Piebald “Accidental Gentleman”
Side One Dummy Records, 2007
Piebald was much maligned after 2004’s All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time for its introspective lyrics and piano ballads. They were castigated for having a normal life, for growing up, for thinking about different things in 2000 than in 2004. Fans wanted the hooks of ‘We Are the Only Friends We Have’ and the spontaneous liveliness of the double-disc Barely Legal/All Ages.
From the latter perspective, Piebald may be trying a retreat. ‘Accidental Gentleman’ has more of their post-hardcore fusion than the last, with vibrant goodness in ‘A Friend of Mine’ and ‘Oh, The Congestion.’ ‘Getting Mugged and Loved It’ continues Piebald’s penchant for the sardonic; this song is their response to a mugging against them. ‘Shark Attack’ is a concoction of dirty punk rock chords and desperate vocals that re-establishes Piebald’s punk relevance.
‘Roll On’ is a horrible joke track that describes lead singer Travis Shettel’s love of biking. To the uninitiated, it would sound like a poorly recorded jingle for a children’s album. The piano is too repetitive, the melody too simple. ‘Strangers’ is the same way, and it has a cheesy friendship chorus that sounds like a Billy Joel ripoff. Shettel’s voice is horrible and disingenuous. And maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. Shettel’s voice is oddly atonal, and it only fits with the music he creates. Therefore, there is a wry sarcastic quality to it, and also an everyman quality to it, that embodies the spirit of punk rock.
Accidental Gentleman is better Piebald than their previous, and the Massachusetts’ boys seem to still have some life in them after ten years of punk rock frantic madness. The songs that are supposed to rock do, those that are supposed to be jokes may be lost on new listeners. But punk rock without an insider’s club would be pop, so Piebald keeps Accidental Gentleman in line with their fans - those that want Piebald to never grow up, and to never go pop.
-Josh Spilker
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