There are two types of long-running bands; those who keep making music that is in the spirit of their best work, and those who try to update their sound for the times. When it comes to a band that already sounded a bit timeless, taking the latter approach is not what I would recommend. Such was the case for The Wallflowers, who took a break after a marvelous four album run, when "Rebel, Sweetheart" failed to stop the band's slide on the charts, despite its greatness. When they returned years later, it was with "Glad All Over", which found the band leaving behind much of their classic and rootsy rock, in favor of a few more rhythm-centric songs that felt to me like the band trying to jump on the trends of rock at the time. It didn't work, and I haven't listened to that record since its release.
Coming back again after so many years, we are left to wonder what Jakob Dylan has cooked up in his mind. The Wallflowers are a rock band, but he took a solo venture into folk territory, and the amount of time The Wallflowers has spent dormant indicated to me where his heart truly was. I wasn't sure he could go back to where the band needs him, if they are going to remain The Wallflowers as I know them.
After listening to the album, Jakob Dylan took the easy way out; he married his two musical outlets into one. "Exit Wounds" is a stronger rock record than "Glad All Over" ever was, but the structure of his songwriting is firmly rooted in his folk solo records, and not the classic American rock of an album like "Breach". We get songs with circular folds of melody to envelop his poetry, but not the big hooks and strong choruses that "One Headlight", "Sleepwalker", or "How Good It Can Get" once gave us. Whether you want to consider it a toned down take on the classic Wallflowers sound, or a ramped up take on his solo albums, the result is the same.
Leading off with "Maybe Your Heart's Not In It No More", we get an example of what this means. On first blush, it sounds like a classic Wallflowers song. The instrumentation hits the right marks, with some weeping guitar and a lush arrangement. It's once the second verse begins that we notice the way Dylan is writing songs; verse after verse with the 'chorus' to the song coming later, and giving no extra punch to the dynamics. It's too laid back, and doesn't stand out from the verses enough to be the obvious focal point of the song.
That's still better than "Who's That Man Walkin 'Round My Garden", which is three minutes of repetitive songwriting that goes for a "Murder 101" vibe, but sounds confused and lost on how to get there. It's one of the least engaging Wallflowers songs, and it was made a single before the release, which indicates Dylan was proud of that song. I can't figure out why.
The theme of the record is mood. These songs all establish a roosty sound, and are happy to settle into a loping groove around the sharp-toned lead guitars, but energy is needed. The album is laconic all-around, from the pacing, to the melodies, to Dylan's singing. It sounds like a Wallflowers albums, to be sure, but it's like a watercolor that has been left out in the sun, the paint thinning and revealing streaks of the canvas below. It's an album that knows the marks to hit, but takes the steps without any of the grace or style of a proper dancer.
I'll be honest here; I'm expressing more disappointment than might otherwise be fair. If this record came out with another name on it, I would be saying how it's a perfectly enjoyable throwback to classic American rock. The problem is that this is The Wallflowers, and I have spent the last twenty years loving their music. When "Breach" is one of my five favorite records of all time, and the other three from their classic period (we'll ignore the flat debut, thank you very much) are all beloved by me, a record like this one that is merely 'pleasant' is a disappointment. We haven't gotten a record in nine years, and it's been sixteen years since the last good one, so I was expecting an enthusiasm for reviving the band that bristled throughout the album.
We didn't get that. The difference between this album and "Women & Country" isn't that great in their approach, if not in sound, and even that record felt like a watered-down Wallflowers. I'm left scratching my head at why this is a Wallflowers record and not a Jakob Dylan solo album, because that's what it sounds more like to me. It's actually very good in that context, with songs like "I'll Let You Down (But Will Not Give You Up)" growing into a wonderful little number, but this was supposed to be a highlight of the year. The Wallflowers returning to being a real rock band has been more than a decade in the making, and time seems to have escaped the band.
That leaves me in a position where I am trying to wall myself off from reality. If I think of "Exit Wounds" as a Jakob Dylan album, I enjoy it quite a bit. There's something distinctive about his voice and his songwriting that I've missed, and that comes through these songs. The more I listen to the record, the more it reveals to me. It's quite a fine record that I am more than happy to spend some time with. But it's hard to shake expectations, even if they are a psychological affectation akin to wearing tinted lenses and wondering why the landscape looks weird. My expectations for The Wallflowers are higher than this, so even a good and enjoyable record still falls short of where I put the bar.
That being said, I'm still happy to have The Wallflowers back, and I'm thrilled that "Exit Wounds" is not a mortal one.
No comments:
Post a Comment