Great Grandpa ‘Patience, Moonbeam’ Album review by Rob Johnson
“Grunge Pop” is a phrase that feels like an oxymoron. And yet, many of Nirvana’s best songs were more indebted to The Beatles than The Melvins. Seattle five-piece Great Grandpa channels the maudlin resignation of grunge with the quiet melodicism of Beck or even Elliott Smith. It’s a heady mix and the band’s recently released third record ‘Patience, Moonbeam’ captures the dichotomy at the heart of the band better than either of its predecessors… beautiful melodies telling you terrible things.
The album begins with the lush instrumentation of ‘Sleep’ before the stomping insistent drums of ‘Never Rest’ sees the band in contemplative mood with singer Al Menne intoning ‘’I love you for your grace” before the song explodes into life in a cacophony of swirling cello and pounding drums. Lead single ‘Junior’ mixes wistful nostalgia with absurdist lyrics about pigs and dogs to wonderful effect while ‘Emma’ recalls Jimmy Eat World in their softer moments – it’s a lovely lovelorn ballad that is over in a flash and lingers in the air after it’s finished.
Elsewhere, ‘Kiss the Dice’ is proof that the band can do everything they need to do in less than two minutes – it’s pretty as a picture and offers a welcome change of pace. ‘Doom’ sees the band channel Radiohead through their native Seattle – the sludgy chorus contrasts with the sweeping melodrama of the verses nicely while Menne’s trembling voice floats over the top of the melody. The song ends with Menne repeating the refrain ‘It’s funny how I need you/it’s perfect when I leave you’. It’s probably the best song on the record.
‘Top Gun is the centrepiece of the album and sees the band slow things right down for an indie folk ballad for the ages. It’s also the most interesting song from a lyrical standpoint with Manne sighing ‘I’m a loose one coming undone’ and later winking to their Seattle roots when ruefully declaring ‘I’m a black hole sun’.
The album concludes with the laid-back groove of ‘Ephemera’ and the mid-tempo indie folk number ‘Kid’ – a song that isn’t quite as epic as it wants to be. It’s a slightly disappointing end to an otherwise solid album from a band that seems destined for bigger things.
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