Subtle - for hero:for fool
Let’s start with an analogy: If The Go! Team were to represent an excitable five-year-old that wakes up at 6 on Saturdays, consumes too many sugar, and then proceeds to draw on the walls of his room then Subtle would be the wiser, broodier, step-brother who reads science fiction, writes poetry, and has a poster of Hegel’s dialectic on his wall. In other words, San Francisco based Subtle take a more mature approach to genre-mixing than some of their contemporaries (no one is negating the fun that is TGT…it’s just an analogy).
On their latest album, for hero:for fool, the six-piece rocks rocks everything from a cello to a drum machine, blending elements of hip-hop, alternative, electronic, and orchestral music into a stunning pastiche. The end result does not disappoint, featuring lush, complex arrangements, continuity between tracks, and some seriously danceable beats.
The album opener, “A Tale of Apes, Pt. 1,” starts the disc off right, demonstrating the sheer gamut of Subtle’s sound. Beginning with a steady tone, static hush, and clean feedback, the song quickly escalates with an eerie electronic loop and pulsating percussion. Working through a New-Wave inspired bridge (complete with synthesized vocals), the piece reaches an impressive pinnacle with a catchy spell-out and an understated strings section.
As with the poetry aspect of the opening analogy, the experience of for hero:for fool is strikingly incomplete without a close inspection of the lyrics. Adam Drucker, Subtle’s frontman, spins a series of self-aware criticisms involving the music industry, societal constructs, and the allure of fame, all the while expressing his fear of a stagnant career and (literally) bloodthirsty audiences. The songs are all duly intelligent, however Drucker’s unique, surrealistic imagery often transcends intelligence and invokes downright fascination: “above that hangs a black and white photo of ‘Einstein growing frustrated over a sink full of dirty dishes.’/the floor is littered with neatly traced hands, shown in soft focus/through the beautiful sludge of a couple hundred broke open eggs./a gorgeous spreading pile of tired little suns.” While it’s nearly impossible to distinguish these words sans a lyrics-sheet, the group’s delivery is still largely noteworthy. Namely, the vocals become their own instrument at different points in the album, uniquely incorporated into each song.
Simply put, of the two options, I’d vote hero.
-Dan Cook
