Albums and Abominations: Good Old War

By Benjamin Huber-Rodriguez     4/4/12 7:00pm

It is hard to believe, but two or three years ago, indie folk rock bands were not easy to come by. It was not until bands like Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons broke into the mainstream scene in 2008 that folk rock received significant mainstream attention and airplay. However, it seems that nowadays everybody has his or her own personal favorite folk rock group, and the sound has lost a bit of its original luster.  Still, the increased volume of groups entering the fray has required that groups either stand out and bring something different to the table, or fade away with their too-similar contemporaries.

"Come Back as Rain," the third album from Philadelphia trio Good Old War, brings enough pitch-perfect harmonies, intricate guitar work and very catchy tracks to claim a spot as a top-tier folk rock album of 2012. Good Old War consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Keith Goodwin (Good), drummer and vocalist Tim Arnold (Old) and guitarist and vocalist Dan Schwartz (War). Under L.A. label Sargent House, the band released 2008's "Only Way to Be Alone" and 2010's "Good Old War."

"Come Back as Rain" is an album about love: mostly the good parts, sometimes the bad parts, always the personal parts. While Goodwin sincerely sounds like he just wants to sing praise for his woman, the constantly upbeat tracks and tried and true cliches do not cease and contribute little to the album's content. The lyrics do, however, utilize some clever wordplay and offer enough original ideas to prevent them from actively bugging the listener.

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A track that does well to break the joyous streak and present a few more melancholy and ultimately more interesting ideas is "After the Party," a song about frustration with a lover's consistent disappearances when her fun has ended.  "Present for the End of the World" discusses the merits of material possession: "So much for all these diamonds and pearls/ I might be present for the end of the world." The tracks are nothing too deep but are decent on their own.

It is really not the lyrical composition that makes "Come Back as Rain" a good album; it is the catchy melodies wrapped in rich, layered harmonies along with a consistent and textured guitar presence. As soon as opener "Over and Over" hits, the listener is introduced to what "Come Back as Rain" does so well: Arnold's rolling, Latin-influenced drumbeats covered by near-constant three part melodies that classify the Good Old War sound as constant vocal chords. All three singers have surprising range and typically hit high-pitched harmonies perfectly mixed behind the lead ?melody line.

The tracks on "Come Back as Rain" do not change up the formula too much, but Good Old War has its sound down to a science. "Touch the Clouds (Taste the Ground)" demonstrates the team's excellent dynamic by juxtaposing quiet verses with loud chorus buildups. "Loud Love" is a long, winding narrative that features each vocalist soloing a verse while Schwartz flexes his guitar muscle behind ?the scenes.

As can be imagined, Schwartz's guitar parts typically consist of the rhythmic, filling acoustic chords that are a defining characteristic of folk rock. Some tracks, ("Calling Me Names," "Present for the End of the World") however, feature some truly intricate, complex and impressive guitar lines that give the album some added depth and trump other, more simplistic folk rock records.

While the album feels pretty solid all around, the group slips on "Amazing Eyes," a song that is a little too cute and definitely too slow for the high-energy album.  Two tracks in particular, however, do more than salvage the album by bringing everything together seamlessly. "Not Quite Happiness" builds and builds from a quiet start to a flurried, full-bodied finish that features timpani and three guitars along with the trio belting as loudly as ever. "After the Party" brings the quickest tempo and with it devilish banjo and the rare accordion, played by Arnold, along with some ghostly "whoos" that perfectly accompany the song's ?cold tone.

While "Come Back as Rain" does not offer the lyrical depth of rival folk rock outfits like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver, Good Old War's trio clicks in perfect harmony, while mastering their specific sound of layered, complex harmonies, winding guitar lines and funky, rolling drum lines. The album is easy and relaxed, with positive, upbeat tunes that usher in the spring season perfectly.

Benjamin Huber Rodriguez is a Duncan College freshman. "Albums and Abominations" is a column featuring the latest album releases and ?music events.

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