Customer Reviews

The Instigator

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Anyone who has followed the evolution of Miller's band Old 97's will likely accept this solo CD as the next step in Miller's journey from cowpunk/country-rock to power pop. While a few tracks on "The Instigator", such as the wonderfully gritty and country-tinged "The El" or "Four Eyed Girl" would not sound out of place on recent Old 97's discs, most of this outing finds Miller pouring his heart out in smart, short, sweet pop songs. The ballad "Come Around" may be THE song that breaks Miller into VH1 land but it won't be because he sold his soul or drastically changed his sound. The song is beautiful, believable, and instantly catchy and it's just one of several that really shine on this CD. Other higlights include "Our Love", a nice under 3-minute rave up; the autobiographical "This Is What I Do"; "Things That Disappear", co-written with producer Jon Brion; and "Point Shirley", featuring some great back-up vocals from Robyn Hitchcock. For fans of Old 97's it goes like this: If you liked their last two albums then you'll love "The Instigator". If you're a bigger fan of the "Wreck Your Life"/"Too Far To Care" days then this CD may leave you longing. Finally, if you have no idea who the Old 97's are but do like artists such as Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, Glen Philips, or John Mayer then Rhett Miller will make your day.

this infectious pop will never find its way to the airwaves and that's probably a good thing. it's way too smart for the masses. rhett miller, whoever he may be, is definitely an amazing songwriter. these songs are simply drooling with melody and rhythm. above that are smart to smart *ss lyrics that can make you laugh and cry within a single song.

i dare you to listen more than twice without becoming a rhett miller addict for life. you'll be jonesing for his next solo work, and you'll suddenly find yourself buying music from a band called "Old 97's" just because he's a member. This is really good stuff!!!

If you're an oldtime Old 97's fan, you know pretty well the evolution of the band: indie alt-country heroes to major-label power-poppers with heaps of critical praise, just THAT close to being big rock stars. This album, the first (or second) major solo release from lead singer Rhett Miller (depends on if you count Mythologies, about 12 years ago), does not sound like the 97's. But who cares?
It's full of classy, peppy pop songs that are quirky and clever without sounding too pretentious or precious. Rhett can make high-falutin' allusions (Kafka and Wagner IN THE SAME TRACK!) without sounding like a snob, and he can deliver earnest love songs, upbeat rockers... you name the song, he can probably do it.
Rhett is probably not going for a no. 1 single with this album, but he doesn't have to... these songs stand alone as great songs, and together they make a great album. The writing combines an Elvis Costello-like intelligence and wit with a Ben Folds-like lighter touch. Altogether, it's a great album, and with only 12 tracks and a length of about 40 minutes, it's sure to leave you wanting more.

This, in my opinion, is not Rhett Millers best album. But I must admit that it is a near perfect collection of pop songs. The album is more consistant, song for song, than Fight Songs and Satellite Rides(Old 97's for those of you who are not fans yet). It is not as good as Too Far To Care. The reason being that these songs, as catchy as they are, tend to be more cute than clever. None of the lyrics on this record are as interesting as lyrics in songs such as Doreen, Barrier Reef, or House That Used To Be. These lyrics, although very good, sound a bit forced and usually have chorus' that do not add anything interesting,lyrically, to the songs.
Now that the gripes are out of the way I have to give the album its due. It is really hard to stop listening to. Some fans may have been expecting something different or will compare it to their favorite Old 97's albums and judge it harshly. I too miss the renegade, lovable loser, spirit of prior Rhett Miller songs and hopefully there will more of that in the future. But this album, taken for what it is, is better than Satillite Rides, and that is saying a lot. Songs like 'Our Love', 'Things That Disappear', 'World Inside The World', and 'The El' are vintage Rhett Miller songs. Even though some of the others can be overly cute and quirky they are still all likable in their own way.
I must say I still long for another 'Too Far To Care' or 'Hitchhike To Rhome'. But I secretly like this record a lot more than I feel I should. You will too, so go on out and get. It is a steal for the price.

