Written by frontman Ed Wallis during a particularly lonely Thanksgiving in San Francisco, Fight Less Win More, the second album from London-based purveyors of Americana My Sad Captains, is as melancholic as you'd expect given its rather desolate conception. But while lyrics like "It's a long way home/And you live alone" on the lo-fi Grandaddy-esque "Resolutions" contain a fair amount of wallowing self-pity, the album's wistful late-'60s Beatles-inspired melodies and embracing of experimental music ensure it's not the wrist-slitting affair it could have been. With its jangly acoustics, grungy basslines, and Byrds-inspired harmonies, the pure melodic pop of "Little Joanne" proves that the simplest songs are sometimes the best; "The Homefront, Pt. 2" is a convincing venture into Krautrock territory with its clattering industrial beats, ambient sci-fi bleeps, and slightly eerie folk violins; while "Up and Away" is a gorgeous acoustic midtempo number drenched in dreamy aquatic synths. The more-low key entries, such as the ghostly hushed vocals and reverb-laden atmospherics of "Heavy Lifting," the campfire balladry of "Duck and Cover," and the reflective indie folk of "Minah Bird," are no less beguiling, but do take a while to reveal their charms, often waiting until halfway through the track before Wallis' restrained pensive tones kick in. Indeed, Fight Less Win More's lack of immediacy means it's a record that may need some persevering with, but stick with it and its slow-building nature eventually reaps its rewards.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo