Jul 02 2009
Tigers Jaw – Spirit Desire 7″
Tigers Jaw
Spirit Desire 7”
Tiny Engines; 2009
When I was first introduced to the music of Tigers Jaw, the upbeat mix of pop zip and punk heart I heard instantly impressed me. The self-titled record the group released in late 2008 was jam-packed with enough toe-tapping, fist-pumping, indie rock sing-alongs to make even the most jaded, arms-crossed-across-the-chest punk happy. Yet, on the tasty bit of wax that is the Spirit Desire 7”, it seems that the band’s energy has mellowed quite a bit. This is to be expected as anyone matures and experiences the occasional tumult that life has to offer, but these three songs (four, if you count the bonus track included on the digital download) aren’t nearly as urgent as those on last year’s album.
This isn’t to say that the music isn’t good, but more that the mood has shifted. The tracks seemingly chronicle a series of (one-sided?) conversations held between a hopeless romantic who’s rather emotionally ragged from dealing with the current object of his affection. “Spirit Desire” and “Crystal Vision” anchor this project by presenting two sides of the same coin – the former finds the singer waiting on a response from an emotionally distant lover, while the latter is convinced that he still he needs just one more chance to win over the woman who’s rejected him. Maybe there’s something to be said for the evolution of the band’s sound, from driving indie-pop-punk to brooding bar-punk, but the Spirit Desire 7” finds Tigers Jaw dealing with some intense emotions, ones that bespeak of a tired, tempered, resigned resolution.