This is no longer John Nolan’s Straylight Run. The Needles The Space, released June 19, might as well be Straylight Run’s first full-length album. Gone is the more mellow side project that offered Nolan a reprieve from his role in Taking Back Sunday. These songs are also far removed from the piano-laden ones of Straylight Run’s eponymous 2004 debut.
Listeners were offered a peek at this band with 2005’s Prepare to Be Wrong EP. This album, along with Prepare to Be Wrong, shows us what Straylight Run was meant to be. Of the thirteen tracks, John Nolan sings lead on seven and sister Michelle takes the reins for five (and is responsible for the eerie moans of a lyricless, untitled track featuring tribal sounding drums). The two frequently share choruses and offer backup vocals for each other. All in all, Michelle’s place in the band is much more realized here than in previous releases.
However, her contributions seem too quirky in many of the songs she headlines. Well done is the upbeat and Christmassy “The Miracle that Never Came.” Not as impressive are the spacey echoes found in “Cover Your Eyes,” and “Still Alone,” with its honking horn section, is reminiscent of carnival music. Problematic too is Michelle’s tendency to sing lyrics into places they don’t fit – it seems as if she’s trying to squeeze her lines into measures of music too short to hold them.
No question, the strongest tracks of The Needles The Space are John’s. The opener, “The Words We Say,” is misleadingly upbeat, showcasing a xylophone behind cynical lyrics, like “We always hurt the ones we never really love.” One of the more effects driven songs that John takes the lead on, the lyrically dense and aptly titled “Soon We’ll Be Living in the Future” is the first single. “Take it to Manhattan” is predominantly a piano piece in the vein of earlier Straylight Run releases. “Buttoned Down,” driven by an acoustic guitar and more reserved vocals, is definitely the best track of the album for old fans, and probably new ones as well. The last song, “The First of the Century,” is another good one, starting out with just an acoustic guitar and John singing. The song ends powerfully, bringing in distorted guitars and cymbals crashing in full force for a strong conclusion to the album.
There are many highlights to this offering, but the raw emotion of previous releases isn’t quite met here. Still, this is an album to be appreciated as a testament to Straylight Run’s maturation.
