Heavy Hometown – Action Figures

After nearly a year of relentlessly touring the local Midwest live music circuit, three-piece band Heavy Hometown has settled down and recorded their debut LP. Short, sweet, and oddly mature-sounding, Action Figures is a finely crafted album that places a heavy emphasis on mood, atmosphere, and holistic feeling, rather than meaning.

The origins of Heavy Hometown band members have been purposely hidden. They feel that they would rather live shrouded in mystery than be stifled or tied down by restrictive labeling. Despite their crafty guise, it is all too obvious where these guys are from. It’s about as subtle as someone tugging on your sleeve and whispering “chicken and dumplings” into your ears. Because a great deal of these tracks scream “Midwest!” like no other. Not that that’s a bad thing, of course. As a former resident of the so-called Heart of America, I would be detested by such thoughts. But, just as we are influenced by the myriad experiences in life, our surroundings also influence us and become a part of who we are. Such is the same with Action Figures. Favoring the traditional over the overtly experimental, this record is beautiful and comforting in its familiarity. It is warm and surprisingly full with varying sounds and instrumentation-a remarkable feat considering that there are only three pairs of hands at disposal.

All tracks on this record “sound” pretty good. That is to say that sonically, they hit all the right notes. And even for this being a debut album, there are very few mismatched melodies or blatant errors. At a few spots, such as the deflated, sleepy-sounding “No Bodies,” it may become awkward, but it is never bad. There are lots of great dynamic shifts and transitions, and those priceless synth waves in the excellent “Hold Hands Plans” and the wistful charm of “Retreat City.”

Although the backing may sound just fine and dandy, the vocals are a different story. To put it nicely, they are hit-or-miss. Consistently inconsistent. See, Heavy Hometown utilizes a two-singer approach: about half of the songs are performed by guitarist Jon Wood and the rest are given to drummer Corey Barnes. While Jon Wood’s voice nicely complements the band’s warm sound, Corey Barnes’ efforts are often weaker and hindering. While it is evident that he is attempting to portray emotions like detachment and sorrow, he shouldn’t sound this bored. While, by definition, Barnes may not have a “monotone” voice, he gets impressively close. I would say that he has a working armada of about five notes, maybe six. This may sort of work on trudging, fatigued tracks like “Microchiplove,” or even the peppier “Black Bikini,” but his awkward off-putting drone sounds particularly agonizing on tracks like “Strange Wave” and “No Bodies.” And when Barnes and his fellow band mates have slaved away creating an excellent sonic backdrop, it is painfully disappointing to have it fribbled away by a poor set of pipes.

Lyrically, these guys are not out to unravel the mysteries of the universe. They are neither scholarly nor innovative. They are simply out to capture hidden intricacies behind everyday life. Exploring is all that they’re doing. But considering that this is the first in what will (hopefully) be a long line of releases, I’d say that they are ahead of the game. Because, despite its disappointing vocal quality, Action Figures has a rich, satisfying, atmospheric sound. And while it may not change your life, it is emotional and introspective enough to be worthwhile and engaging.