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It's unfortunate if, like me, you've come to the party a little
late. It's clear from all the accolades about Mark Eitzel's
past work, both solo and as the frontman of American Music
Club, that he is respected as a talented and versatile songwriter,
but if Candy Ass were the only thing I had to go on I would
not be tempted to explore any further. This album is schizophrenic.
Most of the tracks are ambient electronica, the kind of chill
out sound that played in the background of every London champagne
bar I ever revived myself in from 1999-2001. So at first the music
seems bland and outdated, but on further listen I notice that
Eitzel has imbued it with sounds and lyrics that render it vaguely
disturbing. That's not my favorite combo. "A Loving Tribute
To My City" is interspersed with clips of a young girl speaking,
and while I can't make out all of what she is saying, it definitely
starts out with a description of someone with a nose tumor having
a near death experience during surgery. Riiiight. Even the compositions
without lyrics invoke the same uncomfortable feeling in me that
this one does - I felt quite grey and empty, and sometimes bored,
listening to most of this album. That could be because it was
cold and colorless outside while I listened, but nonetheless,
without a drink in my hand and someone else to talk to I can't
really think where I would want to be to hear this playing.
Now, I have to admit that nestled in the computer generated wasteland
like the last, straggler jelly beans in the Easter basket are
a few songs I'm more interested in; songs in which Eitzel sings
and plays guitar, his voice sometimes reminding me oddly of a
male Edie Brickell. These songs are more engaging with
their quirky lyrics and spare accompaniment; dirty coffee shop
music contrasting against the zebra couches and Super 8 movies
of the rest of the album. On first listen, I laughed aloud at
the lyrics of "My Pet Rat St. Michael," only to be sideswiped
by an unexpected feeling of melancholy. "Sleeping Beauty"
is a delicate song, where Eitzel's soft voice catches as he describes
"your trembling hands/that cannot hold on/to any heart that's
warm/to any lie that's cold." Finally, I like "Roll
Away My Stone," in which Eitzel's distinctive voice and turn
of phrase combine to simply and effectively convey the human struggle
with self doubt. I feel a tentative connection to Eitzel's music
when he plays his guitar and sings; a connection that is lost
every time the next alienating, electronic piece comes on.
Overall, Candy Ass comes off as a disjointed effort; two
disparate styles that for me don't mesh that well. If you can
get past the all-encompassing atmospherics and feel so inclined,
check around for an earlier Mark Eitzel album that will give you
more to think about, one that gnaws at you a little more like
his pet rat, St. Michael.
- Heidi Lamer
Track Listing:
1. My Pet Rat St. Michael
2. Cotton Candy Tenth Power
3. Make Sure They Hear
4. Sleeping Beauty
5. A Loving Tribute To My City
6. Homeland Pastoral
7. Roll Away My Stone
8. Green Eyes
9. Cobh
10. I Am Fassbinder
11. Song Of The Mole
12. Guitar Lover
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