Jason Falkner
Necessity: The 4-Track Years
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Jason Falkner
Necessity: The 4-Track Years
spinART, 2001
RiYL: The Grays, Elliott Smith, Paul McCartney's McCartney |
With Necessity, we don't get a full effort, but a retreat into Falkner's bedroom for four-track versions of 11 originals, plus a fleshed-out 16-track single called "She's Not The Enemy." I know he probably meant the album's title as in "...the mother of invention," but I would be remiss not to point out the new record is not really the "must own" album of Falkner's career.
Five of the songs are just slightly more primal versions of tracks from Author Unknown, and since Falkner's modus operandi is to record every instrumental and vocal note on his albums by his own damn self, these aren't really different enough from the already-released versions to excite.
But the other seven songs are -- surprise! -- previously unreleased tracks, and their collective addition to Falkner's canon is welcome indeed. "She's Not The Enemy" is a shiny slice of power pop that would have fit in well on "Can You Still Feel?," Falkner's multi-tracked vocals echoing smartly against the shimmery backdrop. The song works as Necessity's opener, since its sheen would likely sound out of place anywhere else on the laid-back record.
The gentle, sauntering melody to "His Train" is a top inclusion here, and its minimalist recording makes one glad Falkner opted to release some of these tracks in this form rather than working them up for future albums. The comfortable, recorded-at-home feel to the track suits it quite well and helps illuminate a humble side to the musician, whose output generally sounds meticulously produced. That he would deign to release Necessity is a sign that Falkner is not as obsessed with slickness of sound as one might be led to believe -- he can appreciate the raw beauty of even his own embryonic creations.
Other highlights among the "new" tracks are "The Hard Way" and "My Home Is Not A House," both boasting classic Falkner melodies and home-made attitudes forged in part by the live drum sound that is just below what one might call "clean." Though all these tracks were recorded by one guy -- an instrument at a time -- they really have the feel of a garage band jamming together, Falkner displaying strong musical intuition in blending his own parts and harmonizing with himself.
The shuffling penultimate track "Road Kill Blues" is one of the oddest Falkner compositions ever to see the light of day, featuring a great deal of prominent percussion and peculiar spoken-word samples in the middle-eight.
To re-cap, it ain't the most essential entry in the man's catalog. But Necessity: The 4-Track Years provides a great aural picture of Falkner as the budding young musician, creating by himself in his bedroom what many bands only aspire to create over long careers in costly studios. Falkner possesses one of the most underrated talents of his era, and this record shows said talent from a refreshing angle.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.