The debut recording from the Parishoners is good, basic rock ‘n’ roll with touches of other genres that the band uses to keep their audience interested.
As the title indicates, this is a record about both physical and psychological places where a person can end up without necessarily meaning to.
It mixes the ’80s goth and British chiming guitar of U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen with Nick Cave’s seriousness amid a roots music aesthetic that still sounds modern.
The band adds in some folk with the song “Perte de la Langue Acadienne” and a cowboy/country lope into “Winds of Issac.” Banjo and violin player Jeff Black plays beautifully and gives singer and songwriter Michael Cain’s writing an extra dose of depth, both emphasizing and contrasting the rest of the instruments.
The songs themselves portray people in places of regret and bitterness in the sound and the lyrics. The subjects of the tunes contemplate “Another Love Gone Wrong” or lie in the dark wanting to “Bring on the Rain.” Cain’s phrasing can take a little getting used to, but the occasional awkwardness in the way he emphasizes certain words or snaps the end of sentences reflects the difficult feelings behind the songs.
It makes them sharper and more ominous, even on the funkier entries “Another Charlie B.” and “Between Piety and Desire.”
However, the album ends on a more optimistic note with the rocking energy of “My Tarnished Trophy” and jangly folk-rock of “In the Garden (Song for Buzzy).”
Without that, this record, good as it is, would have few happy moments, but by ending it in this way, listeners find themselves in a place with some hope.