7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exemplary volume of power-pop anguish, May 12, 2003
This review is from: The Very Thing That You Treasure (Audio CD)
Spike Priggen's name pops up often as a contributor to such in-the-know New York and Boston bands as Dumptruck, The Pussywillows, and The Liquor Giants. He's also achieved minor renown for his productions on his own #1 Records label, including projects with Caroline Know and The Mad Scene.
In 2001, Priggen finally ventured out front for this debut solo CD. On it he combines a wealth of pop and rock influences, including Big Star's chiming melodiousness (along with antecedents like The Beatles, Searchers, and Byrds), the quirky styles of Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter, the power-pop energy of Velvet Crush and The Greenberry Woods, and hints of the 70s guitar excess Matthew Sweet brought to bear on his post-Girlfriend albums. At times his lyrics seethe with John Lennon's anger (and wit), but most often, and most brilliantly, they hinge on the sort of forlorn melancholy that Chris Bell made so affecting.
The opener is a note-by-note textbook of the perfect pop song. The vocal is at turns angry and defiant (the song opens "I never thought that I could be this bitter / I never thought that I could hate you the way that I do"), but ultimately the bravado gives way to a sense of haggard defeat in the refrain, "every broken heart is like the first one." Cascading guitars (including a volume pedal effect that beautifully captures the sadness of pedal steel) and unusually flanged cymbals perfectly underscore the lyrical despair. The overall effect is a mesmerizing outburst of emotion - something that everyone who gets dumped should listen to for a few days without interruption.
Priggen's ferment takes a sharper turn with the howling guitars and surreal mellotron of "Alright," and the riff-heavy "Yesterday" finds Priggen stridently whinging, "Yesterday, you couldn't live without me." The album's balance of electric and acoustic, loud and soft, rockers and ballads is impressive, but it's the contemplative, downbeat numbers that really stick to the ribs. "The Right Thing" and "Outtasight" brilliantly capture the end-of-the-night (or early morning) exhaustion of an emotional downpour in both their words and music. Acoustic and resonator guitars, Searchers-like electric 12-string, wavery mellotron, and folk harmonies perfectly match the emotional tenor of the lyrics.
Priggen's work as producer captures the jangly sheen of his songs with a ragged glory that spells out his emotional distress. The odd bits of vocal echo on tracks like "The Right Thing" and "So Good to See You" are at once noticeable and atmospheric, as are the splashes of mandolin, cello, xylophone and Hammond M3. You can't quite always put your finger on why they sound right, but you realize that the songs would never be the same without them. Even the fanciful "I'm in Love" is lavished with bouncing, twanging guitars that build to a petulant climax.
This is a truly masterful work, with derivations that lead to subtle, highly-rewarding originality.
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