AMG Review of Trouble Everywhere

Ned Raggett
All Music Guide

Composed, so it seems, of a series of different recording sessions with accordingly different vocalists, Daylight's for the Birds' debut album is nonetheless a pretty sharp slice of modern shoegaze-into-goth, not least because the band is far from afraid of being direct rather than relying solely on sonic gauze. Not that gauze is a bad approach -- anything but -- but as that tends to be the rule, it's always nice to hear what people do with the exceptions. Singer Amanda Garrett only turns up twice but makes a memorable mark on "To No One" and and the wonderful ballad "Please," thanks to a clear, strong singing voice that cuts through the noise overload, especially on the former's soaring chorus -- if it's not quite as strong a contrast as Kelly Clarkson's revamp of Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Interpol moves on "Since U Been Gone," it still has the same invigorating effect. Most of the remaining vocals are split between Claudia Deheza and Philip Wann, the latter of whom is also one of the core instrumentalists of the group. Deheza's vocals tend toward more of a blissed-out version of Laetitia Sadier, with the same gentle croon accentuated by moments like the wordless backing vocals on the slow feedback burn of "Flicker." Wann takes more of a spoken/singing approach in contrast -- Lou Reed wouldn't be surprised by the end results -- but it works well enough. Ultimately, Trouble Everywhere is an enjoyable patchwork of various forms of Anglophile guitar pop from the '80s and early '90s -- the summery surge and strum of "For Now" and the stark, cool "Try" are but two examples of the relative extremes created, and bode well for the future of the group (in whatever incarnation).