Nervous Curtains
Out of Sync with Time (2010)
Brian Shultz
Nervous Curtains is a side project for Sean Kirkpatrick, that of erratic, jagged indie rockers the Paper Chase. It makes a lot of sense, as this particular album, Out of Sync with Time, features piano-heavy, downtrodden rock with a nervous, demonic flair about it too.
Consequently, comparisons are pretty easy to make towards Kirkpatrick's abovementioned full-time gig, but his vocals aren't as adventurous as John Congleton's, and the music isn't quite as dynamic. There is, however, other semi-sinister elements at play where a Radiohead or even Muse comparison--what about that constant keyboard fuzz in something like "It's Cramped in the Casket"--might be warranted (as much as Kirkpatrick might hate to hear it). Lead track "Accomplice" is probably the most single-worthy and warranting of said comparison, with Kirkpatrick sneering a chorus through his teeth over an able piano melody.
The album generally seems to follow the same linear path and it's rough for songs to stand out as a result--much like a weaker Paper Chase album, maybe. Some more clever percussion work sparks "Hearing Something That Is Not There" and there's a tinge of mood change for its chorus that's rather graceful in a bizarre, unexplainable way (and the blatant Bob Dylan aping at the end is kinda funny). The balladic touch of "Indebted to the Causes" helps it stick out, as does the interestingly heightened tension in the cover of the Minutemen's "Jesus and Tequila." With the latter, it translates to Nervous Curtains' agitated mode incredibly well, and it's easily one of the album's major highlights.
By and large, however, Out of Sync with Time is a little lengthy and vaguely same-y, but it's got an undeniable atmosphere and procession about it.