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These Things Are Ours SOTF 012 August 14, 2009 |
Digital $8.00 |
CD $12.00 |
Stream
BootsEmotional Audit (Facing the West)
Track List
1. Self Impressions
2. This Is Just a Test
3. Bitter
4. Boots
5. Pet Project
6. Checkmate
7. Emotional Audit (Facing the West)
8. Circles
9. Distant Sea
10. Sometimes
Album Description
These Things Are Ours is Why Make Clocks' best, most ambitious effort to date, their third full length so far. All the experimentation has paid off for this midwest-rock band, and their sound is full and developed and represents a band coming into their own.
Notes
These Things Are Ours was recorded, engineered and mixed by Luke Tweedy at Flat Black Studios in Iowa City, IA and mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering in Omaha, NE. The music was performed by Dan Hutchison (vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, microKorg) and Will Tarbox (drums, percussion, vocals, microKorg, keyboards) with Eric Kennedy (additional guitar on "Self Impressions" and "Sometimes") and Luke Tweedy (additional noise on "Checkmate"). The artwork and layout was created by Anthony Pontius (front and back cover), Kim Hutchison (additional artwork and lettering) and Erich Ernst (layout). All songs were written by Dan Hutchison.
Press
While Iowa has not been a hotbed of underground sound on par with Minneapolis to the north, Chicago to the east, and St. Louis to the south, Ames and Des Moines has produced respectable bands. The spry, 12-year-old WMC has done its part to highlight the cowtown capital, as seen again on this punchy third LP. Beginning with one of their ghostly, Neil Young-ish slowcore ticklers, “Self Impressions” (see also “Bitter”), These features anxious, mid-tempo smackers with uniquely restrained pick-riffing, such as “Emotional Audit (Facing the West),” “Boots,” “Pet Project,” and the sneaky standout, “This is Just a Test.” Our Neal Agneta notes a similarity between frontman Dan Hutchison and Lou Barlow’s angst-y, unsatisfied vocals; that too is a conduit to the conflict at the crux of an underrated trio from an underrated state. (sleeponthefloor.com)
- Jack Rabid
Why Make Clocks is the plugged – in folk-rock brainchild of singer/songwriter Dan Hutchinson. The 2009 release These Things Are Ours is the third full – length album from this Des Moines – based artist. The first release was in 1998 and, for better or for worse; the band’s sound is rooted in the rock music of the 90s. The influence of 1990s mainstays REM, Gin Blossoms, and Sonic Youth is easy to hear.
All ten tracks share a disaffected tone, but they range from despairing to up-tempo dissatisfaction. My favorite song “Circles” moves at a pretty good clip and is arranged with the most variety of all the tunes. The opener “Self Impressions” is a slow, melancholy song with a wavy rhythmic pulse. It reminds me of folk-rock icon Nick Drake a bit, especially his 1970 album Five Leaves Left. The band has a good, albeit conventional sound. Hutchinson and (on two tracks) Eric Kennedy contribute a lot of well – conceived guitar work. The album is dotted with crisp, melodic solos. Electric keyboards on some tracks add a layer of color and variety. Hutchinson wrote all ten tunes, including weighty, poetic lyrics. His words range from opaque poetry to ruminating self-analysis. The writing is all just fine but it’s pretty much standard. There aren’t any real surprises on the musical side, although lyric – mavens may appreciate the songs more than me. On “Distant Sea” Hutchinson takes a stab at a rock song with a Caribbean tinge. It reminds me of The Kinks and it adds a little variety. The song also lightens the mood for a bit.
These Things Are Ours is a pretty good album but it’s nothing special. When I listen to it I feel like I’ve heard it before. Another problem is the banal melodies. Even derivative music has to have an original melody (otherwise is called plagiarized music) and these melodies aren’t very memorable. Overall the album was decent but not really noteworthy. There’s nothing that bad about it so I still recommend checking it out, especially to those listeners who are heavy into lyrics.- Nathaniel Rolnick
WHY MAKE CLOCKS
is a band hailing from Des Moines. They made this album,
and they think you will like it.
This album is described as the bands' best, most
ambitious effort to date. It's their third full album.
The songs are honest. They help give a glimpse into the
band members themselves. Do yourself a favor and
purchase this album.
