Like many bands, The Subjects met in high school. They shared dreams of loud rooms, cracked amps, and raging, sweaty crowds. Who or what was to hold them back from grasping out, from "living the dream?" Most importantly was that, unlike many bands, two of the members were students and two were teachers. And that the four hanging out in rock bars together was not exactly approved after-school development.
Their debut full-length, with the ease grace precision and cleverness of human beings exhibits just the type of mature songcraft and naïve exuberance that a student-teacher pairing would suggest. "Hounds of War" showcases the band's ability to combine strong melodies with shifting dynamics and undertones of longing and emotional depth. "Best of Us" shows the band going beyond guitar-bass-drum arrangements, with its dense combination of horns, organs and layered percussion. "Icicles" is built off of a powerful riff and finds the band in a more spontaneous mode, with call-and-response interplay between the instruments. What emerges is a record that moves from well-crafted, high-energy moments to quiet expressions of subtle eloquence. Reckless and insightful, with the ease grace precision and cleverness of human beings is a delicate combination of youth's wide-eyed optimism and the experience of age.
US Tour Dates
1.24.09 - American University - Washington, DC
1.27.09 - Staples - Buffalo, NY
1.28.09 - BrilloBox - Pittsburgh, PA
1.29.09 - Cinemat - Bloomington, IN
1.30.09 - Cicero's - St Louis, MO
1.31.09 - Heart of Gold - Chicago, IL
2.24.09 - The Paradise - Boston, MA *
2.25.09 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY *
2.26.09 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY *
2.27.09 - Rock & Roll Hotel - Washington, DC *
2.28.09 - Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA *
3.18.09 - SXSW (plus southern dates
)* With Tapes n Tapes and Wild Light
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