The St. Paul and the Broken Bones concert is coming up. Because of this I’ve given their discography a thorough spin recently. “Half The City” now plays like a greatest hits album for the bands sounds and singer Paul Janeway’s voice. By the time we get to “Broken Bones and Pocket Change” we’ve been fully engrossed by the band’s skill and the singers talent. Blues. The 3 tracks that follow give the middle of the album solid footing before entering the last portion. “Grass is Greener” offers a sad, yet powerful song that shows off Janeway’s unique pipes. There are so many great moments on the 2nd half of the album.

Fast Foward to Sea of Noise and you can feel the band evolving. Track 2 gives a new direction to the band, with Janeway offering a Remy Shand impression. But the horns are still there. I find myself drawn to “I’ll Be Your Woman”. The sound is killer, but the lyrics speak to Janeway’s recognition of his feminine side, something that may have been challenging for him given the themes presented in in their next album “Young Sick Camelia”. But the lyrics…. “Strongest winds come from your mouth…”… “ash I am to ash I’ll always be, let me lay in your strong arms” provide poignant imagery of a strong, reverent woman in Janeway’s life. “Is It Me” offers up themes that play heavily on the next album. Lyrics like “is it hell, is it home, or is it me” present Janeway’s view of life at home, and life in his mind. These themes are more thoroughly expressed in the next album.

“Young Sick Camelia” was produced by Jack Splash and you can feel the influence. The band brings more of a pop sound and the songs play to repetitive hooks. But this albums plays as a personal album for Janeway. Themes about life at home and growing up in the South are featured prominently here. The band provides a nice counter. The jams are mostly upbeat which helps counter the dark themes expressed in a few songs. The albums first single “Apollo” is about an astronaut drawing his last breath and telling the stars to remember his lover. Sappy. But the band sounds incredible. Give me more horns. “NASA” plays the same space theme, but this time with a lover that’s out of reach. “DNA always leaves a trail…and there ain’t no reason I shouldn’t have known I can’t let you go” Lyrics meh, but the sound the band creates on this one is very psychedelic. There appears to be a theme of pairs in song titles, starting with “NASA” and “Apollo”. Other pairs include titles like “Convex” and “Concave” “GotItBad” and “LivewithoutYou”, and “Cumulus” and “Hurricane” Odd choice.

But the overarching theme is Janeway’s tool of using this album to confess some deep seeded thoughts about life in the south. Religion, guns, work, nothing is off topic. His grandfather and father even have cameos on this album. It’s all about home. And religion. “Panthers on the prowl with the hollow teeth, screaming hallelujah from the factories” offer thick thoughts on blue collar work and religion. Other religious themes include “There’s a preacher conning Jesus in us all”. “Gun shaped bible and a loaded tongue. Jesus ain’t the problem but he started one”, and “God is a gambler who can’t set us free”.

And yet despite all that, the band does an incredible job holding the album together. The jams are upbeat and experimental sounds offer an interesting contrast to Janeway’s lyrics.