It’s True | “Another Afterlife” | Album Review

Story by Jacob Zlomke 

| Published Apr 5, 2011

It’s True has been constantly on the verge of putting Omaha back on the indie music map, but always fallen somewhat short. In 2010, they played their “final show” after a powerful album release coupled with a stripped-down Adam Hawkins sort-of solo album, much to the chagrin of Omaha music critics across the map.

It’s True was a hometown hero, quite possibly a Bright Eyes for the new decade. The band had potential to achieve what so many other Omaha bands have been failed to do since Saddle Creek’s arguable peak with 2005’s “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning,” by Conor Oberst and the gang.

In 2011, though, It’s True is back with “Another Afterlife” and a somewhat different lineup. Songwriter Adam Hawkins has mostly abandoned the “Omaha Sound”--that which has been haunting the music scene since Simon Joyner’s heyday--and it’s for the best.

“Another Afterlife” succeeds because it’s different from what It’s True grew up around. It’s not the garage noise of Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship or Capgun Coup, and it’s got nothing to do with the folky rock that made Omaha famous. After ditching his surroundings, Hawkins then presents the listener with an album just shy of 30 minutes full of subtle references to the 90s alternative scene, but twisted with his own angelic voice and ambient guitar/synthesizer part.

The lyrics are sometimes simple to the point of corny and Hawkins might think a little too much of himself, but these are forgivable sins thanks mostly to the soaring instrumentals. The spacey ambiance prevails through most of the album, but almost every track has a moment where it really starts to rock, and, as good as Hawkins’ soft, melodious verses can be, that’s when the album is at its best.

“Another Afterlife” would be much better with more of those moments, and probably make the album not almost-embarrassingly-short. At the same time, it’s the tender, uninterrupted snippets that play like a voyeuristic moment between two silent lovers that one wouldn’t want to interrupt.

In the most general sense, it all works. Omaha’s new wonder-band strikes closer to next-big-thing than any other band has in some time, mostly because they decided to take it in a different direction. Memory is hard-pressed to recall a Nebraska band that used a synthesizer so spacey and melody so, well, melodic.

As a native Nebraskan and one that was raised on the nursing of Saddle Creek (who has, by the way, somehow not signed It’s True), it’d be nice to see “Another Afterlife” break on to the national music scene. But as good as it is, It’s True may be a few tracks shy of getting there just now.