After an opening that hews too closely to The Black Keys, guitarist/singer James Dean Wells, aka Clark Westfield, and drummer Quinn English, aka Puppy Mills, find their voice in the overabundance of guitar-drum duos in “Try to Understand.” On the surface, the song is sonically joyous, thanks to horns from World Inferno Friendship Society. Lyrically it’s a brutal and forlorn recollection, as James explores the loss of his 19-year-old brother, Ian Savage Wells, whose funeral James wasn’t able to attend because the band was on tour and couldn’t afford to fly home. Ian’s death lingers as a recurring theme, if not always in the lyrics, then in the way his elder brother’s sarcasm, so evident in past material, has been mellowed by one of life’s tragic earthquakes.
Sign up. We hope you like us, but if you don't, you can unsubscribe by following the links in the email, or by dropping us a note at leo@leoweekly.com.
Signup
By clicking “subscribe” above, you consent to allow us to contact you via email, and store your information using our third-party Service Provider. To see more information about how your information is stored and privacy protected, visit our policies page.
Subscribe to LEO Weekly Newsletters
Sign up. We hope you like us, but if you don't, you can unsubscribe by following the links in the email, or by dropping us a note at leo@leoweekly.com.
To sign up now, enter your email address in the field below and click the Subscribe button.
By clicking “Subscribe” above, you consent to allow us to contact you via email, and store your information using our third-party Service Provider. To see more information about how your information is stored and privacy protected, visit our policies page.
