Tragic isn’t it? The contradictory feelings we as music fans have about our favorite bands. Don’t we all want these bands to succeed in their chosen careers and be able to live comfortably while continuing to make the music that we love? On the other hand, we want them to remain unknown so that we can brag about knowing an unknown band. Sadly (or not?), The Life & Times have crafted an outstanding album with their second LP, Tragic Boogie that has the potential to bring them out of the clubs and into the… arenas? Wait, that can’t be right…

The newly redesigned and updated Life & Times website comes complete with a biography page that reads more like a press release for Tragic Boogie, full of attention grabbing descriptions of the music and several musical comparisons and influences that make it seem like the band really is trying to beef up their fan base. That aside, the bio page includes a pretty nice write-up about Tragic Boogie that effectively describes the album with the help of a few great quotes from the band. Within the piece lingers a comment about the band’s attempts at trying to capture the sound of a “big-name band with a lot of money” without the budget. While probably not the first thing that comes to mind after a spin of the album, the influence of big stadium sounds becomes more apparent after subsequent listens and close analysis.

Imagining the members of The Life & Times playing their brand of indie rock to stadium audiences seems downright silly. Although never having the pleasure personally, witnesses of the band’s live show will argue that the oomph of The Life & Times’ stage performance that usually leaves the audience in awe and bliss could not translate to large stadiums and one of the greatest aspects of The Life & Times would be lost. Luckily for us (probably not for them) the album merely echoes the sounds of the stadium and we will most likely not be seeing The Life & Times opening for Bon Jovi or Aerosmith anytime soon (hopefully never).

Nearly four years after the release of their debut album Suburban Hymns, Tragic Boogie continues where the debut left off, albeit with a few twists and turns. Where Suburban Hymns captured the intensity and loudness of the band with its raw sound, Tragic Boogie attempts to tame the beast, so to speak, with more polished details. While this change in production may initially shock long time fans of Suburban Hymns and the band’s two EPs, the close attention to detail on Tragic Boogie allows the beautiful melodies that lurk beneath the loud to emerge that much more.

“Que Sera Sera” opens the album strongly with reverb-laced chords and intricate patterns by drummer Chris Metcalf. Although the vocals are noticeably more polished, the loud guitar riffs allow the song to be easily placed under the same umbrella as earlier Life & Times songs. Thus creating a perfect balance between the explorations of new sounds and sticking with what works best. No time is wasted between songs; the distorted noise that ends “Que Sera Sera” segues nicely into the opening notes of the following song, “Fall of the Angry Clowns”. These graceful openings notes are soon accompanied by a deep bass line so powerful it almost steals the show away from Metcalf’s always-incredible drumsticks.

If one track from Tragic Boogie had to be chosen as most like the band’s previous work, it would be “Old Souls” purely because of vocals that could be taken straight from Suburban Hymns. As with most Life & Times songs, the lyrics take a backseat to the actual sound of front man Allen Epley’s voice. Since the days of Shiner, Epley’s voice practically acts as another instrument in itself; the raw vocals surprisingly add even greater depth to the already dynamic sounds created by the threesome.

While some moments on the album follow the supposed “big name band” sound appropriately, such as the opening of “The Politics of Driving”, much of the album consists of typical Life & Times songs polished in a way that accents the band’s skill at writing beautiful melodies that previously required complete attention to pick up. As a result, Tragic Boogie is in no way overproduced. In fact, the production of the album, while possibly jarring at first, is a great step forward for the band. Both because of its ability to bring out some of the best melodies the band has had to offer since their inception and, because of its more traditional sound, is bound to attract more fans that may, or may not skyrocket the band into stardom, destroying any indie credits I may have left.