FEATURED REVIEW................................................28 FEBRUARY 2005
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Artist:
CLEM SNIDE |
Alt.country is dead; long live alt.country.
Sorry, that was a cheap tag line. No, this is not one of those reviews--we are not bemoaning the state of the genre. (What genre? Genres are for putzes.) It's just that the opening lines of Clem Snide's new album give a person pause.
"You're so
sophisticated,
Your mind's been liberated,
You're the first to know,
When a movement's come and gone.
Just as the curtain closes,
I strike authentic poses..."
Moving to Nashville, hiring on Paul Burch, recording a few overtly "alt.country" numbers ("Jews for Jesus Blues" and "Weird," which could be a long-lost Old 97s tune)--Eef Barzelay is striking authentic poses. And we want to be sophisticated, dammit. But, alas, we're years too late. People have been griping that "the movement" has come and gone, since, well, somewhere around Still Feel Gone.
So to hell with all that. End of Love isn't an alt.country album in the strictest sense, but it is vintage Clem Snide. Witty and well-crafted, with the requisite allotments of sarcasm and slant references, the album rewards hipsters and alt.country aficionados alike.
Still, there are a few small stumbling blocks for the cheeze snobs among us. "Made for TV Movie" is one. For the most part, the song is compelling--an amusing-yet-heartwrenching tale which couples a Lucille Ball biopic with a warbling meditation on what makes a story work. Sandwiched in the middle, however, is an entire verse of la-la-la's. To make matters worse, the la-la-la's are a duet between Mr. Barzelay and what is apparently a very, very young child. It is just odd enough (and Barzelay is just clever enough) to cause us to wonder whether this isn't some ironic commentary on what makes a song work. Nonetheless, if there's an alternate take of this song, it probably should have made the final cut.
Elsewhere, the track "When We Become" is just a bit too precious (particularly on the chorus) and, although we really dig "Something Beautiful," we understand how some might object to the falsetto refrain, "You make me wanna..."
In summation: A clever, well-contructed album. Eef and the boys get a cheezeball and a half, however, for including a few unaccountable head-scratchers.
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A NOTE ON THE RATING SYSTEM:
5 CHEEZEBALLS = UNLISTENABLE SCHLOCK
3 CHEEZEBALLS = A DIFFICULT SLOG
1 CHEEZEBALL = THE ODD FORGIVABLE MISSTEP
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