Don't worry because even though Elliott Smith is gone, he's not forgotten. Albums chock-full of his music are still being released. If you're in the mood for the real Elliott Smith, listen to New Moon. It's a two CD collection of lovely lullabies (that will give you sweet dreams and crazy nightmares).
Be happy because, if you're in the mood for something Smithesque but not completely unoriginal, you can listen to Malcolm Middleton. Previously a member of the band Arab Strap, whose music straddled the edge of Goth (it's quite lugubrious) and Folk (the lyrics are often the defining characteristic), Malcolm Middleton has created three solo albums. I'm going to ignore the first two for today because they were created while he was still a member of Arab Strap, and instead concentrate on album number three: A Brighter Beat. The title for this album is ironically appropriate, for although the songs are preoccupied with death, depression, and lost love, they are distinctly more upbeat than most of what Arab Strap created. Not to imply that this is a collection of happy songs. You won't find any unicorns or a pot of gold on this side of the rainbow. It's more likely that after wallowing with Malcolm for a bit (maybe after a nasty breakup) you'll click your heels three times and ask to go home. Still, it's always a good idea to own an album that'll help you through the dark times, and A Brighter Beat is that kind of album.
The first song "We're All Going To Die" sounds emo, right? Wrong; this song has a sense of humor. Not only is the chorus a repeated sing-along of the words "you're gonna die, you're gonna die, you're gonna die alone", but Malcolm can sing them without cracking up and with a charming Scottish brogue. The song is dark, but also witty and dry.
"Death Love Depression Love Death" sounds cumbersome, but breaks into full-out rock mode after a few crooned lyrics. It's probably the most badass track on the whole album, and it's also dark, but in a rock 'n' roll way.
"Stay Close Sit Tight" achieves a certain light beauty, but again, the lyrics are heavy. The lyrics of this song almost lurk behind the sweet piano, like a monster under your bed.
"Up Late At Night Again" captures that restless, sleepless, half-living feeling of insomnia. Why don't people sleep at night? The night is uncomfortable, and sometimes in the dark, all of your problems, failures, and regrets are thrown into sharp relief. In the day, you can forget some of these things because there are people around you and things feel alive; but at night you wrestle with your deepest fears.
My favorite song on the album is a little penultimate masterpiece called "Superhero Songwriters". This song has drama and depth, and the title itself speaks of something huge that you can't live up to: a superhero. "Stop dreaming, start living..." and "I'm getting older..." are a few of the depressing realizations that come to light in this song, but despite the weight of these ideas, the strings move with grace through the song.
To be honest, I think this whole album is a reckoning with that hideen monster: depression. Depression lurks around every corner and in every crevice, but unlike Elliott Smith, Malcolm Middleton seems to have enough humor to pull himself from under that ever-present monster. It's comforting, in a way, to know that other people are fighting their demons. I hope he wins his fight.
No comments:
Post a Comment