The Districts - A Flourish And A Spoil (Album Review)
Friday, 13 February 2015
Written by Matt Williams
The Districts’ second album in short order is ringed by the boundaries of a small town. ‘A Flourish And A Spoil’ finds the band growing up on the road, but still just a few steps removed from the day-to-day, neat rows of houses and compartmentalised life of Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Anchored by Rob Grote, a frontman happy to keep things quiet until the opportune moment presents itself, this is a record that moulds some of indie’s more rote elements with a slow-burn power cribbed from the disaffected rock of the Replacements or the Hold Steady.
There is a longing at its heart - for something new, somewhere new or, at least, a change in what’s considered the norm - and that manifests in some mighty songs at the top of the piece.
4th and Roebling, Peaches and Chlorine fizz with world weary melodies while, on the latter, Grote dispenses words that fit plenty of directionless lives: “It’s such a shame. Nobody’s feeling it now. It’s not that way anymore.”
Sing The Song is the record’s melodic high point; a stomping mid-paced brute that finds the Districts inhabiting a traditional rock song and instilling it with the fire that lit their emergence as a live act.
‘A Flourish And A Spoil’, it must be said, does tail off after Suburban Smell, a takedown of small town rich kids, fades out. Bold is over-produced and underfed, while Young Blood sprawls to almost nine minutes in length without once attaining the scope and presence of Chlorine or Sing The Song.
There are growing pains here, but they are comfortably outweighed by moments of songwriting panache and a deftly maintained atmosphere, one where each road out of town glows brighter by the moment. Keep an eye out for these guys.
The Districts Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon April 27 2015 - BRIGHTON Green Door Store
Tue April 28 2015 - LONDON Scala
Wed April 29 2015 - MANCHESTER Manchester Deaf Institute
Thu April 30 2015 - GLASGOW King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
Sat May 02 2015 - DUBLIN Academy
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