesse.
You could say similar things about each of the other seven songs here: that Salt Mines is a Johnny Cash rumble but without the worldliness, Stones and Stones Oberst without the intensity, and so on and so forth.
You Kiss By The Book could yet have great things ahead of them: while the material on this collection is ordinary, they have a great sound, and however much they falter here, their musicianship and lightness of touch always ensures it makes for easy listening. Nonetheless, their chosen genre lives and dies on the quality of the songs, which unfortunately is Bear Leader’s most palpable weakness. Overall, a case of a group with promise, but little else yet.
Drop-d rating 4/10