Heros Severum "Plague Dogs" (Two Sheds)
By Lucas Salg
Wednesday. Jan 25, 12:55 AM
Quirky indie math rock... heavy on the QUIRK.

The press release goes: “Heros Severum is a quirky little number.” That about sums it up. I might also add “frustrating” as a qualifier. This bassless trio plays jittery rock that splits the difference between the angular jabs of Shellac and the forced quirkiness of recent full-band outings from They Might Be Giants. If that sounds like an awkward fit, you’re right on the money. At their core, Heros Severum are a solid little post-punk unit, but their insistence on padding the songs with whimsical bells and whistles and questionable vocals proves tiresome over the course of a 40-minute record.

The heart of Heros Severum’s sound is definitely in the right place. Guitarists Sherryl Branch and Eric Friar conjure up some delicious, spidery guitar lines throughout, particularly on opener “Let’s Go Swimming” and “Party Next Door.” Some of the guitar interplay on this record is outstanding and reminds me of Devin Ocampo’s amazing work with Faraquet, to whom the Heros bear some resemblance. Drummer Davey Stanton keeps things moving with propulsive and intricate drum work, subtle time changes, and some pretty awesome syncopated rhythms.

So it turns out to be a real bummer when the vocals kick in. Eric and Sherryl often spit their words out in a shout-sung rap-like cadence that seems forced and awkward. The vocals are heavy on repeating phrases and vocal tics, shouting things like “GET DOWN! WHOOO!” and doing silly call-and-response group vocals. I keep waiting for them to simply sing a melody that would complement the song rather than constantly trying to be clever and whimsical. Worse, the band have a bad habit of tacking on unnecessary accoutrements to their songs, like the bad-party-band horn section parts and ‘80s keyboard blurts. I will admit that I am typically against horn sections in rock ‘n’ roll – just say no, as far as I’m concerned – but here they are particularly distracting and unneeded. I found myself uncomfortably bracing for the horn part in every song and breathing a sigh of relief when it failed to materialize. The songs themselves are generally solid enough that they would better be served by a minimalist arrangement rather than capriciously throwing in everything plus the kitchen sink. If you have guitar parts this good, let them speak for themselves and put the horns and keyboards to rest, for God’s sake.

So, I’m on the fence about this one. I hate to give these guys a bad review because I think they have a lot of talent and some genuinely great rhythmic and melodic ideas, I just wish they didn’t let their quirky sense of humor run ramshod over their material. Depending on your tolerance for that sort of thing, i.e. how quirky you like your quirk-rock, you might be more willing to give these guys a pass. Unfortunately, for me, I think the cons of Plague Dogs just barely outweigh the pros.
www.herosseverum.com
www.twoshedsmusic.com

Listen to a song from this album in our Radio section!

Lucas Salg

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