Algernon Cadwallader Returns with Mature, Reflective ’Trying Not to have a Thought’
After a decade-long hiatus, Algernon Cadwallader has released Trying Not to have a Thought, an album demonstrating important artistic growth while retaining the band’s signature energy. The record showcases vocalist/bassist Nathan Helmis‘ evolved vocal style, described as shifting between Phil Elverum-esque mumble-speaking, sustained notes, and dynamic vocalizations ranging from ”scream-yodel to full-on yell.” Drummer Tazza continues a percussive tradition reminiscent of Analphabetapolothology by Cap’n Jazz, utilizing “childlike percussive loafing” and layering textures with instruments like triangle and shakers.
Guitarists Ian Reinhart and Pete Mahony engage in intricate interplay, likened to a “buttoned-up fencing match,” drawing influences from Midwest emo, bluegrass, jazz, and fingerstyle guitar. Tracks like “You’ve Always Been Here” build from a foundation of Tazza’s beat and Helmis’ bassline to a layered guitar sound, expanding to what sounds like “four, then six” guitars. The band balances the frenetic energy of their past work with “contemplative passages” and “sugary Pop Rocks explosions.” Reinhart, also a producer for Beach Bunny and Modern Baseball, is acknowledged as a key contributor, but the review emphasizes the importance of Mahony’s complementary guitar parts.
The album’s themes are notably reflective. The title track features the lyric, ”I’m trying not to get caught in the backwash of an artificial world constructed by bloodsucking motherfuckers in an anti-social coliseum.” “Hawk” directly addresses grief, recalling a lost high school friend with the lines, “A few of your favorite clothes from your high school wardrobe/Are the closest thing to having you back,” and a hopeful refrain: “when we had the chance/We did it right.” Trying Not to Have a Thought is characterized as a grateful and reflective work that doesn’t sacrifice the band’s “unruly style.”
