Album needs more of niche

With their signature odd introductions and echoing vocals, the Canadian-based alternative band the Abramson Singers debut their second album “Late Risers” on Tuesday.

The album satisfies my ears, but with two incredibly short songs and upbeat tunes that don’t seem to fit their niche, it leaves me longing for more of their slow tunes with hopefully more diversity.

The first song on their album, “Factory Reprise 1,” does not seem long enough to hold a full spot for a song at only 48 seconds. On top of that, it seems a bit like a funeral mixed with a penny being shaken in a metal water bottle.

The next song, “Liftoff Canon,” leaves a better impression. The song uses three vocal layers: background notes are repeated throughout the majority of the song, Leah Abramson begins singing a few seconds into the song and shortly after is overlaid with herself singing a different verse.

The combination of vocals provides a stark contrast from their vocal-less first track. The ending unifies the whole song, as each layer of singing is stripped away one at a time, leaving the listener with the same beginning, repetitive male vocal of Lucien Durey.

When it comes to “Jack of Diamonds,” the next song on the album, the only negative is the first 10 seconds, which resembles a bee buzzing around your ear. The rest of the song has a light and summery feel that was enjoyable to listen to, yet it does not remain consistent with their previous album.

“Marguerite” presents itself in an almost haunting manner. The message of the song is unclear due to its mostly French makeup (which proved an issue previously as their first album had a French song as well, “Un Jeune Malade”).

My favorite song on the album is “Fight or Flight.” The use of a guitar and Durey’s backup vocals makes the song feel very raw and more the genre I see the band fitting in.

Remaining consistent with the type of vocals Abramson displayed in the previous four songs is “Drowning Man.” It’s almost as if you could switch the words of two songs and they would sound basically the same. The song remains at one intensity, even when it attempts to bump it up a notch during the chorus.

Another short instrumental that doesn’t seem to deserve a full song’s spot is “All Night Reprise.” I kept waiting for vocals, but was left disappointed.

“Lose-Lose” takes on an upbeat and echo-y feel similar to “Jack of Diamonds,” and a “do whatever you want” attitude, but halfway through the song, it becomes repetitive and screechy. It mimics that of “Fool’s Gold,” from their first album together in 2010.

Carrying over the same style as most of the other songs, “Déjà Vu” is complete with the prominent echoing male background vocals in the chorus.

Ambramson’s strength comes when she is talking versus belting out her lyrics so that they become almost indistinguishable. This is demonstrated in “Skull & Crossbones,” which becomes almost monotone and predictable while “Red River Valley” presents her strengths with conversational lyrics.

The latter builds and builds in intensity and wraps up with a full chorus feel that is repetitive, yet impactful.

As a new band, “The Abramson Singers” noted that this album would help them find their sound. I would recommend they stick to the “Fight or Flight” slower style, complete with the echoing vocals.

Overall, I enjoyed The Abramson Singer’s new album “Late Risers,” which will be available on their website www.leahabramson.com.