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Splitting the difference between the warmth of their previous CD Days for Days and the darker, harsh experimentalism of its predecessor, 1996's Interbabe Concern, the new CD by the Loud Family unifies songwriter Scott Miller's tendencies toward both extroverted popcraft and cerebral sonic experimentation and unites those qualities. Keyboardist Alison Faith Levy's soulful warmth, dexterous bassist Kenny Kessel's way with tricky harmonies below the melodic line, and the precision, power, and inventiveness of Gil Ray, a drummer deserving of far more acclaim than he's received, once again give Miller the most sympathetic backing of any of his ensembles. The CD's cover image, depicting a drained swimming pool covered in fallen leaves, sets an autumnal tone that the music and lyrics only deepen. While main songwriter Miller's vaunted wit is still in evidence, this time around his view seems tinged with regret: missed opportunities, words left unsaid, promises left unfulfilled, culminating in the heartbreaking finale "Motion of Ariel," which (to paraphrase Alex Chilton) sounds a lot like goodbye. (Shakespeare scholars will note that Ariel is the spirit of the air whose magic Prospero renounces at the end of The Tempest - a renunciation and freeing widely considered Shakespeare's valedictory farewell to the theatre.) Musical highlights include the raucous opener "720 Times Happier than the Unjust Man," the contemplative "One Will Be the Highway," and the caffeinated, relatively straightforward guitar-pop of "Years of Wrong Impressions," "No One's Watching My Limo Ride," and "Save Your Money." The latter features the by-now-expected Loud Family self-destruct mechanism: propulsive piano and one of Miller's simplest, catchiest choruses ever are accompanied by bizarre electronic buzzings and a manic, "Aladdin Sane"-like piano solo. And "Backward Century" shows that Miller persists in writing hit single-like songs, even though hit singles are no longer songs but attitude wrapped inside image covered with pinpoint demographic surveys. If Attractive Nuisance's introverted pole is represented by "Motion of Ariel," then its more direct, aggressive aspects are embodied in the brilliant "Nice When I Want Something." Miller's bands in all their incarnations (previous formations of The Loud Family; '80s college-rock faves Game Theory) have always shone on this sort of menacing, slow-burning rocker ("Dripping with Looks," from Game Theory's criminally out-of-print 1987 classic Lolita Nation, is a good reference point), and here the proceedings are punctuated by Gil Ray's brilliant and psychotic accelerating drumfills and shredded to pieces by guest guitarist Mike Keneally (ex-Zappa; Beer for Dolphins). If Attractive Nuisance does turn out to be the final act for The Loud Family and Scott Miller, the band leaves us with a complex, humane, and fitting document of what far too many have missed. |
