So sayeth my MySpace inbox: I'm playing a show in Duluth tomorrow night if you are bored and have nothing else to do on a Wednesday night. :)Jeremy Messersmith builds on success of ‘The Alcatraz Kid’
When “The Alcatraz Kid” came out, I said, “Melancholy has a new best friend forever in Jeremy Messersmith.” I may have spoken too soon.
While its follow-up, “The Silver City,” isn’t like an I’m-having-so-much-fun-surfing-I-could-hurl early Beach Boys record or anything, there’s at least a glimmer of sunshine that wasn’t present two years ago.
For instance, when the Twin Cities popsmith expounds upon hell on Earth in “Welcome to Suburbia” — as in, actually living in suburbia — he does it in such an epic and catchy way that you almost want to reconsider living in a place as special as Duluth. Almost.
Much of this newfound pop love can probably be credited to the man behind the boards, producer Dan Wilson. He’s the Trip Shakespeare/Semisonic frontman who, weirdly enough (see previous review), also transformed underappreciated folk duo Storyhill into a Jayhawks-rivaling phenomenon on 2006’s “Storyhill.”
Everything that made “Alcatraz” such a revelation — namely Messersmith’s fascination with the late great Elliott Smith’s skill set (see “Franklin Avenue”) — is still present on “The Silver City,” but there’s an extra layer of polish that will help the troubadour reach greater audiences. Again, a la Storyhill.
Like Aaron Espe’s “Songs From a Small Town,” this concept album about getting around Minneapolis* isn’t something you’ll want to pass up at the local record store.
*As far as I can tell. My reasoning: Interludes include recordings from the city’s light rail system, and there’s even a cover of the Replacements classic “Skyway.”
This review of "The Silver City" originally appeared in the Sept. 21, 2008, issue of the Duluth Budgeteer News. Written by me, Matthew R. Perrine.
Although he probably wasn’t attempting to record an anti-Mason Jennings album, that’s exactly what “The Alcatraz Kid” is. While both singer/songwriters operate out of the Twin Cities, two very different — and two very real — outcomes emerge when they commit their lives to tape. Jennings is happy in love, soaking in the sun (even when he’s trying to hide it) while Messersmith is left beaten down and brokenhearted.
More akin to select Pacific Northwest troubadours, Messersmith’s songs run rampant with loneliness and self-medication. The aptly titled “Novocain” may start out with some powerful acoustic strumming that seems uplifting enough, but the lyrics quickly remind listeners who’s between their ears: “I need a shot of Novocain / To numb my heart / Could you pass me the bottle? / Make it something hard.”
Similarly, the album’s most contagious rock chords (found on “Great Times”) are slightly dampered by lines like “If I had a slightly better job / Would it make you proud of me?”It’s not to say that Messersmith isn’t entitled to write complete downers, but one definitely has to be in that kind of mood to fully appreciate this album’s stark intricacies.
Even in the quietest moments, though, the songs still shine. Messersmith, sounding eerily like Paul Westerberg on the Replacements’ “Skyway,” is both poignant and poetic, accompanied by not much more than his gentle acoustic strumming on “Day Job.”
And while much of “The Alcatraz Kid” plays to those subdued pop tendencies, traces of the Beach Boys’ grandeur masterpiece “Pet Sounds” can be heard on the album’s closer, “Old Skin.” While not necessarily upbeat by any means, scattered thoughts about growing old with a loved one quietly run together, culminating with the repetition of the words “I’ll love your old skin.”
Taken at face value, that line doesn’t scream “play me at your next wedding anniversary,” but, given the 10 oft-dreary tracks that preceded it, the fact that Messersmith may hold the 21st century’s answer to the Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four” is only further compounded. It’s incredibly endearing and, most important of all, it gives the album a heart for listeners to hang onto.
While we’ll still turn to Jennings for that eternal glee and untarnished optimism, it’s good to know that we can listen to Messersmith for more than a sharp comedown.
This review of "The Alcatraz Kid" originally appeared in the Oct. 8, 2006, issue of the Duluth Budgeteer News. Written by me, Matthew R. Perrine.
