The Like Young
Last Secrets
Polyvinyl Records

The husband and wife duo known as The Like Young have quite the pessimistic view of the world around them. From their supposed struggles spelled out in hyperbolic detail in the band’s bio (“Two years of sacrifices, struggling, and mounting debt began to take a toll. Doubt crept in.”) to the dour titles and subject matter that permeate their songs (”For Money or Love,” “All The Wrong Reasons,” “Obviously Desperate,” etc.), it seems amazing that Joe Ziemba and his wife, Amanda, can find a reason to pick up an instrument, let alone write songs as upbeat sounding as the ones on their third album, Last Secrets. There is a tinge of gothic melancholy running through almost every song on this record, but it is thankfully leavened by a love for pop melodics and art rock guitar playing.

The record comes off like a tribute to the pull between a person’s positive and negative views of the world, right down to the interplay between the gruff male vocals that take most of the lead parts and the lighter, dreamy female vocals that weave their way through the songs. Granted, Joe Ziemba’s singing is of a pretty passionate ilk (along the lines of Ted Leo and Tim Harrington), but the addition of Mrs. Ziemba’s voice keeps the record from falling under the weight of any male heavy handedness which could have sunk the band entirely.

What does hold the band down is, unfortunately, the music. Besides the vocals, there’s not much to differentiate one song from the other. Most of the songs on this disc have fuzzy, barre chord and downstroke heavy guitar work and a propulsive drumbeat underneath (with the occasional melodic interlude on a keyboard) and sounds nearly indistinguishable to those before and after it. It’s okay to have a “sound” for your band, but it would make sense that you would want to do something with it rather than belaboring your point for almost 40 minutes.

MP3
For Money or Love

Website
The Like Young