You own the VHS, and you’ve watched it to such wear that you would hesitate to put it on with guests around - grainy, pleasantly defective, personalized. Then the Criterion Collection comes out and tempts you with deleted scenes, commentary and interviews… you ask, “Do these little differences justify the expenditure?” And then your Favorite Album is re-released and remastered with bonus tracks, outtakes, remixes… but you’ve heard the core songs tens of times, and wonder if the extras are worth it.
Dick Prall’s Weightless will sell on the little bonuses it has over the myriad of other singer-songwriters whose melodies are all familiar, appearances fashionably disheveled and autobiographical lyrics sung in universal tones. Whether or not it’s enough to put away your Ryan Adams or Elvis Perkins depends on how important are the tiny variations and bits you haven’t seen, because it’s far from a new material.
Bonus features: Prall does good work with simple motifs by emphasizing the basic, and keeping light on filler noise. His cadence also atones for the intentionally ambiguous lyrics by delivering them in a conversational tone that helps you forget that lines like, “Suitably praised, for checking out this way; ingest and engage in happy roundelay,” are forcedly vague. And he’s a likeable, buy-this-dude-a-beer kind of guy - you may have heard the story before, but never with quite the flair that Prall imparts on the tale (that’s a metaphor for his songs, people).
What’s not a surprise: Every song is immediately accessible and carefully doctored, so much so that he’s realized the dream of every young lion artist: to be featured in a Volkswagen commercial. The hooks are effective for their clarity, but they’re not all his… I give credit to a media-addicted friend of mine (I mean that kindly) for noticing that the violin outro riff on ‘Long Play’ is identical to the main guitar line in ‘Leave’ on New Adventures in Hi-Fi (and it also shows up on ‘You’ll Be in the Air’ by the Microphones). It would be foolish to accuse Prall of vamping on obscure lines from paltry mid-90’s REM albums, but it goes to show that Weightless is not new ground.
For someone touted as such a capable songsmith it’s disappointing that Weightless isn’t more engaging, but it is so goddamn comfortable to the point of Easy Listening. Songs and albums with such a grand countenance should at least be gripping or loathsome - Weightless is neither. Prall has a nice voice and compositional potential, but he must begin to casually cover new ground before boisterously staking claim on well-tread territory.
Authentic Records
September 22, 2007
*/10
* I will no longer be giving grades to any album I review. More on this later.
7 Comments »
Oh, I didn’t notice - you just didn’t make noise about it. Or did you? Anyway, it’s a filthy habit.
NME gave Weightless a heady 9 out of 10. what else do we need to hear?
Hi,
So, on the comment on the violin line…I wrote it, I have never heard of the song you mentioned, but please give me the blame.
As for crafting, most of the songs were pulled out of our asses on the fly in the studio. So, I guess our first reactions are ones of comfort.
Enough said.
I will no longer be giving grades to any album I review…” Nor should you. That was a very pretentious review. I’d love to hear you do better…IF you can play an instrument at all to begin with.
Am in three bands and a fucking awesome keyboard player. Humble too. Besides, the “you try and do better” argument doesn’t hold water because your own abilities are no datum for quality. Borrrring!
To Chud: Yes, it is a comfortable album, like slipper socks. And who has a beef w/ slipper socks? Put some boots on that sucka next time, it’s in you.
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Comment by hotshotrobot — October 28, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
I will no longer be giving grades to any album I review. More on this later.
You’re just following my lead, copycat!