Stoics, The - Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Album)
The song list on The Stoics' second EP Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing reads like an intimate, but slightly disjointed diary entry. Is life getting away too quickly? are you getting Too Old Too Fast? Pondering deeper things such as perhaps a Blind Man’s Heart is incredibly beautiful because he can see things that people with full vision can not. A desperate prayer at a desperate hour please god Let Him Not Be Another’s. Dreaming big for the future and thinking about When I Grow Old. Finally the title track Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, am I faking my way through?
Beginning with chunky guitar and piano chords, creating a striking melody, you instantly get the feeling you are in for some contemplative music. Even the title Too Old Too Fast, stirs the old feeling, that you are going to be hit in the guts, and the song is gonna get you. Then there is a drum and vocal duet with words that shout “Fuck this, I’m leaving…You’ve been a waste of time”, so powerful, there is almost a danger of tainting the carefully constructed song, however its left there and the song carries on and resembles a Serena Ryder sound style.
The five-piece outfit, hailing all the way from Tasmania, The Stoics, are getting a name for themselves because of their punchy lyrics and truly alternative sound, though they do have their own names too, they are; Ciaran van den Berg, Beau Thomas, Maria Moles, Steve Quinn and Hugh Montgomery. Blind Man’s Heart is a neatly boxed example of their alternative sound, “He is painting pictures in the dark, see the blind man’s soul, he dreams of music soft and low”. Peppering the lyrics with a funked up melody including a break, mid song for a little ska solo, you’ll want to dance, create, and meditate all at the same time.
Building to a crescendo before the vocals even kick in, I’m waiting for something really punchy for Let Him Not Be Another's, but disappointingly the beat drops off as the voices begin. The song is rescued by Hugh playing a solid trumpet harmony as well as the well written verses of the song that propel stark images of a man trying to just “be his own.”
Listening to When I Grow Old, I am tempted to try and box their sound to assimilate The Stoics to another Aussie band though I cant quite pin-point which one. So perhaps they are better left as a genuinely unique sound, though this is easily the most accessible, (lyrically and melodically) on the whole EP.
The title track falls at the end of the line up, cunningly enough this song has a pace and excitement, making you want to hear more, like you have only just swallowed your first mouthful of music.
