"I can relate, I’d throw me away." (Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool?)

Jeff Rosenstock
We Cool?

why you'll love it - Today's most relatable songwriter

why you'll hate it - Songs are samey / have been done better

I've been putting off this review for a while, worrying about how upsettingly "real" it would get while making my case for why Jeff Rosenstock is one of today's most relevant songwriters.  For the last 7 years or so, Jeff has found a real knack for representing the guilt and frustration of being an adult without growing up.  At first I resented his unfiltered take on failing at adulthood, but he eventually won me over.  Bomb The Music Industry!'s swan song, Vacation, was my favorite album of 2011. Have I just become more depressed, or had Jeff found the secret to being the most fun total bummer in punk rock?

We Cool? is actually the first "proper" solo album from Rosenstock.  He insisted I Look Like Shit was mostly half finished hodgepodge (though it was still one of my favorite releases of 2013).  It's exciting to hear his songs performed by a band again, but there is something more personal and special about the cheap sounding drum machines and synthesizers of I Look Like Shit and certain Bomb The Music Industry! songs.  As a result, Jeff treads familiar ground, to slightly less effect.

Don't get me wrong, I've got no problem with writing about the same thing.  Less Than Jake literally got me through high school with dozens of songs about awkward adolescence and dreams of "getting out of your hometown".  My other favorite living songwriter, Dr. Frank, has written hours and hours about being an absolute mess at relationships.  Rosenstock does blunt depression and shame better than anyone I know, and he should continue.  It just so happens not much on this album hasn't already been done better in songs like "Fresh Attitude, Young Body" and "Amen".

Highlights come in the form of moments.  The chorus to "Nausea" (music video of the year, for sure!), has summed up my 2015 so far a little too perfectly.  The bridge to "Polar Bear or Africa" is exactly what's so great about Jeff's ability to turn one of life's biggest fears into a catchy anthem.  The one true standout song on We Cool? is "I'm Serious, I'm Sorry".  It's an absolutely brutal story about one's own inability to console someone you truly care about.  It's a situation I have found myself in, and it suuucks.  Jeff makes no efforts to paint himself out of being the dipshit in this story, and it's a humbling look for a songwriter to have.

There are other perfectly fine songs on here like "Get Old Forever" and the Pinkerton soaked "Novelty Sweater" (more people need to crib from Pinkerton!).  Some manage to meet me half way.  "You, In Weird Cities" and "Hall of Fame" have a lot of bitter truthful charm, but bum me out for other reasons.  As much as understand these songs, Jeff is (perhaps unknowingly) coming from a perspective of social success here.  "...Weird Cities" reminds me of how few friends I've had in my life that I'd even consider being nostalgic for when separated from them.  "Hall of Fame" has Jeff reflecting on his successes only giving him negative attention.  I can't help then but think of my own struggle as an introverted nobody, trying to find a place in life.  If someone who actually has plenty of friends and eyes on him isn't finding the appreciation he deserves, what chance do I have on my own just trying to make ends meet?   Here creeps in the shameful reality... let's get back on track.

We Cool? is not as awesome as I wanted it to be.  That doesn't make it a bad record (or even a disappointment).  Past releases simply just had better songs.  All of Jeff's great stuff is on Quote/Unquote Records (including this album) for free to check out.  Get some attention on this guy, because his take on life is important to people like me.  The worst part about when you're feeling bad is a loss of control, a failure to grasp the situation, and just totally losing track of what's right or wrong for yourself.  When a song comes along that speaks to you, it does more than let you know someone relates.  It takes that thing, that formless vague creepy, uncontainable, fear; traps it in a jar, puts it on a shelf, and gives it a catchy label.  Yeah, the problem is still there, and it needs to be dealt with, but now you have a better understanding of what it is.  It now has a name, maybe even a weakness.  Now that it's over there, you can free up your mind and hopefully find a way to get past it.  That's how sometimes a song that sounds like a total bummer, can actually make you feel better.

Not enough songwriters do this.

Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake - Modern Surf Classics

"Son of a bitch must pay" (John Carpenter's Lost Themes)

John Carpenter
Lost Themes

why you'll love it: Vintage Carpenter

why you'll hate it: Just a bunch of fiddling with a synth.

Being able to praise a modern product of John Carpenter's is probably the best gift 2015 will give me.  His films of the 70s and 80s were groundbreaking, inspiring, and still relevant today.  His contributions to the art form still earn him regard, despite not directing anything better than embarrassing in over 15 years.  I could go on about the subtle touches to Halloween that leave it unparalleled in its genre to this day. I could write a thesis on why the title "Master of Horror" underplays his pulp-adventure films, and how wonderful they are at balancing camp with class.  There is one common thread running through all of John Carpenter's most beloved films : a overly synthesized soundtrack...

What this collection of Lost Themes does is bring back that John Carpenter charm so many of his films of the last 25 years have lacked.  Perhaps the brooding synthesizers were mostly a product of 70s culture, embraced by Carpenter, but nevertheless he made them his own.  Just about every track on here gives me instant flashbacks to Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing.  These literally are lost themes; a puzzle with missing pieces.  What I mean is that there isn't a lot of meat on these bones.  They were meant to accompany visuals that either never happened, or found a better companion.  You won't find the kind of satisfaction here that you would out of an album convinced and produced for simple consumption.  Even the titles ("Abyss" Domain" "Mystery") are vague.  What depth you imagine from these tracks depends on the depth of your imagination.

Although, that is where John Carpenter originally found his place in cinematic history.  1978's Halloween is praised for birthing the modern teen slasher.  Some watch is as pure popcorn horror, with a masked man and a big shiny knife.  What Carpenter subtly did in Halloween to make it stand out even today was cloud the details of who "The Shape" is, who "The Boogeyman" is, what "evil" is, and how unfair and terrifying completely random tragedy can be.  You see, it's not really about Michael Mye... ok, I said I wasn't going to do this.  

To cut things short, John Carpenter's Lost Themes reunites his audience with that kind of uncertainty.  It's wonderfully nostalgic, effective, and interesting.  It's just about everything it possibly could be, which isn't saying a whole lot.  As cool as some moments can be, nothing on here will set the world on fire.  I've had this on a lot when I play The Binding of Isaac or Arkham Horror.  You don't need to have warm fuzzy memories of a fantastic decade of films to enjoy this, just a little imagination.