Media Review

The Cordova Academy Glee Club

Be Mine Or There Will Be War (CD)

No Label
website | mySpace

Overall Rating:

9.0

Music Quality: 9.5

Production: 6.5

Originality: 8.5

The Cordova Academy Glee Club. Ahh, where do I begin? How about a few weeks ago when I began contact with one of my soon-to-be great e-mail buddies, James Alex. We tossed several e-mails back and frth over these weeks, and the only way I can depict these exchanges is to use such big words as “epic,” “monumental,” and “adventurous.” I think in this brief window I truly got a glimpse at the zany character that is James Alex, brainchild of the CAGC.

Anyways, getting an early listen of this album proved more difficult than would be imaginable from this relatively undiscovered Philly quartet. That’s right, I said it, relatively undiscovered—even in the face of singer James Alex’s major label success with his previous band Weston, it seems this band has been off the radar for an insanely long time. Their previous EP, “Lie Until it Becomes The Truth” is indisputably incredible; the song “Atomic Lipstick” is easily one of the most accessible, intricate, and clever songs I’ve heard in some time. The band’s style of whispery, delicate pop and sonic, layered guitars was nothing short of a formula for my favorite ear candy.

And when the breathy “Stella Jane” was posted, my heart stopped for a short second. Could this be all I was hoping for? It was and is at once atmospheric and down to earth; quiet and aggressive. Reminiscent of something like the Pixies meets Armor For Sleep, I let my heart beat just a bit more excitedly.

At last, following the evening of their initial CD-release show (where I knew there would be copies of the album), I did a little stalking of my own. Call me a bit desperate. After all, what else can you say when a 22-year old like myself is hunting down 15-year old fans of the band on myspace to track down mp3’s of the album? I guess there’s a lot more you can say than “desperate,” but we’ll let that be.

It was everything I had hoped for. From the moment the album chants in with a rather strange alma mater song into a quick upbeat set of drums and dance-induced vocal line “to the new wave!” to the moment the album decays with a somber, stripped down acoustic, I was never bored. Some of the songs are aggressively catchy and pop—namely “Amplified Savior,” when Alex and company call out “Amplified sound is the savior,” over a whispery “say-v-yerrrrr.” Others, on the other hand, are aggressive and angst-ridden, such as “Do We Speak In Complete Opposites” which is composed with bouncy start/stop yelping complimented by a few whispery (spoken) words. And after the pop “Baby, I Do Not Blame Your…” it really gets interesting, with perhaps the most clever lyrical musings on the record in “How To Speak Hip.”

It only gets better from there, with the second-darkest track, “French Novels…” quenching my thirst with a gloomy, desperate plea “Be my northern beacon” that turns into an attack: “Sounds so much more tender when you’re not breathing…” “Stella Jane” picks it back up to original speed, with more gentle murmurs I’ve grown entirely accustomed to—only to throw it back in my face when “A Devil In My Throat” kicks in with more ominous wit: “There’s a devil in my mouth…” Finally, the second to last (before the acoustic closer) song really seals the deal, boldly casting its grim lyrics: “Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! And go to heaven!”

All of these songs may be unique in themselves, but where Cordova really seal the deal is in their common ability to write unique, spacey bridges on all of their tracks. These smooth bridges are something I yearn for in every track, and the band really never lets me down. My favorite? Probably the one that closes down “Atomic Lipstick,” a droney, Armor For Sleep-esque outro.

Wow, so where are we? I’m lost in this whirlwind of adjectives. Production wise, the record might not be up to par with big batters like Taking Back Sunday or Saosin, but it certainly gets the job done—and is what they were going for. It’s certainly not distracting.

And after all is said and done, I must say that this is the most satisfying record I’ve heard thus far in 2008; it’s absolutely splendid. Complex, dark, and strangely melodic and poppy, the Cordova Academy Glee Club never cease to amaze—and with Alex’s witty lyrics and commendable experience, I’d be a fool if I said they don’t know how to speak hip.

reviewed by Andrew Martin