The Reputation – The Reputation

 

The Reputation – The Reputation

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

 

Being in a band can be tough. Playing at dingy bars, operating on very little sleep, being malnourished on long van rides. It’s no life for the faint of heart. But try doing it while attending law school. 

So was the case for Elizabeth Elmore while fronting The Reputation. While she was used to the riggers of the road – she previously fronted Champaign, IL stalwarts Sarge – she was not used to juggling that with studying for the bar. 

All of which informed her writing on The Reputation. The self-deprecating tone and power pop guitar riffs of her previous work are out in full force. But now they are flanked by the experiences of someone who has actually lived.

Take the eight-minute, mellotron flanked epic “For The Win.” Beyond the dense sonic landscape she creates, Elmore tells a story of a relationship which has become purely physical. The glacial pace only adds to the emotional resonance. 

Another set of high points are the back-to-back introspective tracks “This Town” and “Alaskan.” “This Town” describes an almost universal feeling of not fitting in and being shunned by peers.

It gets to the point that the singer blames herself for the rejection, and it’s easy to empathize with her plight. Musically the track resembles Pavement’s “Starlings of the Slipstream” with majestic electric guitars. It also features an organ solo played by Wilco’s Jay Bennett.

“Alaskan” is a mid-tempo rock song with an R&B flare to the vocals. This is where the self-deprecation comes in. Elmore seems to know that she doesn’t have the vocal chops to truly pull it off, but she sings with just enough conviction for it to avoid sounding amateurish.

Speaking of amateurs, “The Stars of Amateur Hour” is perhaps the greatest highlight. A chiming pop-punk riff introduces a sordid tale of drunk nights and hungover mornings. When Elmore quips “welcome to the grown-up world,” it is the ultimate diss on adult children.

But the album closer might be the most surprising cut. After two minutes of silence following “For The Win,” the listener is treated to a cover of “Almost Blue” by Elvis Costello. It’s just Elmore on vocals and Jay Bennett on piano, but the haunting delivery and gender reversal is oddly effective.

Elizabeth Elmore is no longer active in the music scene. She went on to be a war crimes prosecutor in The Hague, which certainly has a wider impact than leading an indie band.

Although Elmore moved onto bigger and better things outside of music, her legacy as a heart-on-the-sleeve songsmith still shines.

Initial Records/2002