Make a Baby, Make an Album
Life is simple: You meet someone and you tour with them and you fall in love with them and then you have a baby with them and then you start a band with them and then you get signed and then you put out an album. In theory this could take years, or maybe just one year. Regardless, it’s quite a succession of achievements, ones that Kate Perdoni and Adam Hawkins can lay claim to. Assisted by New Jersey’s Bar/None Records, Home Address for Civil War is out and about, and just starting to walk.
The album is an orchestrated one, a marriage of synths and reverb. His-and-hers vocals, often breathy and understated, sit mostly back in the mix allowing the music to wear the pants. This doesn’t always let you into the story. The writings of a husband-and-wife band could be the dullest thing ever, or they could be fireworks exploding into the most riveting of storytelling. In this case they seem to rest as dialog, or even as letters between partners, with apparent conclusions about the very nature of relationships. The album is mostly positive, wisely keeping away from the melancholy wash of noise that certain other bands specialize in. However, despite its droning moments, of which there are many, the album is never bleak.
There seems to be a good balance between partners here musically, and a good pacing for the songs. However, the lack of vocal presence remains an issue here, keeping a lot of the noteworthy vocals softly sighing beneath the layers. Not that everything has to be pop, but there’s nothing worse than a missed opportunity for a great hook. Perdoni and Hawkins are off to a good start though with this record, and just like any successful marriage, there are plenty of sweet moments to enjoy.
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