I can’t say I ever really expected to make such a statement, at least not before actually laying hands on a copy of On Parallels. While some would argue there’s pedigree by the pound here, thanks to frontman/songwriter Jason Shevchuk’s involvement in (the awesome) Kid Dynamite and (the often bland) None More Black, I wasn’t biting. I just couldn’t get into most of the None More Black material, and by all reports it was going to be pretty much the complete opposite of Kid Dynamite so what was there to be excited about?
Well get psyched: this is one of the most well-written pop rock records of at least the last five years, hands down. The trick is that it might not seem too readily apparent because of the minimalism of the instrumentation and Shevchuk’s incredibly gruff, raw vocals (though on some tracks — especially “According To My Notes” and “Silently Just” — he manages to throw those out the window and inject some honest-to-goodness smooth, not-gravelly singing into the mix).
I think I’d liken this release to Jets To Brazil’s debut. Blake Schwarzenbach had broken up Jawbreaker prior to the release of Orange Rhyming Dictionary and made it everything he had been criticized for towards the end of that band’s career: slower, more cerebral straight-forward rock with better singing, more accessible hooks, and glossier production. While the production on On Parallels seems flat in some places, the rest of it is there in spades.
It also sees Shevchuk’s songwriting moving into territory he hasn’t explored before: horns and strings find their way into the mix, “Silently Just” features acoustic guitar, and “Two Shotguns” centers around a chord progression that is equal parts blues and punk rock. Both are equally stirring in very different ways and serve as polar examples of what this band is capable of.
I suppose I should say was capable of; the group officially disbanded several weeks before the album was even officially released, the result of the inter-band tension that frequently crops up when band members are also dating. But a tragic end to a project filled with promise also serves as a disconcerting backslide for the band’s principle songwriter, as Shevchuk has decided to put None More Black back together in LaGrecia’s wake. Hopefully he won’t be afraid to expand that band’s sonic palette in a similar fashion, as it would be a shame to put a damper on his emerging pop sensibilities.
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