Herzog's Search fits well within the Slacker Rock genre readily applied to such classic artists like Pavement and others of the 1990's. This classification is however, a misnomer, in that it implies a band with a cynical eye and an ear for melody is somehow not trying. When in fact, the ability to make complex music and sentiments appear tossed off is an art unto itself, and not as easy as it sounds. This is not Slacker Rock. This is rock. An album in the classic sense of the word-best experienced from start to finish, beautiful in it's simplicity and execution. Think Science Fair-era Apples in Stereo and On Avery Island-era Neutral Milk Hotel, but don't think that this is a redundant recycling of decades old sounds. As a band, Herzog has a firm grasp on the entirety of the American Songbook, and they seamlessly incorporate elements from Power-pop, country, punk, folk, and more. Trust me, it works! Honest and intelligent lyrics about rust belt living, the unyielding march of age, and contentment and confusion about what that all really means-are packaged perfectly together here with soaring melodies, raised fist choruses, intricate multi-instrumental layering, well placed samples, and some wildly noisy breakdowns; an album in the classic sense of the word. Silence, West Boulevard, Static Shock, Town to Town, Living Alone, Paul Blart and the Death of Art, Head for the Hills, Moving Away, Steady Hands, Cautiously Optimistic, Slowest Romance
