Distorted vocals shake my very core with each reverberation. Twisted lyrics weigh heavy on every emotion.
“I got the devil on my shoulder sayin’ tell me have you ever sinned?”
Said aloud, it’s a deep line. Layer the building tension of the moody track around it and the words cut further to the bone. The song title itself begins to hurt as the lead singer adds his accusatory tone. Patience is needed to completely enjoy the magnificent fervor of these lyrics as the first words aren’t uttered until nearly 70 seconds into a song that breeches the six-minute threshold. A creeping bass line ushers you into that long progression of sentimental noise — one that isn’t often likened to a young, college-town band.
With Lawrence, Kansas as home base, Cowboy Indian Bear can surely count a fair share of Jayhawks amongst their fans. Those coeds are quite lucky to have seen such music emerge from just the second album of the group’s blossoming career. Perhaps album title Live Old, Die Young can attest for some of Cowboy Indian Bear’s surprising maturity.
The tremulous effect of the lead vocals split between the three male band members is inserted at first chance to quickly establish the intense mood. Vocals by female member Katlyn Conroy fall nicely behind to serve as a calming safety feature, reeling in the men from the dark depths they reach for. Unedited moments throughout the song are then able to highlight the wide range of emotions of the track as the distortion is eventually abandoned for raw feelings and some excellent singing. In fact, one of the grittiest of lyrics — “I’ll grind you and spit you out” — is at times left void of such audio tampering to avoid an all out dark concept. Look for brighter concepts on the April album release. No matter the tone, albeit because of it, the rising emotions of “Does Anybody Ever See You Out?” will inevitably consume you.
Hey, I enjoyed this read. A great song!