The Double are a band from Portland, OR who you might have heard of back in 2005 with their one-hit-wonder album Loose In The Air. If you're still having a difficult time figuring out who they are, that's understandable. From 2005-2006, I would listen to Loose In The Air nonstop because of their catchy pop songs like "Idiocy" and more noise-laden ballads like "What Sound It Makes The Thunder." The Double pretty much fell off the face of the earth musically when that album was forgotten and they became alumni in Matador Records' list of bands.
The Double have recently released their self-titled album on their own label, Thimbleful Records and it's as good as one would hope. It begins with an anthemic, guitar-driven ballad "Keep The Veil In Place" which is a great opener to a "comeback" album. After that, The Double play a more keyboard-oriented pop tune "Real Good Time" and a slight filler "Bang & Whimper." Though the opener is superior to those songs, the album still feels like it's getting greater as it moves along.
Speaking of which, we then stumble upon the song "Spectral" which takes on a different tone than the other tracks, yet it's still amazing both melodically and structurally. Then "Thimbleful"; it may top 6 minutes, but it's a great 6 minutes to endure. It builds slowly, yet as it builds it becomes more lush with stellar guitar effects that sound like something out of a Tim Hecker symphony and the drums are pounded. "Boomerang" then picks up the tempo using a common melody, but once again the guitar effects alone pretty much make the song. About a minute to the song's closure, it meets a crescendo of feedback and shouting vocals that perfectly end the song.
"Deep Baby Grand" also increases the tempo; using hyper-melodicism as "Come around to the beat of the drum" is shouted. "Convertible" is another one of the brooding songs, dependent on vocals until the guitar becomes a prominent figure of the song but with the same tone as "Spectral." "Awnings," however, isn't the greatest closer for the album as it takes a folk rock Oh Sees-esque approach yet nonetheless, it's a good melody and it's proficient in the context of one song alone. This song also reaches a crescendo, but not as abrasive as "Boomerang."
The Double, I would say, are an indescribable band. If I had no choice but to make a comparison in order to sound convincing, I would say that they sound like if The Joggers and Volcano! did a session together. Though this was swept under 2009's rug, it's an underrated album that definitely deserves a listen or two.
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