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It's extremely precocious and that makes it sparkle with charisma because the members of this group
have a musical prowess that salutes the best of their slick influences, which they have uniquely
baked in a cauldron of rock riffs and chords. When a group can create new variations from a pool
wealthy with catchy, reliable pop gimmicks, the result is an original theater of sounds (the
longhairs were always playing off of each other's reliable melodic devices, thus creating riffs
attributed directly to each of them).
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The precocious voices continue from one track to the next. The cunning man-child who is the "Big
Bastard" in track two proudly sings of his malfeasance, while the passive voice in "I Think About
It" defends doing nothing to make anything change for the better. The sense of expected justice
rules "You're Gonna Get Yours Yet," which trails off with a "dude conversation" over strains of
Spandau Ballet's "True," which coincidentally includes the lyric "With a thrill in my head and a
pill on my tongue." All of this presented with melodic prowess.
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What would-be grown up could continue this puerile attitude without an ode to a haunting romance?
So the conflict arises in "Emily," she the perfect femme fatale who is "so dangerous" and
enthralling that he loves "falling in her trap" though he "didn't hear a word [she] said."
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Futile self-centering emotions about romance continue with "As Soon As Impossible" and only the
next track, "Home" offers a glimpse of maturity. In the throes of growing pains, however, one may
construe the lyric's resolve, "I will sleep in the tall grass when I'm home" as a long-term solution
to a short-term problem, turning the tune into a dark, morbid plea for peace of mind. Help, though,
is never on the way, no matter how beautiful the request ("Home" is the only solo, per se, picked
with delicacy on an acoustic guitar).
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It is appropriate to follow the serious suggestions of "Home" with the 44-second "Don't Take Advice
From Songs" and to shift the paradigm to admit "the world is not that bad" for the guy who is "Ever
The Optimist," singing "if you believe this song... there's really something wrong..." So the CD's
title kicks in big time, that is, do we know if we are coming or going? And does it matter that you
"always break, never bend" because "the world is going to beat you in the end."
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Track 10, "There You Go Again," puts angst back in command. "There you go again with your f---in'
lies," you bitch, you succubus, you... mother. Indeed, as we head to the CD's final few tracks, the
personification of romance is a pretty pop Ophelia, the gorgeous but sick-minded love of Hamlet's
life, the siren singing as the main character jousts with hope, bound to lose.
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Here, as Hamlet would say, is the rub: what is the George Harrison song "All Things Must Pass" doing
in this collection? Though perfectly covered, this is the only weight the CD carries. Though the
reasoning for its inclusion may be personally motivated, its addition does nothing to move the
smart, bright collection along. Harrison's "voice" through his lyrics is far out of sync with the
pain and pleasures of the pop themes addressed in the original compositions. Indeed, if anything
should pass, it is this track.
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Once by it, the phantom of Emily returns in another form as we hear the lyrics of "Obsession." One
of the few slow pieces, this is a youthful dirge that expresses regret for the dream of romance,
just the kind shattered in previous tracks. It is another in a series of pleas that adorn the poetry
of these lyrics. In true dramatic fashion, the song ends without a resolving chord, insisting the
obsession ensues.
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"You Suffer For His Art" pumps along pleasantly, with an emphasis on the word "suffer." Abandoned
again - "So you found another man, life is great and love is grand" - the result is to suffer, which
is a part of love youth has not learned to endure.
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And the penultimate track, "Forgiven" means to justify the general attitude of how things are meant
to fall apart and how dreams are brought to their knees because "No one is guilty and no one is
responsible and no one is forgiven anymore." That certainly could stand as the sub-title of these
tunes.
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Finally, "Forget" is a poignant ending. The track begins and we wait and wait and wait to hear
lyrics, to get a feeling that the ragged stings can be tied together, but the crafty device takes us
on and on with no words, no finality, and once again a song ends with no resolving chord, no less a
solution to that mystery presented in the CD's title song. Indeed, to forget may be the only weapon
against the bitter enemy of disappointment fueled by youthful expectation. As it becomes obvious
this is an instrumental, we agree: what lyrics could truly express that emptiness we all learn to
accept as time wears us down? Indeed, some things never pass, Mr. Harrison.
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"I've been out, drivin' in a roundabout, listen'n to the drivers shout, 'oh where the hell am I?'"
Yes, those lyrics, from the opening track, make the point perfectly clear; round and round we go,
where we stop, no one knows.
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Musically, there is no comparison to the tender care and precision this combination of talents
weaves into every sound. Each of these tracks presents solid and clean brushstrokes of sound with
no intent to impress. Every lick and chord is there because it is needed to make songs work (time
is not of the essence to accomplish this, either, as few over three minutes).
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The cast of Liar's Club characters has grown since I was blown away by their sound some years back,
introduced to the group through the track "Cinnamon Smiles" from the "Drop Dead" CD. There were two
other CDs and I was disappointed to discover the group had already broken up when they entered my
play list.
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The original quintet appears on the new CD, those being Jayson Jarmon, Scott McPherson, Kevo X.
Thomson, Dana Sims and Sean Gaffney. They are joined with the now deceased Tony Cooper, as well as
John Vangen, Joey Viola, Jon Ecklund and Jordami Sareel. Core members wrote the original songs in
various pairs and such, as well as there are two from Cooper.
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This is the perfect collection of whims and wails for Baby Boomers, giving them the haunch of
millennium-generation alter prayers, with the hope that classic-rock coevals can be as compassionate
as they wished their elders had been when they wanted to shake their heads like Ringo while being
respected for speaking with Dylanesque phrases.
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Liar's Club's "Come and Go" is good medicine to smooth the cutting edge. Click here for more
information on this album.
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Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme
Cotolo
Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address:
frank@148.ca.
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