Rhett Miller is the pop soul of the yin and yang of Old 97's alt-country elegance. Here Rhett goes solo and can come forth with his songcraftery. Rhett is equal parts Paul McCartney, Paul Westerberg, Paul Schaffer, and Les Paul. He knows his way around a song and knows how to keep you singing loud and laughing all the way to the watering trough.

"Hover," stands out as pure pop confectionery...but the sugar is addicting and not empty. Rhett smirks behind his lyrics and they reach at moments into stand-up comedy cultural riffs. For instance, "Wrapped up in each other, making loving out of nothing, like the Air Suppliers said." It don't get much better than that for wittery all the way from Dallas.

There does not exist a single weak track on Miller's "The Instigator." It's a disc you won't find yourself pushing the skip button...ever. It's repeat play on a twelve-hour drive good!

For wit, listen to this sh__, "Richard thought his letters to his lover Matilda were a mess, he should have quit before he had written the address, they made love on the mezzanine, her husband was his friend." Rich, I tell you, rich.

It is difficult to listen to any songs on Miller's offing here and not sing-along. Pt. Shirley, The El, Our Love, This is What I do are all so truly truly good. Miller has more musicianship in his little pinkie than Jessica Simpson has air between her ears. The highlight of the album goes to "Nervous Heart," which is a slow burner low-fi true-ism of a song. "You gotta give the world the finger, and sing a happy song. Can I kiss your furrowed brow and calm your nervous heart?" My brother hipped me to this CD and the 97's and for that I'll never forgive him. Now I'm ruined on most everything else and find others that I previously enjoyed falling short.

Sing on dear Rhett, sing on. The rest of us will sing right along with you until your old or until your 97 whichever comes first.
--MMW

I got this CD in the summer of 2003 and have been playing it regularly ever since. Yes, it is pop. Yes, it is full of hooks. Since when are those bad things? Isn't it okay to just rock out and enjoy catchy, clever straight-ahead rock-n-roll? I often buy CDs based on a hot single I hear on the radio. That often results in disappointment, where the hit is not representative of the balance of the CD. I bought this based on Miller's hit, "Come Around"... but now I thoroughly enjoy every song, particularly "Four-Eyed Girl" and "This is What I Do."

Rhett Miller is the lead singer/songwriter of the Old 97's, so let me get one thing out of the way right from the start: I've never been a big fan of the Old 97's. It's not that they're horrible or unlistenable in any way. In fact, the Old 97's can be depended on to put out solid albums of polite alt-country tunesmithery, all with a high level of songcraft and energetic musicianship. But despite their obvious virtues I've always found them lacking in, um, personality. Miller's voice serves the songs adequately, but never adds that indescribable quality that - before it became a dirty word - used to be called charisma. Likewise, his band is professional and enthusiastic but devoid of the sort of inspired instrumentalist that can set off sparks by threatening to upstage both singer and song.

So in my eyes it was a good sign that Rhett decided to record his solo debut "The Instigator" with Jon Brion at the helm. For those of you who don't know, Jon Brion is the man responsible (in varying degrees) for the sonic architecture of the breakthrough albums by Aimee Mann, Macy Gray, and Fiona Apple. If Rhett was looking for someone who could threaten to upstage him as both singer and songwriter, he'd definitely found the right foil. The fact that he also enlisted the backing support of Robyn Hitchcock, John Doe, Josh Freese, Jim Keltner, and David Garza proved, if anything, that Rhett was ready to put his best foot forward.

"The Instigator" eases us into Brion's subtle soundscape. Opener "Our Love", with its alt-country melody delivered overtop a muscular two-step, could have appeared on the Old 97's last album without sounding out of place. But by the thirty second mark of "This Is What I Do" it's suddenly clear that the listener's been suckerpunched into singing along to a power pop album.

And it's a gem of a power pop album, with its two principals pulling at each other in perfect rivalry. The punch of "This Is What I Do" is delivered simultaneously by Rhett's uplifting melody and Brion's soaring riff.

