Tall Firs - 'Too Old To Die Young' (Estatic Peace) Released 31/03/08

Tall Firs are like a teenager striding into your living room and sitting down while their eyeliner trickles down their cheeks with the tears. That may not sound like much of a recommendation but the material on 'Too Old To Die Young' has an emotional intenseness and purity that tends to ebb with age. From the opening line of 'So Messed Up’ you know this isn’t going to be a ‘happy’ 36 minutes. But happiness comes in many forms and anyone who loves folk rock in the vein of Sonic Youth will be happy to discover Tall Firs. The fact that they are signed to Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label speaks volumes.
 
The New York band’s self titled first album was well received by various quarters of the music press and ‘Too Old To Die Young' should build on this success.
 
Although the vocals may not be everyone’s cup of tea as it can get quite nasal , the distinctiveness only serves to add to the rich musical tapestry of the sound which sounds like the mutant offspring of the Velvet Underground after a one night stand with Townes Van Zandt jamming with Sonic Youth while under the influence of various intoxicants. ‘Too Old To Die Young’ is drummer Ryan Sawyer’s first album as a fully fledged Fir and features some material from 2001.
 
Although lyrically speaking Mies can get a little bleak like in ’Good Intentions’ but it won‘t have you reaching for the knife drawer because it‘s always juxtaposed with an interesting melody and an assured There’s also an uncanny ability to go into dark thorny guitar solo when you’re least expecting it or begin to suspect that it’s all a bit whiney. Jolly good. Longest track ‘Warriors’ takes a catchy intro and twists it until it borders on epic. Not in a power ballad way but in a way that makes you think of tortured souls without being too self indulgent thanks to being underpinned by the lovely bass of the melodic intro.
 
You might take a while to warm to the trio, but the album as a whole ingratiates itself with every listen. The 2 minutes 45 seconds of ‘Loveless’ shine. It takes a basic premise and play on words and struts like Mick Jagger in his prime. There’s something very Stones about it. It’s delivered with such aplomb that indicates for all the navel gazing Tall Firs have an energy about them that‘s hard to quantify on a CD. It gives a feeling that to truly appreciate them you have to see them perform. The closing duet with Holly Miranda (Jealous Girlfriends) isn’t easy listening, It’s difficult and scratchy. But just like all the songs before it, it begs to be listened repeatedly.
 
‘Too Old To Die Young’ paints a bit of a bleak landscape sometimes but it’s the polished consideration that has gone into the material and production that make it an interesting journey in your head. And beautiful doesn’t have to be blue skies and rainbows anyhow.