Brad Sucks • Out of It (2008)
How many times has he heard this one? Brad (Turcotte) Sucks does a lot of things on Out of It, but Brad Sucks doesn't. Out of It does pay a mean Beck homage, wobble and careen through emotions bitter and better with cool, detached vocals, guitars that hark gloriously back to mid-90's alternative ("Fake It"), plenty or reverb, and just enough keyboard and effects. It seems to be about existential crisis ("Sick in bed and dyin' / Of something I don't have / And will never have" from "Certain Death") . . . But suck? No, it doesn't. That's part of the appeal, part of the tone itself.
There's a self-deprecated charm here. It never goes too far, only enough to sound completely honest, and candor earned these songs alternately rock and lull the listener. The whole album is jangly and reverbed, so that a druggy dissociation weaves in and out of the individual tracks without them veering into impenetrable territory. The songs aren't boxed in; they're open-ended invitations to shared introspection. This album is like a head-bobbing and -swaying group therapy session.
If one went back through Beck's discography and collected all the dusty, down-to-earth numbers the tracklist would play no less endearingly nor be less exhilarating than these ten. "Dropping out of School" sets the pace and tone with themes of transition and doubt and a sound that's pure elastic exuberance. The stand-out track, "Gasoline" leads off the second half of the disc with a tempo that sounds like its out of gas, coasting off fumes along a dirt road; it never takes any turns and it just never gets boring. It reminds me of "Lost Cause." Like that tune, this one is a linear process you can't help but be completely absorbed in.
It's almost a magic trick what's going on here. Lest you think I'm taking my Beck comparison too far, try to name over five artists that play world-weariness to the party without bringin' it down, and do it as well. After Out of It I can name one. "Feeling suicidal" without a suicidal feel, "feeling so excited," there's a joyful slight derangement ("Dropping out of School"). Or detachment. But whichever, it works.
Brad Sucks is no mere a clone, however. He's far more immediate. There are no freak-outs or jarring experimentations found here. Out of It is hookier, punchier, and more straightforwardly leaning. Brad's either celebrating a sunken ship or warming up to rebuilding it, but he's certainly not clouding the issue with musical mysticism. That's not to say that this isn't a varied, nuanced piece of indie rock. It's just a piece with its own demeanor, with plenty of off-center flourishes that never distract. The last track "You're Not Going Anywhere" sums it up succinctly: "I'm not saying anything / you haven't heard before . . . but you're not going anywhere." Yeah.
If one went back through Beck's discography and collected all the dusty, down-to-earth numbers the tracklist would play no less endearingly nor be less exhilarating than these ten. "Dropping out of School" sets the pace and tone with themes of transition and doubt and a sound that's pure elastic exuberance. The stand-out track, "Gasoline" leads off the second half of the disc with a tempo that sounds like its out of gas, coasting off fumes along a dirt road; it never takes any turns and it just never gets boring. It reminds me of "Lost Cause." Like that tune, this one is a linear process you can't help but be completely absorbed in.
It's almost a magic trick what's going on here. Lest you think I'm taking my Beck comparison too far, try to name over five artists that play world-weariness to the party without bringin' it down, and do it as well. After Out of It I can name one. "Feeling suicidal" without a suicidal feel, "feeling so excited," there's a joyful slight derangement ("Dropping out of School"). Or detachment. But whichever, it works.
Brad Sucks is no mere a clone, however. He's far more immediate. There are no freak-outs or jarring experimentations found here. Out of It is hookier, punchier, and more straightforwardly leaning. Brad's either celebrating a sunken ship or warming up to rebuilding it, but he's certainly not clouding the issue with musical mysticism. That's not to say that this isn't a varied, nuanced piece of indie rock. It's just a piece with its own demeanor, with plenty of off-center flourishes that never distract. The last track "You're Not Going Anywhere" sums it up succinctly: "I'm not saying anything / you haven't heard before . . . but you're not going anywhere." Yeah.
Brad Sucks offers Out of It for free here.
