(Matador: 2009)
Allan Carl Newman (AC or Newman hereafter) has, in a single decade, cemented an enviable place for himself in the history of great Canadian music. To me, that's both at once a remarkable and an immensely difficult thing to do. And I'm not necessarily talking record sales, profit made, or legions of adoring preteen/teen youngsters scratching at the heels of his celebrity (although he probably does dandily in all three categories). No, we are talking about quality, about perceived sensibility, about ability, and finally about legacy, to name a few aspects. From his early days with Superconductor to his meteoric rise with The New Pornographers to his more recent solo records, Newman has been a lightning rod for success.
While these are kind words, it wasn't always this way. It has taken me literally years to "get into" Newman's stuff. I was always more partial to Dan Bejar's and to a lesser extent, Neko Case's musical styles. I should mention that I still like Destroyer more than The New Pornographers or anything Neko Case has done, but I suppose what has changed is: a) Neko Case falls to the bronze position, and b) Newman is now in the silver position. I still feel AC is much too polished for my liking but that doesn't mean he's not uber-talented; his songs are well written and most of them are much better than quite a lot of the Pornographers' stuff.
In 2008, Newman released his second solo album, Get Guilty, and hoo-boy was it a dandy! I am still cautious about Newman, as I'm not completely sold on him yet. In spite of my respect for him I still have to hold him at arm's length. I wonder though, if he can make a song that doesn't sound great. Below is a track listing with some comments on the tracks I like the most.
1. "There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve" - Forget opening your new solo album with a humble plea - go straight for the podium! This song is pretty classic - loud intro, soft verses, loud injunctions between verses. I can only imagine what this song would sound like with a full backing band - after each verse there is a majestic ascension of noise that, for some reason, makes me think of "the motherland," though his lyrics denote something a mite more melancholy or wistful: "Once there was a haunted loop/Of your deep fallen tears/Forehead resting on a record shelf/Amid moving boxes stacked/I'm still waiting for the right words/Make of that what you will."
2. "The Heartbreak Rides" - This is kind of a cute song if you take it literally (and I do). It's a frenetic road trip down the west coast out of Vancouver (or Seattle, or Portland, etc...) and into California. Maybe the girl represents the heartbreak; a gutless man who can't say no to the woman of his dreams. Maybe, maybe not.
3. "Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer" - A rollicking acoustic-driven piece, this is what I have come to expect from Newman. I say acoustic-driven, but it would be easily adapted to suit more players. Seems I can hear some feedback and accordion and - what is that? A flute?
4. "Prophets" - As one listens to this album, it gets increasingly hard to find any real fault with the music itself. It's almost as if they have been perfectly engineered - and maybe that's what the issue is: they just sound so good, too good. Anyways, "Prophets" reminds me of The Mountain Goats in the best way possible.
5. "Submarines Of Stockholm" - Again, a nice song but there is a "something" here that puts me in a sea of unease. Although I do really like the sonar-like sound in the background.
6. "Thunderbolts" - Finally, a song that I dislike! It's much too stop-and-start for this album, i.e. the flow doesn't sit well with the previous songs, and it's really annoying at this point in the record. The repetitive "They let you let you ride" is grating, as is the full stop that occurs throughout the song.
7. "The Palace At 4A.M." - This is a really great song, probably one of my top 3 on this album. Maybe it's just me, but I can totally see most of these songs being used in future Pornographer's concerts - I guess that's not altogether surprising considering AC is the main force behind most of their songs.
8. "The Changeling (Get Guilty)" - Another gem, this song bounces along until the chorus, which is a simple and sweet "Change your mind!"
9. "Elemental" - I might regret saying this but, I think Destroyer should immediately cover this song only in order to make it 20 times better. I think he's trying a little too hard here.
10. "Young Atlantis" - From the beginning violin intro to the ending triangle chime, this song is hands down my favourite song on the album, and certainly one of my favourite songs in general. Whether or not it is the piano, or the strings, or the great guitar riff the chorus holds, or the imagery of the lyrics (I've always been a sucker for Atlantis), this song has it all. Again, I don't know if that's a bad thing but the beauty of this song has overshadowed the unease felt previously....for now.
11. "The Collected Works" - Another sparkling effort by Newman is allowing me to enjoy this album more. This song belongs in the same category of "The Palace at 4A.M." and "Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer" for its pure "rocking" nature. The piano-guitar combo here is pretty amazing and the underlying drumbeat is instantly both recognizable and lovable (I want to say that it has given many a band a hit song or two, but I have no proof at the moment).
12. "All Of My Days And All Of My Days Off" - A nice song, but nothing special.
Looking back, I can say that I did give Newman more than a fair chance. More than that, I was rooting for him the whole way through. That probably skewed some of my comments and perceptions of his music. Yet, as much as I would like to I cannot separate his solo work from that of The New Pornographers. That in itself is not a bad thing. It's only that a lot of these songs could be on a Pornographers album - and that's a testament to AC Newman's individual genius as I've come to respect him and his abilities much more in light of this particular album.
There are standout tracks among a lot of better-than-average songs. In my opinion, those that stand out include: There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve, Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer, The Palace At 4A.M., The Collected Works, and Young Atlantis. Now, that's almost half of the album but depending on your musical leanings, it could be more or less. One might say that Newman relies too much on a formula, or is too technical, or possibly his stuff is too polished, but compared to what passes for music these days many of those criticisms, while well-founded, seem a bit redundant. It doesn't change the fact that this album is 3/4 potential singles and easily lend themselves to a larger complement of players, should the need (or tour) arise. And with that, I will give this album two thumbs up with the caveat that if you're a big fan of spontaneity in music and albums you will be very disappointed. Everything on this album seems to be perfectly placed, produced, and constructed.
No comments:
Post a Comment