”Head to Head: Round 5” by Mercer & Pickart

The Counterfactuals : Minimally Decent People

Ian Mercer

It’s easy to imagine the Counterfactuals as an imaginary band that the Carleton administration invented in order to get some filler for an alumni magazine. The story is almost too good to be true: four professors (from different sides of the river no less) came together to write an “indie-folk-rock” album of soaring positivity and sing-along choruses. The students love them. They are all charming, handsome young men with impressive résumé’s and bright futures.

With a history like this, I admit that I am impressed that the Counterfactuals don’t sink into a twee-soaked pit of corniness. Yes, it’s true that most of their lyrical content is concerned with stars, saddles, twisted rivers, and the great state of Indiana, but the musical means with which they express this rather boring subject matter certainly avoids any sense of generic-ness. Lead singer/philosophy professor/songwriter Dan Groll has a robust and, most importantly to me, in-tune voice. His melodic lines are the highlight of the album, deftly weaving in dissonances, impressive jumps, and satisfying cadences. The other elements mainly stick to their guns, with a few keys and flugelhorns appearing every once in awhile. It’s not standard instrumentation by any means, but a little spice wouldn’t have hurt.

Instrumentation aside, one must note the strongest element of the whole work: the production value. MDA was mostly recorded in the basement of the concert hall (yes, that concert hall over by Hulings). It’s a terribly dry, echoing room, but the Counterfactuals somehow got their tech, instruments, and acoustics to all align, making this album sound as if it’s on a major label. It’s impressive work, and if the album credits aren’t stretching the truth, it was all apparently done by the band themselves.

My Verdict: They’re a bit corny and a bit boring, but in the end they have made a seriously impressive debut album that I listen to on my own time (the highest commendation of all).

David Pickart

If you’re a Carleton or St. Olaf student, chances are you’ve heard at least a passing mention of the Counterfactuals, Northfield’s resident professorial folk-rock outfit. With their debut album, Minimally Decent People, this quartet has let loose their brand of indie Americana from the confines of The Cow and into the ears of the world at large.

In their many moons of playing together, The Counterfactuals have gotten their pleasant, homegrown sound pinned down to a T. Steadily strummed rhythms, understated just-fuzzy-enough guitar leads, and a healthy dose of tambourine all contribute to a warm musical atmosphere that plays nicely with vocalist Dan Groll’s conversational vocal style. They don’t run the formula into the ground on the album, either; the band does a good job of incorporating some foreign elements (synth, horns, and Wurlitzer keys) as needed to liven up a few tracks. Many Counterfactuals songs are built on a sort of jamming structure, without a distinct verse or chorus, that builds up momentum as more parts are added. When this works, it really works—tracks like “Hindsight” and “Hold On For The Sign” roll along with a carefree energy that evokes a top-down drive through the Midwestern countryside. But when it doesn’t work, the repetition could leave listeners’ fingers itching for the skip button. Furthermore, some otherwise-stellar tracks are marred by awkward moments, when Groll overextends a lyrical phrase or an unconventional chord choice falls flat. Once these songwriting missteps are figured out, and the Counterfactuals find a better balance between the energy of a jam and the comfort of traditional structure, the resulting product will be far beyond minimally decent.

My verdict: Minimally Decent People is a strong first album that establishes the Counterfactuals as a musical force to be reckoned with, perhaps beyond their previously local scale. I’m excited to see what comes next for this burgeoning group.