Army Navy: The Last Place

The Last Place, upon further listens, is a solid, well-rounded indie rock record. The album chronicles a failed relationship, a topic that lends itself rather well to Kennedy's songwriting abilities. Army Navy have, thankfully, managed to inject some life into a month with a rather bleak slate of new releases with The...

By Michael Lopez

August 9, 2011

Audio By Carbonatix

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The Last Place, upon further listens, is a solid, well-rounded indie rock record. The album chronicles a failed relationship, a topic that lends itself rather well to Kennedy's songwriting abilities. Army Navy have, thankfully, managed to inject some life into a month with a rather bleak slate of new releases with The Last Place.

What the critics are saying:

The Rock and Roll Report: The band's sound is reminiscent of a mixture of Teenage Fanclub, Pulp and Belle & Sebastian with an easygoing bounce in each track's rhythm.

Sputnik Music: While the lengths of the songs remain almost exactly the same as the ones on the debut, this set of tracks feel like they've had more room to breathe.

Spin: Frontman Justin Kennedy cycles through the stages of grief, from bitterness (the deceptively upbeat piano plink of "Ode to Janice Melt") to shrugging acceptance (the aptly titled "Pastoral"), emphasizing sharp hooks and partisan reportage over woe-is-me solipsism.

Pitchfork: Army Navy's note-perfect mining of the classics isn't merely musical. Frontman Justin Kennedy's woebegone lyrics about the one who got away-- who, it comes out in fits and spurts throughout The Last Place, may've been a celebrity, and may not've exactly been unattached-- hew almost as closely to classic power-pop tropes.

The Last Place, which has since been released digitally via eMusic, is out now via The Fever Zone Records.

Michael Lopez

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