This one took me a while. Well, all the albums I have backed up in my queue have taken me a while; but I had wanted to get to Deliverance a little sooner. The delay worked in my favor, though. As I listened to Deliverance, the third full-length from Toms River's River City Extension, in the weeks since its release, I was able to identify a little more with the record than I was when it first appeared. Where I was personally in April just allowed the record to speak to me in a different way than it would have back in March.
A little background first: In 2012, River City Extension released the masterful Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Anger. It's a folky record that slotted in with a lot of the folksy, Americana music that was popular at the time. River City Extension were an eight-piece band back then, and Anger was set to be their breakout record.
In a sense, it was. The band grew their fanbase and played to big, enthusiastic crowds on tour. In another sense, though, it wasn't. National radio airplay and late-night television appearances never materialized. Members left the band, and River City Extension went from an eight-piece to a trio -- Joe Michelini, guitarist John Muccino, and keyboardist Patrick O'Brien. I get the sense that there were some low points for the remaining members, frontman Michelini in particular. Those moments of asking, "What are we doing this for? What's the point?"
I can identify with that. The answer that came back, apparently, for what remained of River City Extension was, "Because we have to." And so, Deliverance.
In addition to being an album about overcoming those doubts and staying true to oneself, Deliverance is also kind of an exercise. It's a songwriting exercise for Michelini who decided not to write any songs about love, religion, or drinking for this record. It's also an exercise in the construction of an album: get across what you want to say in a tight 10 songs, and allow the sequencing of the songs to say almost as much as the individual songs themselves.
The record opens with "Something's Gotta Give," which immediately shows that this is a different River City Extension. Electric guitars, lots of strings, and a noisy, slightly off-kilter ending. "Sooner or later, you gotta answer to someone," sings Michelini. He reveals who that someone is in the next line, "If you can't tell yourself the truth, then it's already gone."
"You put everything on the line unaware of what you're fighting for," Michelini sings on "Man of Conviction." He starts to get a sense of what he's fighting for, I think, on "Ohio" -- one of the tracks here that comes closest to the Americana sound of the band's earlier work -- when he shouts "I'm making my decision!"
And if you take the "no love songs" edict seriously, then "Indian Summer" almost sounds like a song to those who may have left the band after River City Extension didn't find the national success they may have expected: "Is there truth in your art?" "Go ahead and leave. I'll wait for your heart to change."
The jazzy "I Wouldn't Worry" sees Michelini coming to terms with the fact that, maybe, his desire to stay true to his art isn't viewed by everyone as the best personality trait. "I wouldn't change a thing," he says.
The second half of the record leads off with "Deliverance Pt. 2." The band recorded the album in an empty Pocono ski house, and here they take advantage of the sound of some birds outside. The song opens with a movie theme sounding overture and deals with Michelini's "final revelation" and his realization that "the world is spinnin' round without me."
He makes observations on the funky "Girls" like, "It's hard to be yourself when the world is so critical." But, despite the cost, he can't help producing his art on "White Blackmail," telling its personification, "I love you honey. Take what you want from me." In a moment that had me thinking back to that line in "Girls," "Vox Populi" sees the "voice of the people" spitting in your face.
The album closes with the quiet "I'm Not There." It's optimistic, noting, "Things are hard now. It's gonna work out. I've seen the far end of the storm."
River City Extension have experienced some lows, disappointments, maybe even the loss of a little faith. Joe Michelini, John Muccino, and Patrick O'Brien stuck it out, though; and made, collaboratively, the album they wanted to make. They've filled out to a five-piece, adding Josh Gilman on bass and, following the devastating death of drummer Steve Tambone, Shane Luckenbaugh on drums. The sound is new. The influence of John Muccino, who recorded with the band for the first time here, is obvious.
It will be interesting to see how the existing River City Extension fanbase responds to Deliverance. If the live shows are any indication, I think they like it just fine. And, while I'm sure the band would love it if everyone loved this record; I'm also sure they wouldn't have done anything differently.
Deliverance is out now on Anchor & Hope.
No comments :
Post a Comment