Butch's Latest
So, Butch Walker has a new CD out. I didn't like his previous release all that much. You can read my review but the bottom line is that it was too dour and mawkish. (The dourness was understandable as the poor guy's house burned down, destroying everything he owned. But that doesn't mean I have to like listening to it.)
Anyway, the latest is called I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart. So, how is it? Much better. Not perfect. But much better. About half the songs are winners. That sounds harsh, but I'm picky and have high expectations for the Rock God,
even if he's doing everything but rock-out-with-his-cock-out.
The first thing to know about this release is that it's all over the place. There are some typical Butch pop gems. And there are some of the somber pieces in which he has over-indulged in the recent past. But there's also some country. And one song that I swear must be Queen.
Part of it is Butch growing
as an artist. But that's just part. I realized what this release is while listening to it on my daily walk yesterday. This release is a production demo. In addition to being a musician, Butch also produces. And he's been successful at it. I'd wager that most of his income comes from producing, not from his own CD sales. And this release covers the bases in terms of production. It's a genius move, frankly, even if it leaves me feeling a little used.
So, let's get into the tracks:
Trash Day: Typical Butch pop song with snarky-yet-clever lyrics. But there's no chorus and no hook and there's not enough going on melodically to make it work. It's not a bad song, by any means. But it's not strong enough with which to open the album, either.
Pretty Melody: Overproduced. Not catchy. Tommy no like. It just doesn't work for me. The part right before the chorus sound like a Cheap Trick song I can't place. The piano is almost Costello/ABBA/Rachmaninoff, but not quite. The whole track is just kind of a stylistic mess.
Don't You Think Someone Should Take You Home: Nice shot at country, but misses the mark a bit. There are three problems with the song: 1) Butch's voice isn't gritty enough for this song. 2) There ain't no harmony. Maybe a little in the chorus? So little that I'm not sure. 3) The big bass drum beat every measure is distracting.
And why does Butch's voice change so much halfway through? Done right, this could be a great Jayhawks song. I'd love if Butch pulled a Reznor and made this available as GarageBand files, so I could tone down the bass drum and add harmonies.
Stripped Down Version: Oh good God, this is gorgeous! (The preceding exclamation should not be construed as an endorsement of the existence of God.) Lush, fits Butch's voice, some actual melody, soaring chorus. It's not rock, by any means. But it's wonderful. The little yeah
at the end of the chorus keeps it from being too smooth. It's a little touch, but it's important. The self-referential bridge is just clever enough to work without being twee.
Canadian Ten: Second shot at country. This one is much better. It's not as gritty a song, so Butch's voice works better. There's some fun harmony going on with the background singers. It's a beautiful song. That said, I hate it. It's just not my kind of song. But it's not a bad song. It's really well done, just not my cup of tea. Also, tweeting that I'm listening to this song generally nets me 6-8 fake followers.
Temporary Title: This song bugs me. It starts rolling along in a sparse fashion, then has that tell-tale series of three dropping chords to tell you that it's going to open up into a bigger form. And then it doesn't, really. It adds more instruments, but doesn't really grow. And you call that a chorus? Overall it's kinda catchy, but leaves me unfulfilled. It just feels lazy.
She Likes Hair Bands: This is pretty much the same sort of thing as Trash Day. Same sort of snarky-yet-clever lyrics. This one actually has a chorus. It's not bad, but it's not really hooky either. But the lyrics are fun. (The thigh/thigh rhyme
is more lazy than clever, though.)
House of Cards: Damn! This is a good one. Nicely done pop. Has chanted counter-vocals that remind me of Queen. Fits Butch to a T. Lots of melody. Good chorus. Nice orchestration that feels Beatlesque to me. Butch + Queen + Beatles = Tommy like! Why isn't this the lead track?
They Don't Know What We Know: If the previous track reminds you a little of Queen, this track really could be a Queen track. (And I mean that as a compliment.) You'll see what I mean at just past the halfway mark, when the squeaky-balloon Brian May guitar kicks in. Great song. As with the previous track, why is this buried on side two?
Days/Months/Years: This track is goofy, in a great way. The lyrics are, frankly, in the gutter. It's just a fun goofy gross track. It's pretty solid, musically, too. Normally, this is the kind of track that Butch might stick at the end of an album as a hidden track. (Instead it's the penultimate track. I'm guessing because the last track closes the album so well.)
Be Good Until Then: The album closer is a quiet little number that's basically a series of pieces of advice. None of it is earth-shattering, but nor does it feel, well, pretentious. It's just a nice little piece and feels just right as the closer.
So, there you have it. First half of the album has a great track and a few decent-but-nothing-special ones. The second half is loaded with gems.
I can't talk about the album without mentioning the sorta single that preceded it. Butch did a really cute cover of Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me.
I hate to be catty, but Butch sings it much better than Swift did, at least on the Grammy's. Butch can hit the high notes and sings on key. Swift? Not so much.
Anyway, it's the sort of big bouncy song of which Butch needs to write more. It sounds so much like really good Butch that it was a week before I realized it was a cover and not a Butch original.
I got a coupon for a free download of it with the CD. Of course, I had already grabbed a copy when he put it on his blog.
