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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 02 May 2014 10:43

There are lots of post-punk guitar riffs skittering here and there, along with odd time signatures and the occasional group chorus.

 

 

I’ll say it now: Weatherbox is an acquired taste. If you can’t handle Brian Warren’s vocal style—kind of a nasally, talk-sing-y thing—this is not the band for you. I’ve long counted myself among the fans, but each album takes some getting used to, and Flies in All Directions is no exception. There are lots of post-punk guitar riffs skittering here and there, along with odd time signatures and the occasional group chorus. Is that good or bad? I’ll let you be the judge.

This seventh (!) release from Warren & Co. both lives up to expectations and provides a clear (if not entirely welcoming) introduction to the band. If lead track “Pagan Baby” puts you off, give it a second or third chance: You’ll most likely find yourself drawn in. Unlike on previous releases, here Weatherbox delivers a more varied collection of tunes, from the aforementioned in-your-face “Pagan Baby” to oddly poppy “Radio Hive” to the roots-ish “The Devil and Whom” to “Bathin’ in the Fuss,” which will soon have you bobbing your head.

The record wears its humor on its sleeve, too, with such songs as “Bring Us the Head of Weatherbox” and “The Fresh Prints of Bill Ayers” (get it?). All in all, though, it’s Warren through and through, if maybe a bit—just a bit—more refined and a tad more genre-encompassing. After only three listens, it just may be my favorite record of theirs, perhaps even more so than 2009’s The Cosmic Drama. B+ | Laura Hamlett