“One Man“
from the album Eulogies
2007
iTunes
It seems cliché when a band breaks up, or takes a hiatus, so that their front man can work on a solo project. It is refreshingly unlikely that Peter Walker jumped in the opposite direction, from solo singer-songwriter to band. Indie rock trio Eulogies formed on the road as the touring band in support of Walker’s promising sophomore solo release, Young Gravity.
As the name suggests, the dark tones of Walker’s solo works remain. They are actually even darker this go-around, as the happy-go-lucky music that masked the sadness and despair of Walker’s music previously now sounds a bit more grounded. The band has a rugged, relaxed, and confident sound that accents Walker’s gently reverberating vocals well. The band is at their best on slow burning, tension-filled rock ballad “If I Knew You.” Guitars gradually inch closer from the sparse introductory verse, before unloading with a distortion-filled growl for Walker’s bleak vocals to creep under. The mellow restraint of the steadily marching band fits the bummed-out vocals perfectly on “Under the Knife,” where Walker’s “so why deny, deny, deny” hook sparkles as a hazily melodic gem without becoming a gooey pop song.
Walker’s ability to write gorgeous ear-grabbing hooks while keeping his garage-rock edge is what makes the songs work so well. Dusty melodic vocals dance with strutting riffs reminiscent of The Cars on “One Man,“ where Walker realizes that he cannot save the world on his own. The buzzing guitar solo, urgent bass line, and crashing beats play second fiddle to the hand-clap infused hook “I learned something in the nick of time / I’m only one man.” Cheery lyrics have never been Walker’s forté, and his work with Eulogies is no different, as evidenced by restless “Suicide” and the stark “Running in the Rain.” Police-esque stabbing riffs echo in the distance, where Walker sounds on the edge of giving up, “It’s impossible, take a bullet in the brain / It’s easier than running in the rain.”
Eulogies serves as evidence to maintain what those paying attention realized on Young Gravity. Peter Walker is a star quietly waiting for you to notice.