Underground Railroad - 'Sticks And Stones' (One Little Indian) Released 29/09/08

The Parisian trio follow up their debut album with a finesse that puts paid to the ‘difficult second album’ cliché. Underground Railroad should be known for more than a mix up at a music festival and ‘Sticks And Stones’ will undoubtedly help in getting them known for all the right reasons.
 
 From the opener ‘Poems For Freaks’ to the closing notes of ‘Idealize’ you are presented with songs of uncompromising quality. It could be easy to dismiss the lyrics as bleak and teenage but they have an emotional pureness that people tend to lose as they get older and conform to society. And so this album throws a tantrum when it wants to just like an unbridled toddler.  Kudos must be given for rhyming ‘fool’ with ‘ghoul’ without it sounding awkward or trite.
 
Although there are obvious leanings towards Sonic Youth and Velvet Underground they manage to preserve this influence and take an entirely new spin on the whole sound that could give the listener whiplash.
 
The sharing of main vocal duties between drummer Raphael Mura and guitarist Marion Andrau work well especially on ‘25’ which opens like a James song then morphs into blistering  shoegazer  about addiction. The ‘I don’t wanna pay for another day’ hook is effective enough to keep this song in your mind long after the album ends. It should do well when released as a single with the jagged ‘NYC’ on October 24.
 
It isn’t an immediately likeable album. Rather you notice more and more about it the more you listen and like a Dali painting you suddenly realise you like it. It mixes introspection and vitriol with a strong sense of self assurance. The production by John Goodmanson (Death Cab For Cutie) is equally self assured and this adds up to a challenging and refreshing album that takes huge musical strides without any arrogance.
The inclusion of cellist Phil A Peterson on tracks like ‘Idealize’ is inspired.
 
The guitars aren’t always easy to listen to but whether they’re fuzzy or sharp and angular they’re always used to great effect.  And if you’re into easy listening why would a band like Underground Railroad interest you anyway?  For every quiet moment there’s a loud one. And it’s this symmetry that makes the album work.
 
Now not only can you throw in the fact that an underground railroad was a secret network of routes and safe houses used by slaves  in America to escape to free states into the pub quiz but you’ll also be able to say you heard Underground Railroad before they got big.