Album Review: Subtle - exitingArm

If you haven’t heard of San Francisco’s Subtle, that’s okay—Doseone is fully aware. In a recent interview with Pitchfork Media, the sextet’s frontman noted the low sales of the band’s last single (“The Mercury Craze”) and its relation to the fortuity of pop success in general: “It’s just a window you throw shit at…whether we get through or not doesn’t fucking matter.”

Don’t let Doseone’s cavalier attitude fool you though—he wants you to know who Subtle is. He’d like you to pick up their new record, exitingARM, which was out May 13th. Subtle, unlike most contemporary hip-hop projects, has a knack for focusing on content as meticulously as their music, often blurring the boundaries of the genre in the process (think: hip-hop, synth-pop, indie rock, and baroque).

And we all know how esotericism loves company: “When we play a 600 person venue, there's 300 people” says Doseone (aka Adam Drucker). “When we play a 300-person venue, there's 210. So, it’s getting missed.”

“It” is a trilogy of sorts, starting with the band’s 2004 debut, A New White, and ending with their upcoming release exitingArm. Throughout the series, Doseone spins the story of “Hour Hero Yes,” a fictional protagonist/rapper who subsists in a dark, surrealistic reality. The concept is ambitious, though not necessarily unique—other groups, such as Coheed & Cambria, have attempted similar projects.

Still, Doseone has gone above and beyond the call of artistic investment. As of April 5th,, the 30 year-old poet has posted a 20,000 word “almanac” on exitingARM.com that serves as an outline for the epic.

“Why would people want to hear this awesome pop record and then go read the 20,000 words, in this day and age? I don't know,” he remarks. “It’s supposed to be a time capsule sort of thing…I'm anticipating people enjoying things through their teeth for the next 10 years.”
For the short term, at least, it seems that Subtle has adopted a more palatable sound—perhaps to gain wider exposure. Compared to A New White and for hero:: for fool (2006), the first half of exitingArm is far tamer aurally, substituting the stark textures of former work for more simplistic melodies. Unfortunately, the results are a bit bland, even forgettable. The title track especially signposts what’s to come in the next few songs: a wash of synths and beats that don’t really amount to much.

Only the second half of the album invokes the same level of experimentalism that overflows in the first two installments. “Gonebones” and “Providence” stand as the high points of the disc, with stronger hooks and instrumentation. “Wanted Found” also cleverly appropriates the string melody from “Middleclass Kill” (from for hero :: for fool), providing a sense of cohesiveness to the three albums.

exitingArm as whole, though, represents a gamble on Subtle’s part. The group has seemingly restrained their sound to rope in more listeners, leaving the substantive content in other arenas (www.exitingArm.com). Not that I can blame Doseone—the outfit’s first two efforts have gone largely unnoticed—but I get the sense that ultimately no one’s happy here: the songs aren’t poppy enough for mass appeal and will likely disappoint former enthusiasts as well.
But don’t rely on me. Ask your kids in about 20 years. That seems to be who Doseone’s gunning for anyway.