Songs such as THIS IS JUST A TEST, BOOTS, CHECKMATE, and
DISTANT SEA really stick with you. When they come to
town, you all really need to see them. Also, you need to
tell 'em that I said hello. I think they will appreciate
it.
Check out their website while you're at it!
- Andy
Being well-seasoned veterans of the Des Moines music scene, Why Make Clocks is still going strong with their third full-length release, "These Things are Ours" (Sleep on the Floor 2009). The album is both a continuation and growth from prior Clock's releases.
For those unfamiliar with the unique
sound, it's akin to an acoustic singer/songwriter who
stumbled across an electric guitar, turned up the
volume, and morphed his music into his own distinct
version of rock and roll. This time around, though, Dan
Hutchinson (the aforementioned singer/songwriter) has
stepped it up a notch and acquired drummer Will Tarbox
and bassist Chuck Hoffman to fill out the Clock's sound.
"These Things are Ours" is definitely more produced than
past material, but it still has that raw quality that
makes the band what it is. While experimenting with
overdubs, Dan shows a lot of his guitar work on the
album, and the occasional keyboards are a nice touch.
Vocal effects, doubling, and harmonies are also
tastefully prevalent.
As for the music itself, it's catchy but different, hard
but delicate, and dark but still uplifting. The drumming
is fairly straightforward, but not without plenty of
rhythmic quirks ("Emotional Audit," "Circles"), and
tonal curveballs (the use of a trash-can lid on "Distant
Sea"). Throughout the entire album, the drums provide
incredibly solid support for the rest of the band. The
rhythm guitar and bass flesh out the bottom end together
quite nicely, with almost-but-not-quite pop chord
progressions. The lead guitar lines are what will get
stuck in your head across all ten tracks, sitting nicely
in between the vocals and the rhythm section. Some of
the solos are headbanging, and some are heart-wrenching,
most notably the final minutes of the album on the
introspective "Sometimes." The guitar tone itself is
something that's always been a noteworthy part of Why
Make Clocks, and it ranges from a deep overdriven amp
sound to an almost jangly tonality.
Lyrically, Dan continues his poetic studies in human
behavior and emotion. As previously mentioned, the album
is very introspective, dealing mainly with oneself, and
the situations one can create. The album's text is a
very good interrogation of why people do or think things
without any real explanation. It seems that the first
nine tracks are a sort of stream-of-consciousness, with
different ups-and-downs of life and situations, and then
they are all summed up in the final, incredibly moving
"Sometimes," most notably the opening lyrics:
"Sometimes this feels right
Sometimes it feels like I’m falling apart"
Because of the emotional ambiguity that all humans
eventually face, this album is always fitting to listen
to, whether or not you feel right, or if you're falling
apart.
- Darren Hushak
The last time we heard from the guys in Why Make Clocks was when they released their Midwestern Film album in October of 2006. We liked what we heard then...but we're even more impressed with the sounds we're hearing on These Things Are Ours. This, the Des Moines-based trio's third full-length release, features precisely effective and poignant progressive pop music with a difference. The tracks on this album are moody, subdued, and melodic...and ultimately filled with a genuine spirit that is rewarding and genuine. The promotional materials that accompanied this disc compared the band's sound to The Wrens, Pedro The Lion, and Guided By Voices. All of these comparisons hold true...but these folks are by no means copying or aping the sound of other bands. The songs are unique and real...and seemingly delivered with pure sincerity. Ten creative cuts here including "Self Impressions," "Bitter," "Checkmate," and "Sometimes." Recommended. (Rating: 5++)
- LMNOP aka dONW7
Des Moines musician Dan Hutchison has been making his own brand of indie music under the Why Make Clocks name since 1998, with a variety of other band mates to back him up. His latest album, these things are ours, makes excellent use of his current lineup, with Will Tarbox on drums, Eric Kennedy on guitar and Luke Tweedy on “additional noise” — whatever that is.
It should come as no surprise to compare Why Make Clocks with other indie bands like R.E.M, since Dan’s strong, melodic voice could easily double for Michael Stipe’s, not to mention that same powerful melancholy that runs through songs like the opener, “Self Impressions”. While it would be easy to call this music laid back, the fact is that this is folk music that transcends it’s own label into some remarkable and haunting music. The production value is excellent, courtesy of “additional noise” courtesy the Flat Black Studio in Iowa City, IA.
