I love an album that’s simply perfect for the times. It’s Friday night, and these Acorn Project folks know how to throw a party. The very first song with the crazy title, turns out to be a perfect poem. I get excited when someone can put together words that mean so much more in the spaces than in the shapes themselves. What is even more exciting is that these spaces are filled with these nebulous little creatures we call musical notes, tones, beats, rhythms. Tasty.
Using the playground slide
Or finding a good place to hide
Were my goals those days
Up in the big oak tree
Is where I wanted to be
And where I would stay
Day after day.
This first verse sets us up with the theme. Escape. Even as a child the narrator explains that the most important thing on his mind was escape. He wasn’t concerned with reading, math, keeping his room clean. But escaping through play and/or finding a good place to hide. As we read the rest of the words we’ll find the theme does not change. The second verse takes us to the place when the narrator is finally getting out of school and facing life on his own.
Twenty-four might be the age
Of counting sheep, but staying awake
Because the constant cost
Of knowing what’s at stake
Means the more we give the more they take.
Ouch. Reality sets in, confusion abounds. Is this all there is? What is the answer to my purpose in life? I can hear the narrator behind the words digging deep into what sounds trivial written out, but causes pain in all humans nonetheless. The best thing is how these guys make it work. They use the music to express all types of emotions and hungers. The songwriter and narrator have enough confidence in themselves to let the whole band spread out and through their creation and thought processes. They know the band has just as much to offer the composition as the words do. That is rare, as I’m sure you all know. Usually the players on a recording are stifled. That’s why we go to see live music, to see the musicians stretch. This recording is exciting because the musicians are given that opportunity. And, of course the story continues. What happens when you ask for advice for all the pain rumbling through your veins? You get “advice” from well meaning friends and relatives.
You say that talk is cheap
It seems expensive to me
When it sounds that way
And now you’re feeling fine
After a big glass of wine
Helps you fly away
Lesson? Everyone is trying to escape. Look around, face it, admit it. We do not have a real tight grasp on exactly why we’re here or what the heck we’re supposed to be doing. You can take any field – religion – is there one that works for everyone? Politics – is there one that works for every one? And round and round we go. There is really no difference between the oak tree and the glass of wine. In fact, we can smile and consider that the poet is slyly making us think of a good, expensive oak-cured wine as we watch the story progress. Conscious or not, the writing is superb, and shows that humans are just one big compilation of emotional responses. However, one thing that can and does bind us together is good music. So, back to The Acorn Project.
This entire album is a shoutout. The players are all superb, the solos touch the heart. It’s also worth a visit their
myspace page and listen to their live music – there are three live jams currently posted that are wonderful examples of the musicianship you’ll hear between the spaces on this album.
Funny Pair of Pants is a slow, soul-filled groove. Re-boot is a hard rocker with a jazzy interlude. Hello Neuman has a light touch with tons of humor in the playing. Gringo Starr shows off acoustic skills. Crystal Myth brings our earbuds into the 21st century. Wellness slows the party down, gives us a poetic glimpse at our mortality as we dance around and around with the musicians. Stomp, well it sounds just like it’s title – prog rock with a beat. Werner, Turner returns to a humorous, funky romp on the dance floor. McGuffin ends the set with the keyboard player setting the pace, the narrator moving a mile a minute through space, pulling all the instruments together like a master conductor. Fine job all around. While there’s no doubt these guys are rock and roll, there is plenty of jazz, reggae, soul, and pop influence to keep these guys constantly on the edge of creativity. I hold firm to all the singles I’ve talked about this year, but will said flat out that this is one of the five best all-round albums I’ve heard all year.
The Acorn ProjectListen In
This song impressed when John Fogerty included it on Revival, and it double impresses here with an arrangement that matches the intensity of Irma’s blessed voice. "The river is waiting, come rise up. A new day is coming, come rise up. We'll be sailing at first light, come gather, set our course for the crossing together." We remember stories of Irma’s home being destroyed in the floods of Katrina, so it is very eerie to be enjoying this joyous recording as Gustav threatens the city and people are being evacuated. I’m praying the joy in this song will not be diminished by the events of the next few days. "Gonna leave all my sorrows behind me, lift my face to a new day, I'm rising." Shoutouts for Too Much Thinking (“too much thinking on my mind to worry about the little things”), and the intriguing piano arrangement of the currently foreboding I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today. Irma Thomas
