Band: Shone
Release: Heat Thing (Album)
Release Date: Out Now
The crazy viral marketing campaign behind this debut record from Shone lead to wild speculation about the band’s membership. Then the revelation that Brand New’s drummer Brian Lane was heavily involved poured fuel on the fire – was this a Brand New side project?
All this created a level of buzz around this mysterious ensemble rarely seen with unknown acts, culminating in the band selling out their first ever live show at New York’s Mercury Lounge.
Despite being conceived of by a host of renowned New York musicians though, Shone’s ‘Heat Thing’ will most likely disappoint many of the eager fans who rushed out early to pre-order it on vinyl. Brilliant though Lane’s viral campaign (which he orchestrated with help from artist Matthew Reid) was, it accidentally generated the kind of hype that’s impossible to live up to.
The album plinks its way into life with the staccato piano stabbings of ‘Piano Wire Number 12’. The first single anyone heard from these guys, this track is characterised by its oddball theatrical vocal part – courtesy of Robbers vocalist Andrew Accardi (brother of Brand New guitarist Vin Accardi). His oscillating melodic lines and frequently non-sensical lyrics are a consistent feature of ‘Heat Thing’ – if you’re not a fan of this kind of weirdness, this is NOT the record for you.
Next comes the very melancholy ‘Metal Bones’, with its dream-like mood that’s emphasised with flourishes from plucked string parts throughout.
The use of non-conventional instrumentation on this offering is actually one of this offering’s strengths. This half-hour musical voyage flirts with all manner of musical genres and influences, but never quite manages to settle on any one of them. In the process, Lane draws on a plethora of gifted musicians to contribute horns, cellos, strange percussion and much more.
By the time instrumental track ‘Defender 237’ comes around we were more than ready for a break from Accardi’s sometimes-abrasive vocal tones. The wandering horn melody provides one of the highlights of the album, but this peaceful oasis is brief and soon gives way to ‘Baby Shakes’, with its surreal “Milkshake!/Earthquake!” vocal chant. The drums/guitar intro to this number wouldn’t sound out of place on a Marmaduke Duke album – which is actually an apt comparison to make, given that these guys are to Brand New as Marmaduke Duke is to Biffy Clyro.
The dark and mysterious ‘Kin’ is probably the strongest song on ‘Heat Thing’, not least because its vocal parts are simply a little unconventional (rather than outright bonkers). Much like ‘Piano Wire…’, this song benefits from Lane’s epic and unmistakeable drum parts. His angular, thumping rhythms are gripping, as always.
Elsewhere though, ‘Heat Thing’ frequently disappoints. Sometimes this is just because the unusual songwriting is distracting or hard to follow, but elsewhere the musical decisions that were made on this album are downright baffling. This bizarre lyrical bile that’s spewed out at the start of record closer ‘Bestial’, for example, is especially repellent.
Overall, you’d be forgiven for expecting more from a project with such close ties to one of the greatest post-hardcore acts of all time.
‘Heat Thing’ is bound to meet with a bitter backlash from critics that expected more after the band’s launch campaign. That said, it’s a unique musical artefact that’s certainly not without its charm – don’t write this record off until you’ve heard it.
5/10
Reviewer: Solomon Radley
