Tiger’s Jaw - The Sun

Yes, it’s true that Midwest emo has garnered a reputation for being somewhat formulaic. I mean, I don’t think there’s a town in the Midwest that any of these bands haven’t wanted to run away from or have walked the tired streets of. They surely can’t all be that bad? Factor in a few simplistic chords and a good chunk of soundbites from films you likely saw in college, front ending a lot of them, and it can leave people a little sour on the idea of much originality in the genre.

Still, even in a space that feels a little homogenous, there are always bands like Tiger’s Jaw. Partially because they’re not actually from the Midwest - Scranton, Pennsylvania, is one town I don’t think it’s possible to get tired of the same old streets and everyone you knew from your childhood in. The paper supply company that was the inspiration for the setting of the US version of The Office? A fatal banana truck accident? More people should be moving TO Scranton; it sounds like there’s always something going on. 
So, what makes Tiger’s Jaw the Scranton of the not-the-Midwest Midwest emo scene? While there’s never a lack of energy in the genre, Tiger’s Jaw brings the brightness and the gloom with a sense of authenticity. There's an efficaciousness to their effervescence (Word of the Day calendar coming in clutch there) that just gets the job done, without it having that pandering feel that overrides any sort of genuine emotion. Yes, we were all sad and horny teenagers, Fall Out Boy, that doesn’t mean we need a bracketed song title and enough similes to choke a librarian to remind us.

Now I’ve got all my inspired big words out of the way, we can get down to business with The Sun, our esteemed Rock Song of the Week pick this time out. And it’s a helluva track, too; mixing just a dash of punk anger with a few heaping dashes of melancholy to create something that, despite sounding light on the surface, has a little more depth than a good chunk of its contemporaries. It’s a treat! Oh, and if anyone from Tiger’s Jaw is reading, by the way, next time out we need a song about the fatal banana truck incident. You can’t let Harry Chapin have all the fun there.