The members of The Narrator live in Chicago, but none of them are from there. Singer/guitarist Sam Axelrod is from uptown Manhattan. Drummer Kevin Vlack is from Colorado. Bassist James Barron is from downriver Detroit and singer/guitarist Jesse Woghin is from all over, but mostly Long Island and Dallas. They’ve been around for a few years, driven around the country a bunch and made a few recordings, all of which are on Flameshovel, the label they love. Perhaps their greatest aspirations lie with continuing to do the things they do and have people come to their shows and enjoy them. It doesn’t seem like much, but really it is.

During the writing of their new album, All That to the Wall, The Narrator underwent some pretty heavy changes, which included the departure of their first drummer. Maybe this slimming down further forced the boys in a direction they were already headed, or maybe it served to remind them of what they loved about being here in the first place. Regardless, the band hunkered down in the studio and brought along friends – and mostly label mates – from the likes of Oxford Collapse, Russian Circles, Bound Stems, Sybris, Tight Phantomz and Lying In States to help make things right. Ultimately, the-new-look-Narrator has resurfaced as the delicious popcorn these kernels have always had inside of them, making a record that they’re truly proud of and really want you to hear.

Due to their general dislike of most band bios, we’ve asked Sam to continue this informative missive with his song-by-song comments for All That to the Wall:

01. “Son of the Son of the Kiss of Death” – It’s only fitting that we opened the record with fake drums considering the fact that we didn’t really have a drummer at the time. Dave [Turncrantz] from Russian Circles plays drums on half the record. He generally plays on the darker and/or heavier songs. Plays like a monster. We were very fortunate to have him.

02. “August 32nd“– Dan [Fetherston] from Oxford Collapse plays drums on the other half. He’s the one who kinda sounds like an amped-up Bill Berry. He plays on more of the lighter and/or poppier songs. It was his idea to “Nu Bruise” the drums at the beginning of this one. Good call. This is the first song I know of to contain the phrase “fields of koosh.”

03. “Speeding up the Gang” – This song expands on that Blink-182 song that goes “Work sucks, I know…” I took that and really ran with it.

04. “SurfJew” – The hit. In the ever popular key of Eb, maybe. Somehow we could never come up with a better title.

05. “Panic at Puppy Beach” – Against [engineer Mike] Lust’s wishes we tried to find the most Winwood-esque keyboard sound possible for this one. One review of our 1st album [Such Triumph, 2005] predicted something about us “pussying out” on our next record. Wonder how that guy will feel about this song. Or the next one.

06. “All the Tired Horses” – Bob Dylan cover from the rarely acclaimed Self Portrait LP. Recorded the vocals in the middle of the night with all three of us on one mic in the hallway of the spooky industrial building that Phantom Manor resides in. The ballad that is the B-side of the SurfJew 7” was originally supposed to be on the album, but everyone agreed that this one was too good not to be included on the album, so we flipped ‘em.

07. “Start Parking” – Huck Finn on the banks of the Mississippi. No crocodile tears in the city of redemption. The day our band became a trio, a little drunk roughhousing led to me slightly breaking the index finger on my fretting hand, which in turn created the droney “splint” note that carries throughout the first half of the song.

08. “Papal Airways” – An older, significantly more inferior version of this song appears on a compilation that just might be the coaster your beer is residing on right now. Speaking of comps, if anyone knows where Ken Whatshisname from Iowa has been hiding, please let us know. We mailed him an inferior version of a different song years ago for his comp that was seemingly never released. Also, for those air-drumming along at home, you can find my favorite fill on the record at 2:04 here.

09. “Breaking the Turtle” – Song for the singer of Russian Circles. I know what you’re thinking: where’s the bass? No bass! If it was good enough for the Doors… Apologies from our band to the entire city of New London, CT.

10. “A Decade in Kentucky” – It always bugs me when bands put their two longest songs next to each other on an album, yet somehow we went ahead and did it anyway. I hate us. The commotion heard towards the end of this song consists of the gang making a racket with anything loud we could find in the studio. Lust chose to make his noise by flying into the room, knocking us all down and spitting beer in my face.

11. “Chocolate Windchimes” – I think Jesse’s lyrics here are the best he’s ever written. As the self-appointed sentimentalist of the band I was near tears the first few times we listened to it in mixing. Except for some reason I can’t actually cry. It’s cool. Arguably the 2nd guitar solo in Narrator history. Also, as far as I’m concerned, anyone who can navigate Pittsburgh in the dark is a fucking genius.

In closing, somewhere along the way, while trying to make a record about weather, geography, religion, sex, nostalgia, hanging out, waiting, aging, quitting and leaving, The Narrator accidentally made one about the end of their band. Oops. This seems a little presumptuous or pretentious; we’re not entirely sure which one. In these post-modern times, though, interpretation is the best part. Regardless of your choice and regardless of whether or not they make another album, All That to the Wall is already standing the test of time, as it’s the tale that’s spun in getting there that’s the best part. Or as Aerosmith put it in some crappy 80’s song: “Life’s a journey, not a destination.” Or something like that.