Is #027a78 blue or green? It's a continuum midpoint, but my brain demands to snap label it. So opening with "Sedona" I snap label into a full indie rock feel, but then "Otis" lets me know it's definitely country. This sort of pinballing doesn't end in Little Neon Limelight which just ends in -me- feeling silly wanting so badly to label it. Maybe that's what "Americana" is.
Perhaps that's the point? The loose triangulation of genres provides plenty of tools to keep the album varied and fresh. Outside the double opener you have slower tunes like "Gasoline" next to quicker ear worms like "15 Years" and "Say It." A few rivets like the opening to "For No One", or a thesis statement in "My Cousin Greg." The variety is nice, but what is Houndmouth? Ah, I'm doing it again.
Maybe my best Houndmouth guess is a live honky-tonk band that would absolutely kill in that environment, and this is a sophomore studio album from said live band. Even at its best, I probably won't spend a lot more time with it, for the same reasons I wouldn't spend more time with American Beauty. That's okay—wouldn't want to spend too much time in the limelight.
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