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| Pitchfork |
 Eulogies' first two releases, both thematically reliant on the ins-and-outs of relationships, suggested the band was content to make the same kind of color-by-numbers, misty-eyed indie pop ad infinitum. But life has a way of intervening, and in the case of Eulogies' ringleader Peter Walker, it was an unfortunate turn of events: Walker's best friend lost his four-year-old boy to cancer, just after the birth of Walker's own child. And Eulogies third album, Tear the Fences Down, was written with him in mind.The irony that a band called Eulogies has now crafted something of eulogy is likely not lost on Walker, though he certainly doesn't let on. Tear Down the Fences, while elegiac in its own way, is by far the most varied, energetic record Eulogies have made to date, abandoning their mopey moves in favor of sharp, densely arranged indie pop songs that shine brighter the less straightforward they are. Opening track "Out of Style, Out of Touch" rumbles with the perky energy of a Vampire Weekend tune, while the tumbling "You Hide" could be a lost cut from Eels' Daisies of the Galaxy. In fact, Walker even sounds like Mr. E on many of the songs here, which seems fitting, as the Eels frontman is no stranger to grief. But unlike so many Eels records, Tear the Fences Down is near pitiless, while the entanglement of emotions is still evident. "Will I" is coldly detached, Walker's voice hanging like a ghost over the robust, almost aggressive clatter of the band underneath. "How to Say Goodbye", probably the most beautiful, affecting song here, boasts a chorus of gorgeous, free-fall vocal harmonies. Most of Tear the Fences Down is so lyrically ambiguous that "How to Say Goodbye" could easily be about a girl. But Walker doesn't seem interested in spelling things out-- this is a record made with a select few people in mind, and that intimacy makes it engaging. Only on two tracks does he address the tragedy head-on, from two unique perspectives. "Separate Heart" is paranoid and jaunty, with Walker singing, "I'm boxed in my happiness, I'm falling down/ I want to surrender, but I don't know how." It's a weirdly helpless confession; in the face of another's tragedy, he's confronting the difficulty of finding happiness in his own new parenthood. But most of the conflicted feelings, fears, and regrets expressed on Tear the Fences Down are calmed by closing track "Little Else to Say", a simply stated epilogue. Clearly a children's song, it's an autobiographical account of the slowed process of overcoming loss-- a big idea written for small people but, like a good portion of Tear the Fences Down, one that registers across the board....full text |
| Providence |
| Given its origins, this could have been a morbid, self-indulgent exercise. Instead, it’s a fine indie-pop album. Eulogies frontman Peter Walker wrote it after the birth of his son and the death of Dangerbird Records co-founder Jeff Castelaz's son. Writing Fences was his way of dealing with the highs and the lows, and that gives the music depth rather than weighing it down. Walker possesses a sense of melody and a singing style reminiscent of Paul McCartney's better solo work, and the band have a deep sonic bench, capable of buoyant quirkiness and a New Pornographers–like wall of sound. Breezy opener "Out of Style, Out of Touch" already presages trouble, asking, "Is the joy we found a trap where others fell?" The lyrical content gets progressively darker, reaching its heaviest with the bracing "Better Than Nothing" and "Little Bombs." But Walker ends on an optimistic note with "Little Else To Say," singing, "You're gone, you're gone, but you live on and on." He never loses hope, or his taste for a good vocal hook. Few could traverse this territory and come away with an album you can hum....full text |
| Stereosubversion |
| Tear the Fences Down is an infuriating listen, although it doesn’t deserve such an opening. Eulogies’ latest shows such promise and the songs inside are all pleasing enough and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s just that Peter Walker & Co. seem intent to stay within a comfort zone they shouldn’t have to. If anything, the songs here remain in limbo. The songs aren’t soft enough to be sweet, nor do they possess the teeth to make them edgy. Where the songs do excel though, is in their radio-friendly catchiness. The opening track “Out of Style, Out of Touch” and “You Hide” are great examples of familiar songs equally at home in an advertisement or background party music. This is perhaps what irks me; I spent a great deal of time thinking to myself “Who does this sound like?” Instead, the tracks here are safe and are surprisingly at home on a band’s third album. The main issue with Fences is its static nature, with very little variation across its 10 songs. While these songs alone are solid enough, together the bouncy drums and catchy riffs begin to coalesce into a middling whole. It is perhaps a pity, then, that the standout track “Little Else to Say” is the last song on the album. Breaking away from the electric guitar that was used for the previous nine songs, the acoustic guitar finally gives Walker’s vocals and lyrics, overshadowed for the majority the album, a chance to shine. To stop and actually take a moment to listen about the “hopeful little boy,” the tune becomes a wonderfully simple yet beautiful composition, while the repetition of “You’re gone, you’re gone, you’re gone” somehow avoids becoming trite or boring. It’s in these fleeting shots of promise that Eulogies shows what its capable of — a frustrating and confusing prospect given the album’s title....full text |
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