RECORD RELEASE: THE WESTERN CIVILIZATION

We can’t remember the book specifically, but we’re pretty sure it’s Samuel P Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. No seriously, it’s a wicked page-turner. And, if we’ve got the book right, somewhere in it is this great statement about how, in spite of all the bitching and moaning to the contrary, Western Civilization (as opposed to Islamic or Hindu or Orthodox or Sinic or Latin American or Sub-Saharran) hasn’t really caught on in the rest of the world.

This proposition doesn’t dispute the rather one-way transmission of Western cultural and commercial brands and iconography like Pepsi, Elvis or the Marlboro Man. Rather, it posits that things like the rule of law, freedom of thought or expression and representative government are the true embodiment of Western Civilization, and that nobody should really get that worked up that a cab driver in Serbia is listening to The White Album.

Put another way, who gives a lick that some bastard Sudanese is wearing Levis when he commits genocide; him liking Donald Duck doesn’t count for spit if he hasn’t bought into the theory that you shouldn’t maim, rape and/or kill people because they have different ideas about what God is.

Ok, how does this record review feel so far? Pretty heavy, right – you weren’t exactly expecting a Darfur reference when you typed in the URL were you? Yeah, now find the opposite of that response: That’s way more akin to the listening experience of Letters of Resignation, the debut full length by local kids The Western Civilization.

First off, from its core to the carmel skin around it, this is a pop record (and we do not consider that a derisive label, quite the contrary). It’s rich and textured and beautifully produced, full of duets and accompaniments, be they male/female vocals, live/machine drums or guitar/ harmonica/ chimes/ organs/ whatever. Real Talk: This is one of the best sounding local releases to come out of Houston in years. Unlike the sparseness of WestCiv member and Mia Kat Empire label-mate Gretchen Schmaltz’s solo work, this record doesn’t want you going through it alone; even at its quietest moments, they make sure every instrument has at least one hand to hold.

And while Letters is not peck-and-a-smile blush-pop, even in its most dire gullies you still get the sense that the travails of which they speak are surmountable; that far from no hope, they are on the chapter subsequent or at the very least know that the stitches will be out soon. You will not find the grit and balm of too much time lived in the heart of smog on Letters. For every time this record will make you want to get off the highway and take a meandering FM road, there are an equal number of moments where you'll mash the gas and beat the cameras when yellow turns to red.

No doubt some of you, our readers, will not like this record. “I don’t like the words” or “It sounds like someone else” you might say. And that’s ok. The Western Civilization isn’t trying to be as one-size-should-fit-all Western Civilizationally as gender equality. They’re a great pair of jeans, and while they may not fit everyone, they fit us – and Letters of Resignations is more than worth trying on for size. Recommended.

Catch The Western Civilization Saturday at the Westheimer Block Party, 2:30 PM on the Mango’s inside stage. Or, wait until later that night, when they’ll be playing their own record release party along with Peekaboo Theory and Buxton at Walter’s on Washington (cover charge includes a copy of the CD).