I Don’t Farm 100% of the Time: Here’s a FORTRESS Review, Finally!
by Katie
If lyrics are anything to go by, I bet hanging out with the Miniature Tigers is a blast; everyone wears costumes and hangs out in lairs like all the time!
Recurring themes of isolation and disguise do not detract from the generally twee sound the band built on its first album, Tell It To the Volcano, and expand on Fortress. On this album, instead of songs about animals, there are songs about magic; symbolically, the very literal has given way to more fiction, to great results. What the heck is even going on in “Rock and Roll Mountain Troll”? I don’t know, but I know that I recently dreamed that Jukebox covered the song, and it was the best dream ever.
There is a bit more nuance to the emotions expressed now than on the first album’s title track; listen to the conflict expressed in lyrics for “Dark Tower” (Don’t wait for me/Because I don’t know what I’m after/You or my career) and the first lines of “Bullfighter Jacket” (There’s nothing for me here at home/Everything I need’s with you out east/I can’t wait any longer) for a snapshot of the songwriter at his most confused. Thus, on the earlier track, he retreats to a dark tower to consider his options, only to find the girl in question on the latter, when both are in costumes that they remove, exposing their vulnerabilities.
Moving to Brooklyn has made an audible impact on the Miniature Tigers, who formerly stuck to fairly traditional instrumentation. The synth-heavy, Neon Indian-produced “Gold Skull” and the demented sonic collage of “Mansion of Misery” demonstrate how far the band has come. Songwriter Charlie Brand wanted the album to reflect his more current taste, and he and producer Chris Chu certainly did just that, building unexpected thrums, claps, and clangs into every song. Brand took more risks writing harmonies to sublimate melodies that already push his voice into octaves unheard on their first album. At times, this newfound confidence recalls some very popular and current indie bands – listen for the Vampire Weekend-esque inflections on “Japanese Woman Living In My Closet” or the Animal Collective-style bridge on “Bullfighter Jacket”. There’s nothing wrong in occasionally recalling hotshots, because the Tigers retain their own identity throughout the album.
If there are missteps on the album, they are certainly not enough to detract from the overall fun I have listening to it. Yes, “Egyptian Robe” is too long; shifting the chorus into a straight 4/4 pattern and repeating it a lot does little for an otherwise succinct and singable tune. And OK, I can’t listen to album closer “Coyote Enchantment” because of the voice repeating “Coyoteeeeee….” But I’m willing to give the song another try soon, because sometimes it takes me a while to “get” more experimental shit like that.
In conclusion, ever since my external hard drive stopped working and I only have 3 albums on my actual computer, FORTRESS has become my go-to while working on cover letters. Also, I want to keep Charlie in my pocket forever. My farm jeans have big enough pockets for all the indie boys! And someday I’ll really, truly see the Miniature Tigers in concert, so Michael can stop taunting me like he does.
