The Giraffes are back with the Brooklyn bands eighth album since forming in 1996. Cigarette sees the bands current line-up of Aaron Lazar, Damien Paris, Hannah Moorhead and Andrew Totolos recording at Apesauce studios with the album being mixed by Francisco Botero at Studio G in Brooklyn and James Dellatacoma at Orange Music Sound studio.
The album opens calmly and serenely with Baby Pictures a gentle feeling of warmth and happiness, of looking at pictures of a healthy happy new born baby, chilled out to rock that baby to sleep indie prog, with impressionistic lyrics painting the picture, of what turns out to be not so pleasant events.
Recent single Pipes is much more rage filled at the urban decay they are living in, hoping the water pipes are fixed and working properly, but of course they aren't, things that should take weeks to fix are still broken years later, while the USA slips into its role as a third world, first world country, the fuzzy riff is insistent and full of anger at the lies the politicians endlessly spout, instead of actually solving pressing problems, like having clean drinking water for all.
Limping Horse has just about enough energy to hit the road once more, the speedy riff rock gallops along, headlong ready to go on tour again, this is road ready to be a live anthem.
Dead Bird is stripped back acoustic strummed song with sweet harmonies that slowly builds, they search for some real freedom, so they no longer feel like a Dead Bird on the side of the road.
Million Year Old Song has squiggly Cameo infused funk guitar, hard scrabble spoken word, rapped vocals, about all sorts of pain and rage at injustice and global warming/Climate change over the Million years this song concerns itself with, the classic late 70's early 80's heavy metal guitar solo, feels both dated and current at the same time somehow.
Early singe The Shot isn't aimed at an orange ear, the slow proggy intro helps make clear they wanted to get caught, like they were hiding on a golf course, anything to force them to change their habits, here's hoping they get what they want. The best bit of this tune is the Spanish guitar breakdown, like they are battling toreadors hoping the Bull doesn't take them out.
The album closes with Lazarus who is slowly rising from the embers, coming back from the dead over and over again like a tragic soap character, this is darker than Bobby Ewings resurrection because this wasn't all a dream.
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