Grand Archives

Grand Archives' 2008 self-titled debut is all about tension created by crescendos and decrescendos. Echoing drums slowly morph into steady beats; gently plucked guitars rev into heavy strumming. A meandering folk song can turn into rollicking pop at any minute. The anticipation that a song might shift its pace every few bars drives the album.

That feeling is nearly absent from Grand Archives' sophomore release. Keep in Mind Frankenstein is a well-crafted symphonic combination of Mat Brooke's trademark falsetto and careful orchestration, but it's ultimately forgettable because little changes from one track to the next. Even the poppiest song on the album, "Left All for the Strays," lacks depth. The beat is kept by maracas and a tambourine, and a harmonica plays on the bridge, but the song maintains the same steady pace for more than three minutes. There is no tension, no resolution.

Vocal harmonies are laden throughout Keep in Mind Frankenstein, and that might be the album's fatal flaw. The layered vocals on "Siren Echo Valley (Part 1)" resemble a gospel choir, with only stringed instruments creating a haunting backing melody. While that composition works for a minute-long song, it's not enough to drive an entire album.

"Dig That Crazy Grave" is the closest Keep in Mind Frankenstein comes to anything on Grand Archives; it's the best song on the album. It's steadily upbeat until the chorus, when the instrumentals fall away and only a rumbling drum backs Brooke's vocals. The rest of the song anticipates that chorus, waits for it, which creates tension. But seven slow and static tracks lead up to "Dig That Crazy Grave," and that's just too long to wait.