Even their lyrics are far more than just three lines repeated over and over (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but read on the liner notes as complete poems, as in this line from “Circles”:
You’ve got me running in circles,
trying to find the start,
to find what holds it together
and remove what could split us
apart.
You can check these guys out at www.WhyMakeClocks.net where a few downloads of their songs are available; or better yet you can check them out live this Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence — but you should probably use a clock to make sure you’re on time.
- Brandon Whitehead
Why Make Clocks come from Des Moines, so I will start this review with obligatory ridicule: Des Moines is a city the Interstate gives a wide berth, whose main cultural advantage is Tasty Tacos, where you can sleep peacefully in the middle of a downtown street on a weekend night. Gertrude Stein said of Oakland, California, that there is "no there there." Of Des Moines one can say there's no Oakland there. I guess if you're a Des Moines musician, you have plenty of time to hone your craft, as there's fuck all else to do.
Why Make Clocks have filled the empty hours productively, crafting a collection of songs chock full of pop goodness. They namecheck Guided By Voices as an influence, but aside from a penchant for clever twists and turns in their song structure and arrangements, they are completely different. GBV revels in the low-fi hit-and-run recording. Why Make Clocks take great pains to polish their sound, but they do it without studio fakery. Singer/songwriter Dan Hutchison has a voice that recalls Steve Winwood's, so maybe Traffic would be a better name to check why discussing Why Make Clocks. They aren't afraid to rock out, but when they do, it's in the context of a substantial and intricately constructed song.
Two epic songs, "Self Impressions" and "Sometimes," bookend the album. "Self Impressions" is a ballad played Pink Floyd slow, and "Sometimes" is slightly faster. Both couch Hutchison's earnest vocals in a thick bed of warm distorted guitars, and both build to satisfying musical climaxes. "Sometimes" is replete with multiple bridge sections and an extended guitar freak out. This is the sort of rock music that punk tried to kill off at the end of the '70s, but Why Make Clocks put it across without the bloated excess and coked-up narcissism. As such, they're pretty much awesome.
- Kent Williams
Eleven years after forming in Des Moines, rockers Why Make Clocks have endured several lineup changes, but the band has mostly stayed true to the Americana-indie-rock formula set forth by founding member, singer, songwriter and guitarist Dan Hutchison. The group’s third full-length recording, “These Things Are Ours,” features Hutchison (vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, microkorg) and Will Tarbox (drums, percussion, backing vocals, microkorg, keys) on 10 original songs with help from Eric Kennedy and Luke Tweedy. The album’s lead track, “Self Impressions,” a dark ballad, is perhaps the album’s lone Americana tune while the rest of the songs’ sharp, quicker beats and angular guitar riffs suggest that the band is leaning more toward indie rock. Sparks fly though when both sounds merge on the sonically charged “Sometimes,” the album’s swan song. CV
(Why Make Clocks performs Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 8:30 p.m. at the Des Moines Social Club.)
- Michael Swanger
Members: Dan Hutchison
(guitar, vocals), Will Tarbox (drums), Chuck Hoffman (bass)
Hear them: myspace.com/whymakeclocks
Influences: Early Pink Floyd, Magnolia Electric Company, Jason Lytle
See them: 10 p.m. Friday at the Vaudeville Mews, 212 Fourth St.
Their story: Why Make Clocks got its start in 1998 when Dan Hutchison
and a friend were playing in a punk band that performed humorous songs.
The two felt restricted by the genre and formed Why Make Clocks, a band where
they could play any type of music.
"I'm continually writing songs that may or may not fit together," Hutchison said. "I don't just pull 10 songs together. Sometimes a song may be four or five years old before it has a brother or sister song to pair with it and get put on an album."
Friday's show is a CD release for Why Make Clocks' new album, "These Things Are Ours." It was the band's first album recorded in Iowa, which gave Hutchison access to a wider assortment of his own instruments. He used 11 guitars during recording. He wanted the instrumentation to be the focus of this album, versus a more lyrical focus of previous releases.
"I was thinking one day that when people listen to records, drummers will focus on the drums, guitarists on guitars and so on," he said. "I wanted to make it so every part of each song was interesting to whomever plays that instrument."
- Joe Lawler