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I thought "P.M. Dawn's" new CD
would die a quick, painful death in my CD player, but that didn't
happen. I expected it might, because "P.M. Dawn" is
very much a part of a genre of music that I really don't like,
the R&B love song. I hate most of the staples of this genre
- the high nasal voices, songs that start with a whining "ooooohhhh,"
songs that start with two repeating alternating piano notes,
melodies so simplistic even I could play them, the ones you hear
while shopping at K-Mart. Somehow, "P.M. Dawn" often
manages to transcend this genre. Their high nasal voices are
not quite as high and nasal as some, their two note repetitions
submerge under more complex jazz influenced guitar hooks, their
"Ooooohhs," seem somehow less whiny than most. They
take overused tropes and do something new with them.
"P. M. Dawn" are the brothers
Prince Be and J. C./The Eternal. Their new album adds new musicians
to the band, Cameron Grieder (guitar), Todd Snare (drums), Tommy
Brunges (percussion), and Clark Anderson (vocalist) with the
idea of touring for the first time in five years. Anderson collaborated
on many of the new songs with Prince Be. Unlike their previous
three albums, "Dearest Christian, "I'm So Very Sorry
for Bringing You Here, Love Dad," focuses more on musicianship
than sampling. The new album finds new focus from Be's experience
with new fatherhood. As a result, Be did most of the writing,
while J. C. focused on production and what little sampling was
needed.
"Music For Carnivores," the first
track opens with a pulsing synthesizer note. Soon it's overlaid
with a great bass line and drums. The song is haunting, the echoed
vocal creating an uneasy feeling with the synthesizer line. The
focus is on the misunderstanding that comes between people in
our lives. "They don't feel the way you feel/ They don't
know that they hurt you/ And when you forgive them for what they
do/ You get nothing. . ." The song ends on a hopeful note,
though, "And I'm not afraid." "Art Deco Halos"
comes to me as what might happen if the Elton John of the 70's
made a record with "Prince." It's got a cool funky
beat and John style piano work. The song is about envy for another's
ability to seem perfect.
One of those two note piano things I mentioned
earlier, coupled with a long, "Oooooh," sets off the
beginning of "P. M. Dawn's" new single, "I Had
No Right (Being So Not Right for You)." Some interesting
synthesizer helps make this one turn into something better. The
piano piece gets more complicated, while harmonizing backing
vocals create a great backdrop. Even the song's subject matter
is atypical of the genre from which they started. It's essentially
an open letter to Be's new son Christian, complete with the feelings
of inadequacy that beset a new father. The words are truly wonderful,
far beyond any expectations I have from a pop song. "But
what's the easiest way to hurt a man/ Give him all he's ever
wanted. . ."
The jazz guitar on "Misery In Utero"
makes the song a joy to hear. It recalls songs I remember hearing
in the seventies, but nothing I can put my finger on. When Be
talks about his baby in many of these songs, he's really talking
about a baby, Christian. It creates a beautiful twist on these
types of songs. Out of context they still work, but the meaning
gets twisted. Be sings, "Hey, it's all good baby/ Don't
stress on it/ Cause I've got all the love you'll ever need. .
."
"If I Could Be Your Star" opens
with melodic "do do's," guitar, drum and samples. Multiple
meanings abound in the song, belying my ability to convey them
just through out takes, so I won't bother. It's about trying
to be more than human to someone else and not truly being able
to. Be uses images from space and science to convey the message.
It's pretty intense. "Yang: As Private I's" begins
simply with piano and voice, "They always find you all the
time. ." Organ, bass and drum slide in quietly, and it alternates
between soft vocals and soft rap. It's about the hurt that can
come from loving too much.
"Screaming at Me" has some great
guitar work. Snapping fingers and symbols provide percussion.
The soft contrast with the sharp subject matter is very effective.
This is a beautiful song about being gentle on oneself, loving
oneself and acceptance. "I can hear me now/ Telling me it's
my life/ I can hear me now/ Telling me I'm okay at least until
the sun goes down/ I can hear me now talking to all my tears.
. ." You have to hear it to understand how good this song
really is. The backing harmonies are awesome.
Escalating, spacey synthesizer sets the
tone for "I Hate Myself for You," that features female
backing vocals. This one is all electronic, but seems to fit
in well with the other songs that aren't. The song captures how
feelings of inadequacy lead to self-hate and martyrdom. "No
Further Damage" has a playful carnival-like rhythm with
a slight reggae influence, sporting a funky guitar solo toward
the end. The song expresses how hanging on to anger and hatred
destroys one from within, leaving leading a happy life impossible.
"Hale Bopp Regurgitations" is
an awesome throwback to sixties style rock. It recalls "Beatles"
hits while mentioning the death of John Lennon. Backing harmonies
are great on this song about what happens when we pay more attention
to the lives of others than our own. The intro to "Faith
in You" consists of acoustic guitar, and vocal "Do
dada dum." This one bears more of a resemblance to the genre
from which it stems, but there are still some subtle moves away
from it. This is probably one of the most pessimistic of the
songs, "No matter how much good you do/ There's a million
people wishing you harm/ (I'm telling you) no matter who you
are. . ."
"Broken" is similar to "Faith
In You" in that it falls for all the R&B genre elements.
The words are shallower and more whiny than the other songs.
Be laments about all the people that will cause harm and break
you in the world. The song closes with the cheering of an audience.
"Untitled" marks a return to more thoughtful lyrics.
The song opens with soft acoustic and voice. Be writes of his
father, who died when he was very young. Different passages of
the song are done in different musical styles, on the order of
"Tears for Fear's" "Sowing the Seeds of Love,"
but slower. Like that song, it has the essence of "The Beatles"
slipping through the cracks. It's an excellent song. The album
ends appropriately, with a conversation between Be and his son
Christian.
This album surprised me at each turn. Sometimes
I wanted to dislike it, but the artistry on most of the songs
is so intense that I couldn't. It would be interesting to see
these songs live. Hopefully "P. M. Dawn" will have
some more surprises in their live show with new versions of their
older hits.
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