Caleb Pate and Nephi Evans evoke a Floydian, futuristic scene with acoustic-driven psych-rock that flows at a spacewalk’s pace. With track names like "Constellation" and "Lunar One", it’s clear that Life Embarrasses Me On Planet Earth is intended to portray a modern, earthly disillusion in favor of a seemingly evolved, intergalactic experience.
What makes the album actually feel like something out of this world is the combination of a languid vocals, mechanical effects, and a ponderous tempo. Pate’s vocals are often low and callous, and occasionally mixed with snarky falsettos. He uses a narrative croon to enhance the concept of a less physical, more conscious human existence. On "Lunar One", he sings through what seems to be a spacecraft’s PA system while lasered effects, mellow guitars, and dramatic strings coast by, giving the feeling of being stuck in orbit. "Grays" has a trippy drumbeat pushing a low-key piano while guitars drone in waves. "Haven’t Been Yourself" recalls Dark Side of the Moon more than any other track.
The dramatic guitar on a lot of Life Embarrasses Me On Planet Earth neatly keeps the humble, modern music connection within all of the futuristic effects. The opening, standout track, "Music is the Wine" is a nimble acoustic shuffle with seductive piano and vocals on what’s easily the most uptempo track on the album. "Constellation" has a similarly effective tune, but strips the acoustic guitar, and cuts the speed by two-thirds. "Sufferbus" is the most electric, with a distorted guitar track and more urgent vocals than the rest. Throughout most of the album, though, the guitar becomes an ethereal kite string, guiding the typically slow pace with a heavy gravity.
As much of a space-rock album as their ever was, Seventeen Evergreen’s debut is set in orbit, outside of the everyday animalistic world. Airy, but warm, Life Embarrasses Me On Planet Earth hints at the future of man while at least peeking at it from a distance.
