Alex Napping
Mise En Place
(Father/Daughter Records)
Maybe there’s an “it” factor missing on Mise En Place the sophomore album from Austin/NYC quartet that, in places, forces it further away than closer to the intimate space it so desperately seeks.
One of the first things I notice on Mise En Place is that the instrumentation struggles to get over the vocals throughout the record and whether that’s a production flaw or deliberate choice, I’m not sure. Or perhaps it’s the other way. The warm pop guitar lines and sweet song craft on the nine-track album’s opener “Tender” are washed out by the ascendant vocals, which is difficult for me to keep engaged on, and this quality only becomes more pronounced on “You’ve Got Me” the second track. Does the vocal strain deliver a stronger message? I’m not sure.
Alex Napping warms up a bit more on track three, “Fault” which creeps along coolly, built on a loving singing voice and some sprightly guitars. “Get Used To It” breaks off a series of nice instrumental harmonies along the bridge, creating one of the smoothest and most engaging tracks on the entire record. Toward the middle tracks of Mise En Place are when the arrangements emerge as a stronger part of the appeal. In their press, the band brands themselves as sonically groovy, which I can feel in gentle waves throughout Mise En Place, but the storytelling chops they throw out there become a little lost on me. The vocals come across as more instrumental than narrative; after a half dozen listens to this record, I am not sure what the story is, only the choruses grabbing me out of my seat. Still the band flashes a lot of street cred later in the record. On “Living Room” Alex Napping brings out the heavier guitar and bass from their earlier album, working some gritty feedback into the mix as well. Then on “Wife And Kidz” they take another sonically experimental turn, delving into a lot of open, negative space, forming a song that I’ll likely go back to over and over again.
Alex Napping has songwriting chops. They have some guts. And there are pretty good songs on Mise En Place too, I’m just not finding the access point to crave the sound.
