All Quiet on the Cutting Room Floor
armenianthunder | los angeles | 12/09/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Jason Falkner is everywhere and nowhere all at once. If you're reading this, you've probably heard one of his superb 1990s solo releases. Heck, you may even have heard of his early stints with some of the era's best power pop outfits, from The Three O'Clock to Jellyfish to The Grays. Then there's the matter of his high-quality collaborations with artists like baroque pop auteur Eric Matthews, fellow power-popper Brendan Benson, and french electro-poppers Air. And what to make of his "for kids" albums of instrumental Beatles lullabyes? And of course, as a session musician, you've heard his stellar instrumental skills on records by everyone from Paul McCartney to Beck to former Bangle Susannah Hoffs. Though his commercial fortunes have always been tragically lacking, someday there will be a box set commemorating his craft, and consolidating all of his magical musical moments on a three or four CD set, and it will be a better monument than any fleeting Top 40 stardom.
That said, however, this latest release (like his previous record, 2007's I'm OK You're OK, available only in Japan, though a stateside release may be pending soon) finds him treading water, albeit comfortably and competently. The strongest songs, "Princessa" and "My House is Not a Home" are both older Falkner songs that have been floating around for years. As always, his ear for good tunes and his record collection reveal themselves with a choice cover, this time of Be Bop Deluxe's "Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus," and "The Lie in Me" is an elegant ballad with a nicely building chord pattern. The rest of the album, however, sounds to my ears like weaker material that might have been left off his previous albums. Of course, as always, he plays and sings--with virtuosic intensity--every note on the album, but the range of moods and sounds on his Elektra albums is missed; here, the glossy new-wave sheen on nearly every track wears thin.
But hey, what do I know? I'm probably only disappointed with the album because I paid 40 bucks for the import copy. If you are a fan of classic 60's, 70's and 80's pop from the Beatles through ELO, Todd Rundgren, The Cars, and New Order, then the music of Jason Falkner is something you need to seek out. But I wouldn't recommend starting here."
Quite A Good Album... 4 and 1/2 stars
Modjohnny | 02/04/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Ok. I'm not sure about all the negative reviews here... what album were you listening to? This is quite a good effort... Not Jason's best(That would be a three way tie between the other albums).... but this is far better than most other artist's.
Jason seems to be consciously moving towards different sounds(sometimes more aggressive/less poppy)... GOOD. Artists need to grow and change and to be inspired right? I don't want "Author Unknown" part 2... I'm interested in what Jason is excited to write and release today! It's still some of the most interesting music(melodically speaking) being released...Period.
I found on first listen i wasn't overwhelmed... but with a few spins, the album grew on me in a big way... My highlights include "The Lie In Me"(another shimmering genius Jason ballad), "Evangeline"(catchy as hell, uptempo rocker... maybe about the chick from LOST?) , "Counting Sheep"(Great song about longing and heart-break... the chorus gets stuck in my head for days.) and "Emotion Machine"(cool guitar work, kinda like "I Live")... I would say though that every song has highlights in it... even ones that didn't strike me at first, grew on me because of a part that was unexpected and interesting... What else would we expect from Jason Falkner?
Some other tracks have been floating around for a while("Princessa, My Home..") so if you're a fanatic you may be bummed that there aren't all "new" songs... but these will be new to most everyone else...
I want to mention that i think Jason's lyrics have improved quite a bit over the years... this album along with the last (I'm Ok... You're Ok) really benefit from a wider range of emotions and depth. Don't get me wrong Jason can still write a trite line with the best of 'em, but those are much fewer and farther between.
I'm taking off a(half) star because of two things: 1. The album is a little too short... come on Jason, we know you've got tons of songs waiting to be released! 2. The album ends with an instrumental... it just feels a little anticlimactic.
Overall... Very Good Effort.
Worth 40 bucks to import? Probably not...(I found it for much cheaper)... I would say wait and buy it when it's released in the states..."
Not anyone's best effort
Sean M. Mcveigh | Germantown, MD | 01/09/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This is his worst recording, is fairly boring and feels like a b-sides record. His EP The Neighbor has more good songs that this release and it is light years behind the amazing Can You Still Feel, one of my favorite all time records. Add to that his disdain for releasing albums in some way that make it easy for Americans to listen to them and there is no reason to buy this. If I'm OK, You're OK ever comes available in the US, that would be a much better purchase."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1