WWTB
This just might be the biggest WWTB we’ve had yet. We hope you have money left for a t-shirt when you’re done buying all these:
Shout Out Louds - ”Walls”
In the spring of 2005, I watched the Shout Out Louds sleepwalk through an opening set for the Futureheads. After the highly concise powerpop headliners took the stage and tore through their debut record, the Shout Out Louds were a drowsy afterthought. Many critics agreed, viciously dismissing them as Dashboard Confessional with electric guitars and a Moog. In 2009, they have their just deserts: they’ve conquered radio, the indie web, and Billboard. They’re selling out large venues, and Radiohead is rumored to be opening their next tour. Wait: no they haven’t, no they didn’t, and no they’re not.
It seems the Shout Out Louds are a far cry from their just deserts. And in “Walls,” the SOL* sounds like a) they’ve realized it, and b) they’re very pissed off about it. Fortunately, anger suits them well. As in years past, they don’t even bother hiding their emotion in the lyrics, and the catchy melodic lead finds a very easy transition from honky-tonk keys to overdriven guitar. When they dig in their heels toward the end of the song, the band makes a very convincing and hungry plea to be heard. They might not have seen their star rise yet, but in songs like “Walls,” they’re channeling the rage into something productive: songs that can make their star rise.
* That they share an acronym with “Shit Outta Luck” is a convenient authorial coincidence.
