Syzlak’s SEM

I Need a Little Escape

Posted on: October 24, 2008 by Syzlak

Reader, I have a headache.

Thankfully, it’s a headache of pure bliss; created by my own unwillingness to turn down my headphones. Earlier this week my pal and WordPress wunderkind, Nate, turned me on to Fucked Up’s latest opus, The Chemistry of Common Life.

Why am I writing about an album on a SEM blog?

Reader, I am many things. A search engine marketer, a musician, a sports-enthusiast, a political scientist and a humorist. I tried having 6 blogs take care of all of my interests, but frankly, I have to consolidate. In my personal life, I work for 9 hrs/day at my SEM job, then 1-2 hrs on music, then 1-2 hrs are alotted to personal time. When the hell was I going to update 5 other blogs??? It’s kindof like when you’re cleaning your closet, and you find your pleather. Sure, it was a good idea at the time, but now it’s a week later and you’ve realized you’re never going to wear those pants again.

So, let’s let this post, and all subsequent I Need a Little Escape posts, be time to unwind from SEM.

Earlier this week I was putting together my Top list of albums released this year, and to the best of my knowledge my favorite had been Paul Westerberg’s 49:00. An epic sprawl of songs crafted by one of America’s finest songwriters finding his voice again and creating the best music since his youth (see: The Replacements). Also in a short list: Blitzen Trapper’s Furr, Destroyer’s Trouble in Dreams and The Hold Steady’s Stay Positive.

So what catapulted The Chemistry of Common Life to the top of that list? To be honest, I think it was something about the guitar brilliance on display, the attention to detail in song craft, the lyrics confronting life and religion, the depth of instrumentation…or it was the raw energy of hardcore.

To hearken back to Reagan – I didn’t leave the hardcore and punk music. The music left me.

Yes, when I was in my first years of college, I’d found the brilliance that is hardcore and punk. You know, the old stuff: Black Flag, Bad Brains, Operation Ivy and the like. Sadly, as quickly as I found it, it left me. Soon, bands like Blink 182 and Less Than Jake were on the national stage, and I wanted to vomit. 2 years later I’m listening to Uncle Tupelo, the Old 97s and thinking that Steve Earle is a genius (which he is).

So you can imagine my excitement, when after more than a decade (Lord…) I’m told that I “might” like this new album from a band called Fucked Up because it’s got “good guitars” on it.

Apprehension sets in.

The first sound I hear on this supposed hardcore album is a flute. Let me repeat that. The first sound on the fucking album is a flute. Not a flute sample or keyboard mimic, but a real fucking flute (yes I’m trying to beat Hack’s record for F-bombs (yes I realize I just wasted an opportunity there)). The textural surprises don’t end there. There are 2 gorgeous instrumentals that separate the three sections of the album perfectly. It’s refreshing to hear a hardcore band pay attention to not only instrumentation (a fucking flute!), but also to album sequencing and purpose.

Fucked Up has crafted a damn fine album here, but more importantly, it’s a smart album. It’s a running discussion about birth, death, life and religion. Maybe I’m just getting old, but these themes seem to be very pressing to me right now; and, it’s great to hear a band like this, present the topic in this manner. It makes me feel young again, while being more receptive to the inevitability of growing old.

Well, there it is – the typical Syzlak self-reflection part of the post. Like the music at the end of an episode of Dr. Katz, the Wonder Years like self-reflection often signifies the end of a post for me. I’d had more things to say, but really if you can handle some beautifully orchestrated hard rockin’ music with a rather gruff sounding frontman, you should really just check out the album.

Our time is up.