When the members of a musical duo marry, it marks a significant commitment to each other and to their craft. Perhaps, though, Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp, who comprise Raleigh-based indie rock group The Rosebuds, have topped even that level of commitment.
That is, of course, because their fifth LP, “Loud Planes Fly Low,” released Tuesday, marks the first album following their divorce. It will come as no surprise, then, that this album — marked by its somber, wistful and personal tones — is inspired largely by the emotions and reminiscence involved in the dissolution of marriage.
These attributes give “Loud Planes” a great deal of character and a strong feeling of authenticity, but at times they are also its downfall.
“Cover Ears,” the album’s penultimate track and the source of its title, sees Howard yearning over a memory, presumably with Crisp and with a sign that warns, “Cover ears: loud planes fly low.” The specifics of that experience and its impact on Howard are mostly awash in the sea of ambiguity this record creates. On “Second Bird of Paradise,” for example, Howard sings that “she floats like a bird in the canopy” with a soft, distant tone that matches his vagueness. In a sense, The Rosebuds are so deeply personal here that they leave listeners little to connect with emotionally.
It’s because of this that the album’s biggest impact comes not from the lyrics but their overall feel. And by that test, it is one melancholy affair. Howard’s and Crisp’s vocals mostly vary between distant reflection and emotive intensity, a diversity supported by their vocal ranges and changes in production.
Similarly, The Rosebuds’ instrumentation is usually fairly minimalist — guitar, drums and occasional keyboards — but they don’t avoid flourishes of lush, multi-instrument sections that include everything from a violin and an organ to a xylophone and an accordion. This disparity in production is evident in the divide between the stripped-down and raw “Without a Focus” and the surprising immediacy of “Go Ahead” and “Come Visit Me.”
One negatively striking feature of their sound is how similar their brand of indie rock, with its folk and country influences and pop sensibility, is to other acts.
“Limitless Arms” could slip into Band of Horses’ album “Cease to Begin” nearly seamlessly, while other tracks feel somewhat indebted to artists like Bon Iver, The Antlers, Andrew Bird and The Whitest Boy Alive, among others. Certainly, The Rosebuds are in good company, but somewhere along the line, they begin to feel the slightest bit derivative.
Making this album was almost certainly a cathartic experience for Howard and Crisp, and there’s a degree of risk inherent in that. It can be received either as a relatable catharsis for its listeners or as overly personal and specific to the circumstances that inspired it. Though its subject matter has a great deal of potential for artistic expression, Howard, Crisp and their wistful vagueness have pushed “Loud Planes Fly Low” firmly within that latter category, leaving listeners with an album as emotive as it is detached.