St. Paul & The Broken Bones are performing at Track 29 on Wednesday, December 14.
The reverb-drenched wailing that starts Sea of Noise doesn't sound like a traditional soul album--more like an an ethereal, experimental art-rock piece akin to Iceland's Sigur Ros.
"We're just crumbling light posts in a sea of noise," Paul Janeway sings, a lyric inspired by Winston Churchill.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones are going beyond traditional Alabama soul music with this album, their sophomore release, which critics are praising.
In one of the standout tracks, "All I Ever Wonder," Janeway sings:
I can't tell what side I'm on
I can't tell what's right or wrong
We ain't ever gonna sing one song
Love goes hate goes now I'm left all alone
Bleak lyrics like that accompany most songs on the album, even if the songs sound upbeat to a casual listener.
In this interview with WUTC, Janeway says, "There's not a lot of light on this record. It's not a hopeful record."
It's a record asking many questions about the world, but offering few answers.
Janeway explains more in this interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkuXq-WOHJw
St. Paul & The Broken Bones are performing at Track 29 on Wednesday, December 14.