Music Review // Low Ceilings "Powerwalker"

https://lowceilingsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/powerwalker

I've always wondered why people do powerwalking.  Why not just run?  But, I say this as someone who lives in Meriden, CT- a city with a dead mall but people still are mallwalkers.  Why are there so many different types of walkers?  Oh well.  Low Ceilings- a problem I have from being too tall- combines the sounds of rock music past with rock music present to bring forth a new album of songs which are both thought-provoking and have a beat you can dance to if you feel so inclined.

Throughout these songs I pull out a number of influences and depending upon how you were raised and what you listened to, you'll likely find some of the same or even different ones.  I hear artists like Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick and The Romantics.  On "Lessen the Pain" I have some subtle Beach Boys nod, while I also begin to feel that combination of The Mr T Experience and twee- somewhere that the line is blurred between the two.  "Considering Hedonism" brings out some thoughts of They Might Be Giants while "Please Stop Making Me Cry" has those dreamy Buddy Holly ways about it.

Much like those other artists I've mentioned, I think Low Ceilings could get that label of being "quirky" or something along those lines, when rock music can feel easily accessible to you but at the same time you'll listen to the lyrics and have an existential crisis.  One such song is called "Door" and it's one of those songs which will kind of leap out at you upon first listen.  The lyrics tell a story which asks questions like "Did you get punched in [the face]?" and then replies with "No man I just walked into a door, right into a door".  Now, of course, if you've ever watched television you'll know that when domestic violence occurs one of the common excuses someone gives to cover it up is that they walked into a door.

In this way, the song "Door" is quite clever on different levels because one line does in fact state: "There is no subtext (simply a doorknob)".   So then this leads me to think about times when someone actually walks into a door and gets a black eye or something, but then goes to work and gets called into HR to see if everything is okay at home.  It feels like it's been a cover up for so long that if it were to be true would anyone believe it?  I also like how much the song discusses the person's face and it reminds me of a Charles Bukowski book but that's a whole other story.

Many of the songs on "Powerwalker" have this way about them and it's right up until the end as well.  The last song, "Stay Upset", has such a sweet tone to the music even though the lyrics feel so mean.  The chorus makes it clear: "Don't want you to leave this world, can't let you forget / I want you to stick around and stay upset".  Just one of the thngs this song wishes upon this other person is "I hope you go to start your car and find out that it's dead", which is actually one of my biggest fears.  But for how much fun I have listening to this album I just can't be mad at any of these songs.