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Breaking
Laces: Sohcahtoa
Breaking Laces balances power pop with gentle acoustic fare, sort of like the first two Big Star records. Willem Hartong (as in, all songs, words, and music by Willem Hartong) has been compared to The Violent Femmes and even The Lemonheads, but theres more Brendan Benson here than Gordon Gano. Like Benson, theres a lot of playful riffing and cutesy lyrics, with Hartog happily wearing the geek rock label on his (album) sleeve. God in Training starts the album with a bang, and if you didnt know better, youd think Liz Phair was back there ripping away on guitar. (It wasnt surprising to read that Phair is an influence.) But for every power pop tune, Hartong turns down the volume and checks his ballad-skills, sometimes to wonderful effect. Meagan is a beautiful, well-realized acoustic number in the vein of Big Stars Thirteen, even if the lyrics arent quite as endearing. Other songs, like Win Some, Lose Some or the lovely Light Up for Me would make John Mayer green with envy. Theres also a manic nature to the record and an angular sound to songs like She Waits and Global Warming Day that evokes Guided by Voices (a la Glad Girls and Surgical Focus). Thats not to say Hartogs on par with the likes of a Robert Pollard yet, but is it so bad to write a great pop song thats reminiscent of something greater? Hartongs voice isnt his strongest asset, but more times than not, its used to proper effect, as in the yearning on Okay and the quavering on She Waits. Regardless, it doesnt always match the quality of songwriting. His vocal shortcomings, coupled with his sometimes less-than-impressive lyrics make for an uneven record, but despite any criticism, Sohcahtoa is still an impressive debut. The moment of truth arrives via One Way Out, the dark, Mazzy Star-like album closer, which stands in stark contrast to earlier songs of love and wishful thinking. When Hartog sings, There is one way out/ And it lies deep down inside of me, he is speaking to a quiet desperation, and hes speaking not only to the difficulty of changing, but in mustering the courage to even try. Its a provocative song and an album highlight.
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