Scout, All Those Relays

My first notes regarding listening to this album included: “Probably won’t like this, it’s kind of indie country.” After listening to this album several times, I have not changed my stance on that at all. If Scout could pick a musical sound on this album, then perhaps I might be able to give it a better review. I’m not saying that I’d like it, but right now it just seems like Scout is too country for indie folks and not country enough for country listeners.

The vocals have the biggest country sound to them, though they are not all the way country — they just seem to sort of have a hint to them. It’s nothing near Dolly, Reba, June, and all of the other country women you can try to compare to in terms of vocal range. It’s just this very nondescript sort of soft voice that leans toward the country persuasion, perhaps too much for anyone who is not a fan of country and western to really care about. (Though at times I am willing to admit that the vocalist does also sound like a second-rate Gwen Stefani.)

The music that accompanies this is what you would typically expect from a mellow band backing a female singer. Think of female singers like Sarah McLaughlin, and you pretty much have the music nailed. It’s light and sleep-inducing.

In all honesty, the only factor that stands out to me on this album in any way is the use of the line “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” As someone who has heard the Marilyn Manson song “Beautiful People” far too many times, I have to say my mind tends to drift when I hear that line from this album to that particular song by someone completely different. Scout might as well have just had a line in one of their songs about how all you need is love or teenage wasteland.