Quiet Company

Austin, Texas band Quiet Company is largely the musical vehicle of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Taylor Muse and they/he have/has just released their/his second full length outing, the quaintly titled Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon.

Judging by what is on offer here it would seem that a prodigious adult pop talent has been unearthed.

For those trying to find a point of entry into this music some obvious reference points might be the likes of Ben Folds Five, They Might Be Giants, and three bands from three different decades Squeeze, Lets Active and The Arcade Fire. That’s a big diversity of comparisons but what they all have in common is a ear for a delicious pop melody and  a willingness to look a little further afield for songwriting  subject matter.

What distinguishes Muse’s songs from quiet a few of his contemporaries is his unwillingness to take the easy way out in his songs. Just when you think you’ve got a song pegged it will take a little left turn that brings a smile to your face.

The songs on Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon range from seemingly innocuous pop songs through to others that initially appear to be innocuous pop songs but which blossom into epic pop operettas. How To Fake Like You Are Nice & Caring is one such beast, although the best example is probably On Modern Men.

There’s no doubt that Muse comes from the McCartney school of songwriting and on songs like Well, The Truth Is… and My New Years Resolution Is To Cope With My Mortality he graduates with honours.

The Beginning Of Everything Is The End Of The World reminds me of Bob Mould in his  Sugar incarnation while Golden (Like The State) is more of a Chuck Berry via Pat Di Nizio or Dan Wilson descendent. There’s also moments of slightly twisted pop on here that Robin Hitchcock would be proud of.

I’m throwing around the names of plenty of great tunesmiths here and I’m not doing it lightly. Muse deserves his place in this company and although one suspects he’s going to be one of those writers perennially in pursuit of the perfect pop song he has made some significant inroads into that lofty ambition already.

Apart from the writers penchant for overly long song titles (eg It’s Better To Spend Money Like There’s No Tomorrow Than Spend Tonight Like There’s No Money) there’s a lot to like about this album. It’s an album that takes a few listens to fully appreciate and that in itself is a bonus.

Quiet Company make for good company.