Likewise, Rhett's sublime vocals in "Come Around" are stalked by Brion's muted guitar underpinnings. Even when a track like "The El" returns to Rhett's more familiar country turf, Brion is there to add the touch of sonic lunacy that always escaped the 97's. There are moments, however, when the balance tilts in one direction. The closer "Terrible Vision", for example, is not one of Rhett's strongest songs, but Brion's production saves the day by emphasizing the melody inherent in the rhythm track.

As good as these songs are - and as wonderfully as they are performed - Rhett Miller's voice is unfortunately still lacking the personality needed to put an album like this over the top. Subsequently "The Instigator's" considerable charms lessen with each repeated play. That may be a quibble, because it's doubtless that a certain segment of music fans will consider this one of the best albums of 2002. I really would have liked to concur with that assessment, although for me it's a case of close-but-no-cigar.

Although there is, admittedly, a faint smell of tobacco in the air.

This is a gorgeous disc. Rhett Miller could have sold this disc without the doe-eyed stare green cover on the album jacket. I mean, really. Okay, the music: the songs are as well crafted as any songs he's made with Old 97's. Some are, even, better. It is obvious Rhett wanted to delve deeper intellectually/emotionally with this album. The opener "Our Love" explicitly invokes Richard Wagner and Franz Kafka and the letters they wrote to their lovers. At first, I thought, what the hell, but somehow, it works. Rhett's disarming and plaintive songwriting and his voice transform everything to what is relevant for us, you know, modern people. "Point Shirley" purportedly alludes to Sylvia Plath. But it's with the facetious allusion to Don Delillo in "World Within the World" that Rhett kicks his own proverbial shins. Just doesn't work. Delillo's world-view in "Underworld", which Rhett was apparently inspired by, just doesn't correspond with the reductive oh-wow philosophy of the song. Doesn't work. But doggone it. It's still an appealing song... this album is that good. Other songs are just as good. And the closer, "Terrible Vision", is that earnest love song of yearning, in the same vein as Old 97's "The Question". I don't have enough superlatives for this album. Rhett Miller has never sounded better or more committed. The falsetto singing in "Come Around" alone is worth getting this disc.

Rhett Miller's The Instigator is an endearing and likeable album. Its artistic aims are unpretentious and modest, and it achieves them wholly. Jon Brion, who produced the album and plays all the instruments along with Miller, beautifully accentuates Miller's already well-crafted tunes. A song like "This Is What I Do" would probably sound good acoustic, but with the neatly harmonized guitars and energetic drumbeat, Miller and Brion take the song to new heights of rousing power pop. "Point Shirley" is another gem- very reminiscent of the Traveling Wilbury's. Some Old 97's fans (Miller's alt-country band) are upset by the pop direction of the album, but on songs like "Point Shirley" there's a country-like storytelling to the songwriting that makes the music so deft and compelling. On "Point Shirley," Miller tells the cautionary story of "my friend" and generates humor and suspense like only a country man could. "The El" is pure country-pop with rattling electric guitars and a thumping bluegrass drumbeat. Reportedly Miller wrote many of the songs after marrying his wife. The Instigator reflects that jubilance and passes it to the listener.

What we have here is a batch of intelligent, well written, well played, well sung pop songs. No, it's not the twangy punk of early Old 97s or the British Invasion-twinged rock of "Satellite Rides". It's just not the Old 97s. Get over it. I'll probably get slaughtered for saying it but this CD reminds me quite a bit of the acoustic/electric pop on The Lemonheads "It's a Shame About Ray".

There are some songs in the typical "boy meets girl/girl breaks boys heart" vein that Rhett mines to good effect. He even has a little fun at his own expense on "This Is What I Do" claiming that singing about heartbreak is "what I do for a living". There's a beautiful acoustic ballad in "World Inside The World", one faintly Old 97s song about love and mass transportation, "The El".