One listen to the eponymous debut by The Earth is a Man, and it’s clear the Northwestern quartet is up to something sonically intriguing. But even after I spoke to Doug Kaplan, a Communication senior and one of the group’s guitarists, it still wasn’t exactly clear to me what was piquing my interest. Sure, the band reasserts that Northwestern musicians can be intellectual, but there is certainly more to The Earth is a Man than the prodigious intellectualism that characterizes their instrumental grooves.
The missing piece of the puzzle fell into place on Friday night, when I saw The Earth is a Man perform at a “low-key” album release party in Kaplan’s basement — the basement was actually packed to capacity, which ended up being a plus considering the great show the band staged.
“I’m stoked because this is the first time we’ve played together in seven months,” drummer and Communication senior Will Crouse said before the performance (the band’s hiatus was induced by fall quarter study abroad obligations). Other than a couple of electrical hiccups and broken strings, any worries Crouse might have had were largely unsubstantiated, and his drumming was one of the most outstanding facets of The Earth is a Man’s set.
But playing together is serious business, according to Kaplan, who says the band’s songwriting process is designed to constantly reference the musica ideals of other rock musicians.
“We don’t really jam that much,” he said. “There’s very little room in our songs for improvisation — everything is composed.”
In that vein, the band performed a tight eight-song set, and although they primarily stuck to the song’s album formats, the live setting pumped their tracks full of extra life. In essence, their live act erased the main shortcoming of their record — that sometimes The Earth is a Man’s tracks can sound labored and stay past their welcome. What can be too much of a good thing on their recordings became powerfully engaging when performed live, especially on songs like “You Might Have a Moustache” and “Papi (Da Shra).”
“I’ve been with the band since the beginning,” says James Graham, another Communication senior and Crouse’s roommate. Graham says The Earth is a Man may struggle to find broader success because of their alternative sound, but he believes in their potential and ability to overcome that potential handicap.
“Dymaxion,” the album’s opener, conveys a sense of relaxation and happiness that could accompany both sun bathing at the beach and bundling up inside on a rainy day, and the song’s live incarnation also manages to transport listeners. “Everybody’s Fun” — described by Kaplan as a “crowd favorite” — quickly builds from a slow, tonal landscape to a vibrant and fast moving exposition of the band’s instrumental aptitude. This innate musical ability and naturalness is one of the most exciting things about The Earth is a Man.
“You Are the Motor” is one of the album’s most provocative tracks, and its complexity is only enhanced by the story behind its recording.
“On the last day of recording I got hit by a car,” Kaplan says about the day the band was slated to record the song. “We had to finish recording the album, so the engineers got me some crazy painkillers. After they kicked in, I delivered one of my favorite performances on the album.”
Indeed, The Earth is a Man is a fantastic start to the band’s journey to get signed (Kaplan says the band does plan to continue after they graduate). While the album has its weaker moments, including a few too many songs and some unnecessarily long passages, it is largely a fulfilling listen, providing a truly stimulating experience that showcases the band’s obvious talent and level of dedication.