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Grey Does Matter's debut, the lauded 2004 release How To
Make Millions In Real Estate, announced the arrival of the multi-talented
and entirely self-sufficient Jason Crawford. Crawford was the
sole songwriter, musician, and producer on the record, which sold
more than 5,000 copies without a record label or major distributor.
He was so independent, in fact, that he played the first Grey Does
Matter shows with a Nintendo Game Boy - which, of course, he programmed
- as his band.
With the hard-earned success of that record under his belt, Crawford
eschewed the one-man approach and led Grey Does Matter to the studio
as a real three-piece rock band to record the follow-up. The result
was the outstanding Your Job Will Kill You, featuring drummer
Jon Webber and multi-instrumentalist Amos. Webber anchors
the record with a skillful balance of precision and aggression. His
snare is like the crack of a whip, and his propulsive rhythms favorably
recall Dave Grohl. Amos not only plays an array of instruments,
but has invented a range of them himself. His various electronic creations
add sounds and textures throughout Your Job Will Kill You -
the wild electronic experiments of "Whole Sale" and his
inventive oscillator work in "Rake Your Leaves" are particularly
impressive. He also conceived a hybrid instrument that is one-fourth
bass guitar and three-fourths guitar, which allows him to play both
instruments at once.
All of this might not matter if Your Job Will Kill You didn't
feature a uniformly strong set of songs. The band fuses the pop-rock
craftsmanship of bands like Weezer and Green Day, the
live-wire tension of the Talking Heads, and the endearingly
menacing vocals of the Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano.
The opening track, "Irregular Embraces," is a dynamic piece
of pop-rock, starting quietly and building to a soaring climax. "Unlimited
Fun Shine" and "Summer Song" are excellent, light-hearted
pop-punk, and "Already All Ready" is a new wave throwback
that recalls classic Blondie. The band slows the tempo on "So
Easy" and "Gatehouse." While the former is the album's
weakest track, overly simple both lyrically and musically, the haunting
"Gatehouse" features some of Crawford's strongest vocals
and his most emotionally direct lyrics.
Your Job Will Kill You is not designed to be a groundbreaking
record, but it is an inspired statement in a genre with fewer and
fewer highlights. It's difficult to make this kind of music without
sounding derivative, but Grey Does Matter provides enough twists to
make this a truly refreshing record. The band's formula is simple:
great songs, spirited performances, and no need to be anything besides
an outstanding rock band. And, perhaps most encouragingly, Crawford
is a talented songwriter and restlessly creative bandleader. Under
his guidance, Grey Does Matter should continue to refine its already
impressive talents. This is essential for fans of the genre, and suggests
that a lot more people may hear about Grey Does Matter in years to
come.
-Dan Warren
Track Listing:
1. Irregular Embraces
2. Unlimited Fun Shine
3. Wait For Me
4. So Easy
5. Rake Your Leaves
6. Another Mistake
7. Summer Song
8. Whole Sale
9. Already All Ready
10. Gatehouse
11. Life From Under
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