These mechanical sounds don't necessarily dominate the folky pop of Koester's second album, The High Highs The Low Lows, but they make their presence known on a number of tracks. In some cases, this presence is an unfortunate intrusion.
It's too bad, really. Steve Koester and his band are all competent players. The singer sounds a little like Elvis Costello and a lot like Tom Petty, and his lyrics are clever and vibrant. These factors should make for a terrific album, but messy music occasionally gets in the way of a fine listening experience.
"Vow" had the potential to be a great song. It ends with the lyrical oath of fidelity, "Blowing water in the springtime air/Heavy with the scent of perfumed hair of the young girls with their heavy lips/I take a sip with my eyes and wait for the fall ... I am yours, that is all."
Such a substantial yet simple declaration deserves better than the jarring piano line and stuttering guitar work that the band gives it. Those people who know music are saying that quiet is the new loud. Perhaps Koester should have taken this into account, as less surely would have made so much more of an impact.
The results probably would have been more fulfilling had Koester let his calm voice do the talking and relegated the guitars and percussion to delicious but unimposing background conversation.
As it is, a few of the songs, including the propulsive opener "The Roman Coin," are engaging enough. But during the course of the album, the music is often too distracting and a bit sluggish.
Koester finishes The High Highs The Low Lows with "Flowering Judas," in which the singer begs his lover to tear his thoughts away from the rampant consumerism and digital onslaught that he sees all around him.
It's interesting that, on this album, the man is a bit overshadowed by his machines.
