Birdie

While musically, the tracks can sometimes bleed into each other, sounding perhaps too similar, this album is meant to be consumed in order as a whole. Birdie sets a solid foundation for Slaughter Beach, Dog's future.

Beyond the necessity, Birdie is a record that teeters an indie/emo line with ease and a sense of hybridity. Press “play” for a sense of melancholic calm.

A few tracks run a bit boring and slightly monotonous but you've got the synth-traced "Shapes I Know" paying homage to acts like Conor Oberst and Max Bemis, "Buttercup" for fans of John K. Samson, and songs like "Phoenix" for when Ewald wants to explore his inner Elliott Smith or Sufjan Stevens. In these 10 tracks, you get a lot closer with him than you do in Modern Baseball's narrative which feels much more wholesale as opposed to Ewald's new musical therapy sessions.

He’s found his voice as a musician, but he’s still searching as a writer, trying to find the sweet spot between autobiographer and novelist. It’s no slight to say that Ewald is still best at his most transparent, singing to the person right in front of him.

Ewald’s writing is comprised of a number of observations that often appear fairly minor, collated into something that is at times quite evocative. There are moments however where it feels more uncoordinated, less refined, and unfortunately it is these points that prevent the record becoming the disarming gem it promises at times to be.