Antennas Up – “The Awkward Phase”

So. You’ve seen this picture before. Whatevs. From left to right: Ryan, Nicole, Bo, me, Jonny and Kyle. AU!

“So what’s with the impassive pace? Can your sentiments come out to play?” (“The Awkward Phase”)

Oh yeah. I totally got the CD “The Awkward Phase” early. That’s what seeing the band live before the official CD release gets you.

So, let’s talk about it. Because I’m EXPLODING out of my skin to talk about it.

Here it is. The deets. This album is amazing. I love their debut album, but this one is, quite simply but, better. It has all of the quirkiness we’ve come to expect from AU (a lot of the nerdiness, too) with a healthy splash of retro delight. It’s wonderful and deserves all of the praise I can heap on it. Also, I’m now obsessed with vocoders.

The album begins with the title track “The Awkward Phase.” Obviously, I love the song enough to name it the song of the month. It’s catchy, upbeat and the lyrics are fantastic. And the songs stay consistently fantastic, as displayed by the second song on the album.

“I’ll be your mistake and you’ll be my instinct. You’ll think I’m so great, naked and red faced.” (“Coming On”)

Adore that last bit. ”Coming On” has the catchiness of “The Awkward Phase” and all of the lyrical wonder. But that’s not where the album stops. You can hear the different genres and influences in this album. In “Lights Out”, we get a taste of a change in pace.

“I like the light off your body when you move it, you like to show it off, so come on let me use it. You never stop (woo!). You never stop (woo!). Got my attention, show me what you got.” (“Lights Out”)

Bam. The first time I heard this song, my jaw dropped and I smiled at the same time. It’s not that it’s a different vibe from Antennas Up in the past, it’s more like they’re clarifying their sound. They aren’t sticking in the same mold. It just sounds like they’re getting more comfortable in their own skin, and the music is all the better for it.

And if you want to hear the song that has never been far from my mind over the last few months, take a gander (assuming gandering could also be used for listening) at “Wormholes.”

“Traveling through time, quantum suicide. Now you all will see my paradox machine, this can and cannot be.”

It is everything I’ve ever wanted in a song. Also, I’m convinced Jonny doesn’t actually breathe through significant parts of it, which is just impressive. And, while I think wormholes are incredibly sentimental, you may disagree. And if you do, listen to “Untitled (How Will I Know).”

“I crawl away up my front stairs, I reach for you and you’re not there. Unconscious underneath my bed, my hands are wet, my eyes are red. I didn’t leave ’cause I didn’t love, I left ’cause I loved just enough and with those words came crashing down every mirror in every town.”

It’s a beautiful and moving song. I highly recommend it. And it’s a wonderful display of variety. The album is full of dance numbers, but this one really slows it down and provides a needed contrast. It provides the depth that quickly made this album a much needed addition to your iTunes library.

But my favorite song on the album is the last, “My Brain.” I don’t even know if I could tell you why it’s my favorite, except that it haunts me. Which definitely makes sense when you listen to the lyrics.

“I measure out my time to indulge in sin, then rest alone repeating the coda. She writes my name, the music keeps going in my brain. She writes my name, the music keeps going in my brain.”

So. To summarize this album: Futuristic retro wonderland. The album will you make you jump, nod your head, and wish to any listening deities that you could get the music out of your head…but don’t worry. After listening to the album a couple of times, you really don’t mind that it stays there. That’s because you’ve been indoctrinated.

Step into their web.

1. “The Awkward Phase”

6. “Untitled (How Will I Know)”

7. “Wormholes”

8. “Pretenders”

9. “Take Tonight Away”

10. “My Brain”