The cover of Yard Act‘s excellent third album, You’re Gonna Need a Little Music, pictures a piano about to fall on vocalist James Smith. As the story goes, a piano passed down to Smith by his late aunt was a crucial instrument while making the record. Smith and his bandmates are about to be crushed by the weight of a previous generation, or by expectations of fans and critics, or the music industry, or all of those things. You’re Gonna Need a Little Music is the first album, believe it or not, Yard Act have made while all being in a dedicated space together. The first two albums were made as individual parts in home studios or here and there while touring. Now, the band has fully gelled and it shows in every track.
“Empty Pledges” (with Smith’s aunt’s piano prominently playing) could be a rallying call for all of us to look away from our screens and turn off the news cycle – both of which ultimately provide us with nothing. Jay Russell‘s drum groove on “New Beginnings” is outstanding, as is the Zen message of “Purge yourself of sin, resist the urge to grin, spend your winnings on new beginnings. Breathe deep and take it in.”
“Tall Tales” takes on capitalism (one of Yard Act’s favorite subjects) with heavy-hitting lyrics like “Moral bankruptcy reigns supreme in the American dream.” “Fiction” has a slick bass groove from Ryan Needham that might make you slip on the sidewalk as you listen to it. The title track is also downright groovy.
Samuel Shipstone‘s guitar “Cherophobe Rock” is crunchier than that almond butter you put on your afternoon snack today. “Thrill of the Chase” has Smith pulling no punches whatsoever as he takes down egotists, liars, and anyone who gets in his way while Russell goes bonkers on his kit. “Janey Said” is a tale of Smith meeting an old flame in Berlin and realizing he isn’t sure if he wants love, life, or a career and she tells him he’ll hurt someone no matter what he chooses.
“Redeemer” is thick with sludge and grime as Smith muses on his inner rage and how he wants to express and understand it. He confronts aging on “Talky Talky People” (“When I was young, I was totally wired. Now I’m getting on, I’m only tired.”) and changes up his vocal delivery to Edwyn Collins-like smoothness, and the band ends the album with a great breakdown that would almost be a doom metal ham were it not for the Wild West saloon piano playing with it.
You’re Gonna Need a Little Music is a great title for an excellent record. Sometimes you need music to push through on a bad day, or to give you a boost for your workout, or just to shut out the rest of the damn noise, and Yard Act are happy to give it to you so hard that it will feel like you’ve been hit with a piano.
Keep your mind open.
[Get a little more music (news and reviews) by subscribing.]
[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]
