Schooner
Neighborhood Veins
4 1/2 stars
Rock
Durham-based rock group Schooner is psychedelic, soulful and downright dreamy. With its newest release Neighborhood Veins the group plays its cool with a nearly flawless delivery of contrasting tracks that don’t disappoint.
Lead single “It Won’t Matter” is a folk-rock ballad of sorts bursting out of an eerie whistle into an enjoyable combination of fuzzy guitars and multi-layered harmonies. This song is an upbeat dance worthy track that focuses on lead singer Reid Johnson’s pensive and expressive lyrics.
“Floodlights and Ghosts,” slows things down quite a bit as a deliberate electric jam focusing on romantic back beats and enhancing horns. Here Johnson first hooks the heartstrings of listeners with starry-eyed lyrics longing for a loved one “by the light of the river.”
The album’s fifth track “Still in Love” is a captivating hit that brings to life the ’50s era doo-wop blues with minimalist guitar, unhurried beats and a Temptations-like men’s choir. This tune perfectly encompasses the band’s ability to drift across genres while remaining faithful to its overarching downhearted tone through lyrics like “But faith can be broken and the leaf can be spoken and pain has a pattern that moves in slow motion.”
The final song “Neighborhood Veins” shows yet another side of this surprising group with a bizarre 12-minute combination of acoustic guitar strums, random dialogue and instrumental burst. It pulls the album to a disorienting close, forcing the listener to question its purpose while still smiling at the oddity.
With Neighborhood Veins, Schooner is all over the place yet pleasantly and consistently spot-on. This collection of mindful songs is a great representation of the power of flexible musicianship and proves that bands can still succeed without tying themselves down to a specific sound. Seriously, don’t miss out on this refreshing treat.
— Olivia Farley
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