Grandfathers are known for being kind, caring people. They are the sort of people who spoil their grandchildren with diabetes-inducing candy and feigned interest. But this Grandfather is a bit different. Rather than do that cutesy nonsense, he drinks heavily and tells you about how he got into bar fights when he was young, punching multiple people in the face. His closest contemporary would be the grandfather in “Little Miss Sunshine”, shooting up heroin in the bathroom and being extraordinarily cynical.
“Why I’d Try” was produced by Steve Albini at his famed “Electrical Audio” studio over the course of three days. It sounds just as crotchety and warm as they had probably wanted, so their efforts of raising the money to do it were not for naught.
This has a nice range of dynamics. Not only do they focus on the bombastic like “You’re Strange”, but they also work well on the spacious “Caught off Guard”. I’m a bit surprised that Grandfather is from Brooklyn, as they don’t really share the sound that’s popular there right now. It has a good, rough, early 90s sound to it. You know that sound that got ignored as people obsessed about mediocre grunge music.
My favorite songs would probably be the aforementioned “Caught off Guard” and “By Myself”. The lumbering bass throughout these songs is a pretty nice treat as someone who does have a sort of soft spot for it. Hopefully these guys will get a bit more attention, since I’m sort of digging the sound and the fact that there isn’t a weak spot. Also, that my hopes for a 90s revival is coming closer.
As an added bonus Grandfather offers there entire album for download free on bandcamp. Plus, the album artwork is weird as hell.