Search - Paul Westerberg :: Suicaine Gratifaction

Fugitive Kind

M. Casarino | Wilmington, DE United States | 05/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can you say about an artist who begins an album with "I get up from a dream and I look for rain?" A former punk who doesn't let the drums kick in until track 3? A man who would steal the piano line from "The Way We Were," and then give that song the lyric "your world is a balloon to me, I poke a hole and see what's inside?" A guy who would write a song equating an actor with a Christ-like martyr?You'd say he was an original, that's what."Suicaine Gratifaction" is Paul's best solo work to date - an intensely personal, genre-defying lo-fi album with incredible coherence. Paul loves his hooks, and delivers some great ones, along with his patented wordplay. He turns depression into black humor with "It's a Wonderful Lie" and "Sunrise Always Listens," gets exuberant with "Fugitive Kind" and "Lookin' Out Forever," goes romantic with "Born for Me," and then gets delivers a heartbreaking character-study, "Bookmark," that might be the most piercing, and melodic, song he's ever created.Even the filler is good. "Best Thing that Never Happened" is overlong, but it has a great groove. "Tears Rolling Up Our Sleeves" can't quite justify its title, and "Final Hurrah" gets a little lazy - but B-level Westerberg is better than most artists A stuff. "Suicaine Gratifaction" is Paul's most complete and entertaining album - get it and rediscover what it means to be a true music fan."

Paul's best album

Brian E. Spitz | NY/NJ | 05/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had heard only lukewarm reviews about this album when it began to peak my interest. Similar to every other Paul Westerberg/Replacements album, it's wickedly inconsistent--some good songs, some bad ones...prepare the finger which presses the 'skip' button. To that, I say "Wake up!" This is the masterpiece that ONLY Paul Westerberg could ever deliver!



This album shows Paul settling comfortably into middle age. No longer is he the bratty 20-something singing, "Gary's Got a Boner." Now he's the 40-something crooner singing, "Born for Me," which, for my dollar, is the most well-arranged Westerberg song ever.



Now what we get with SUICAINE GRATIFICATION as a whole is a mix of sweet, reflective and (yeah, I know it sounds weird when referring to Paul Westerberg) orchestral songs. Gone are the guitar, bass, and drums for most of the album, being replaced with piano, cello, and horn arrangements. However, the rocker-at-heart still comes out on tracks like, "Final Hurrah," and "Lookin' Out Forever." But it's the softer, more personal tracks like the aforementioned "Born for Me," and "Self Defense," that win out in the end.



Fault Westerberg if you must for not reaching back to his punk roots, but at this point in his career it might seem a bit forced if he tried (see: 2003's less-than-stellar, COME FEEL ME TREMBLE). What we get here instead is a collection of songs that embodies the spirit of Paul's musical agenda: sloppy, intellegent, fun, and unquestionably genuine."

Westerberg comes through again

David Bonesteel | Fresno, CA United States | 06/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is typical post-Replacements Westerberg--introspective, world-weary pop, not as good as what he did with the Mats, but better than most of what anyone else is doing. As a solo artist, he is building a mature body of work that will provide years of fine listening. Standouts include "It's a Wonderful Lie" and "Tears Rolling Up Our Sleeves.""