When For Against singer/songwriter/bassist/guitarist Jeffrey Runnings died of an advanced form of cancer last year, he didn’t just leave behind an impossibly sterling catalog of such consistency it should make bigger, lesser bands jealous. He also contributed to his legacy one last time, completing his second solo album before he passed. Home recorded on an eight-track cassette machine, the (mostly) instrumental Piqued rolls out like a catalog of the Nebraskan’s influences: the Chameleons, Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, Gary Numan, Talk Talk, the Smiths, the Sound. That’s not to say Runnings simply displays his record collection in song, however – outside of his skill at writing beautifully melodic tunes and acerbically romantic lyrics, his most singular ability is in filtering all of his atmospheric British influences through his forthright Midwestern sensibility. Lush arrangements meet straightforward tunes; arrangements distill foggy instrumentation into earthy sentiment. The anthemic balladry of “Batman Forever” and the gloomy synthwave of “Follow” contrast with the tense throb of “Light of My Life” and the driving power of “Heretofore” – all focused through the lens of a restless, desperately creative mind. Had circumstances been different, the record might well have kickstarted a new phase of Runnings’ long career, rather than become his elegy. Regardless, Piqued evokes a vision that’s reflective of its creator’s musical loves without being shackled to them.
