Following up the breathtaking musical masterpiece that was 2005’s “Volcano”, Seattle rock band, Gatsby’s American Dream had plenty of lofty expectations heading into their fourth full length album. What we got was a group of ultra talented musicians and song writers telling us all exactly what they think about the music industry and the shape it happens to be in today. The result: a resentful yet still melodic disc that just doesn’t quite live up to previous efforts.
If you’re not real familiar with GAD (Gatsby’s American Dream) by now, then you should be. Most famous for their atypical song structure, smart lyrics filled with literary and pop culture references, and fast paced but surprisingly danceable melodies; GAD has quietly been making some of the most original alternative rock in the scene. With their new self-titled fourth album though, it seems like the band may be a little to wrapped up in their disdain for the recording industry to give us the top notch Gatsby record we deserve.
“I’m not mad, I’m just tired/and it makes me sad, at least it makes me different” These are the opening lines of “You All Everybody” the first track on the new album. Largely these words sum up the whole of the lyrical content on the album. Whether it be straight forward, symbolic, or allegorical; one thing is clear here, all the tracks are connected with one brutally strong recurring theme. One of the most famous aspects of a Gatsby record is their references to popular literature in their lyrics (hence the name of the band) and this disc doesn’t completely let us down in that category. Taking themes from The War of the Worlds (where the album art find its roots) to The White Mountains (where one of the better songs on the disc gets its name) and several stops in between. But, more so than in the past the lyrics seem to fall victim to unabashed feeling of down right hatred, leaving out some of the room for the creativity I’ve begun to expect.
Musically Nic Newsham’s distinctive vocals continue to shine with each progressive effort, and Bobby Darling’s equally distinctive guitar work glimmers as well. There are a number of strong songs here, the aforementioned opener, “My Name Is Ozymandias” and “Station 5: The Pearl” to name a few. The two and a half minute to three minute songs seemed to muddle into each other some where in the middle of the disc though, something that I never thought would happen on a Gatsby album. The whole record clocks in at a mere 33 minutes as well, definitely leaving more to be desired.
Overall Gatsby’s American Dream’s self-titled album is good but not great, interesting but not memorable, likeable but not loveable. The ultimate downfall of this album is not that it’s a bad album, because it isn’t at all. It stands up to, and blows away a good lot of the competition. It’s just the fact that GAD has outdone themselves with previous efforts and left themselves huge walls to scale just to get out of the colossal shadow they’ve made for themselves. I recommend a purchase only after checking out some of the band’s earlier works.
"Gatsby's American Dream" is on sale August 8, 2006 from Fearless.
