Recoil MagazineApril 2010
Inside the gorgeously designed packaging of the third release from the increasingly indescribable septet Their Teeth Will Be of Lions, frontman Glennerd Michael Willis issues an introduction asking for a close listen, preferably on vinyl (as it’s their first release on the format). They earn such rapt attention in the 10 tracks that follow, and anyone who has followed TTWBOL’s climb, or anyone with an appreciation for artistic honesty, should admire the disc as a chronicle. Truth be told, True Stories is best experienced on vinyl, due to its strong side-one/side-two song-ordering, and packs plenty for diehards (a recorded take on TTWBOL’s live-version of the “Disco Intro” from their first full-length, and an extended outro from their previous EP) alongside new material featuring some of the band’s strongest, straight-out choruses (“Nickels & Dimes”), and prettiest, poppiest moments (“I Gave Her The Time of Day ‘Cause She was a Christian Like The Devil,” where vocalist Jay Darbee Dykehouse simply shines). Willis continues a fascinating vocal transformation, allowing his less wild singing voice to come through, frequently paired with Dykehouse, and complementing the band’s complete embracement of the banjo as another instrument in its massive arsenal of sounds. Some may make lazy Modest Mouse comparisons or draw similar assumptions due to their bailing on the dance-party for the darker discussions taking place on the back-porch, although doing so discredits the mature, truly shared spotlight all seven members of the band command and the wondrous way they make it all sound like one. TTWBOL will release True Stories April 17 at The Strutt in Kzoo. — Eric Mitts
RevueApril 15, 2010
Returning from the spirited, high-energy swagger of its 2008 album, Their Teeth Will Be of Lions have switched to gnawing on a darker sound, in keeping with its 2009 EP The Death.The Reincarnation.And The Unfamiliar Tales Of. The band's newest album, titled True Stories Are Harder to Make Up, drags the indie-rock septet from Kalamazoo, Mich. into a tussle with death, breaking points, and survival.
Sharp-edged, minor chords, and vein-popping, belted notes inform the earnest grit of the lyrics sung by Glennerd Willis and Jeanette "Jay" Dykehouse on the album. In "Even a Broken Watch Is Correct Twice a Day," the electric guitar, bass, percussion, and screams of the vocalists pull listeners into a sort of living Hell, allowing the lyrics to pose questions about God's abandonment of humanity. For a change of pace, the dawdling banjo in "I Went to Minnesota Not to be Alone" addresses the lonely and empty side of dying. The most humorous side of the album is the length of the song titles, like "I Gave Her the Time of Day ‘Cause She Was a Christian Like the Devil" and "My Teeth Aren't as Straight as They Used to Be.Kinda Like Your Spine," which rub against the gravity of the lyrics.
To snatch a free CD of this album, be one of the first 100 people to join Their Teeth Will Be of Lions at The Strutt in Kalamazoo on April 17. The band's vinyl and CD release party begins at 9 p.m. and features special guests The Skies Revolt, Hello Victor, Ghosts of the Great Lakes, Glennerd and the Bastard Few, and Toro and the National Guard.
— Rebecca Lee
