DID NOT! – Again?
DID NOT! – Again? – Album Review
All this extra punctuation…confusing the heck outta my spell-check machine here…
It was actually one month ago to the day that I first learned about Bill Owens and the music he was making in DID NOT! – or at least a month ago to the day that I was first posting about it…you get it. Flash forward to today, where I’ve now reviewed more of his music than most artists/bands get written about their tunes throughout the course of a career, with four records from his other band Blunt Objects having been thoroughly listened to, and this being the third time I’ve written about DID NOT! to-date.
To me, I personally think there is a monumental difference between what’s happening in Blunt Objects versus the music that’s being made in DID NOT!. There are elements of both that I certainly appreciate, but I generally find myself siding more towards the artistic dimensions and endearing oddball nature of Blunt Objects, as opposed to the more straight-ahead style of DID NOT! that draws on old songs that Bill has had in his back pocket since the 70s. Working with Matt Rendon, who basically handles the music with Owens on the mic, there’s no doubt they complement each other as a pair…DID NOT! is a cohesive unit. For me it’s simply more of a matter of the material & the direction being chosen in each project; DID NOT! is more about the past, Blunt Objects is more about the future as far as I can tell. Neither of those two directions are wrong, but when it comes to something like “Born A Fool” that starts out this second record called Again? by DID NOT! – it definitely has that familiar feel to it. It could be The Cars or The Monkees or early R.E.M. – all of which are great comparisons & company to be keeping, despite the fact that we somewhat feel like we’ve been there & done that. I dig the fact that you can hear the roots of Rock in a track like “Born A Fool” and how it shifted into Pop with the shiny hooks you’ll find. Tracks like these were instrumental in creating the hybrid vibes that have dominated the charts and our playlists for as long as we can remember…plus I love the guitar in “Born A Fool” too…it’s got that whole Kids In The Hall College-Rock sound, in addition to the Punk spirit this cut has in its speed and at its core.
It’s tight stuff, and true to the era…that’s what you get out of DID NOT!, and in many cases you’ll find that’s still a wildly relevant sound for the right here & now. While you don’t tend to find a whole lot of songs that sound like “White Knight” necessarily on the surface of the mainstream these days, or on the ol’ Top-40 stations…we’re not talking about anything all that far off either. You could point to acts like The Strokes or The Killers or even something like Franz Ferdinand or I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME and you’d consider them derivatives of something like DID NOT!, or at least distant cousins. Fueled by the passion in the rhythm section, “White Knight” has what you’d consider to be a more challenging structure for the average everyday listener by how it plays through each section overall inside of one song, but each individual component has its own extraordinarily catchy hooks and the kind of inspired energy you wanna find. It’s sure brought the life outta Bill in his performance, and I’m loving that…he had to really get into the right gear in order to keep up to the energy in the music of “White Knight,” and by golly, I’d say he found it. Personally, I love the way this song shifts between the fast and slow parts…it’s a genuine riot to listen to this track from the lyrics to the backing vocals, lead parts and everything in between. It’s got a rubbery center to it, and a whole lot of discernable swagger to it too.
If you were reading last night’s review on Blunt Objects and found me a little perplexed by “Desperate Man,” perhaps that’s nothing more than a matter of a song not having had the right sound or vibe to it. Because it shows up here again on DID NOT!’s Again?, and I’m practically addicted to it. I know that Matt’s got a whole range of musical talents & whatnot…I don’t know that he’d primarily consider himself to be a bass player, but I tell ya folks, he sure plays that instrument like his life depends on it – dude’s got incredible feel for the way he plays, and I love hearing him keep the rhythm of “Desperate Man” rumblin’ and rollin’ along at the speed it does. Sometimes we just need to find the right space for a song to exist, or better yet, for a song to thrive. I was unsure about “Desperate Man” as a Blunt Objects tune, but I’m completely convinced that it belongs here with DID NOT! – and isn’t that in itself kind of amazing? I think it is. I might get distracted a lot by shiny things and colors and shapes and whatever…so there’s that to consider…but I still think it’s incredibly cool that one man in two projects can achieve such remarkably different results with a single song. No joke folks…I have CRANKED UP “Desperate Man” in this lineup to the point where I’ve had my speakers and neighbors crying uncle, but I’ve ignored all the warning signs and proceed to play this track loud & proud – I love this version, 100%. The main hooks of the chorus in this cut are powerfully addictive…major credit to Bill’s vocals, Matt’s incredible bass-lines, the organ that plays into the vibe, and the hint of guitars that comes into it too. If anything, I’d listen to an argument that the guitar parts could have withstood having even more of a presence than they do here…but don’t mistake that for any kind of complaint, I’m just musing out loud.
“Lonely Together” is one of the sweeter non-love-songs you’re gonna hear this year. It’s not an anti-love song as far as I can tell…it’s just a track that has a narrative & storyline to it that sets the bar real low, or perhaps simply realistically. It’s kind of got this whole like…Lou Reed dealio goin’ on…like a cross between “Satellite Of Love” and something along the lines of what you’d find in the guitar lines of the early side of R.E.M.’s catalog once again. Anyhow. Sounds great! I really think this track has got a great vibe to it, and I have this sneaking suspicion that “Lonely Together” is probably a million times more relatable than a lot of people would think it would be. I suppose you could say this song basically boils down to the desire for some kind of companionship…the idea that being “Lonely Together” would be much better than being lonely alone. And perhaps that’s true! I’m not gonna profess to know the answer to that riddle as a man that’s been happily married for nearly fifteen years now…but from what I can see out there happening to people in my age group doing their best to pair up with what they seem to think is their last good shot to do that…maybe the theory behind this song ain’t all that far off. Don’t get me wrong – I freakin’ CHERISH my alone time…but that’s really just for any moment I don’t get to spend with my wife, of which I’m blessed to share plenty. If I was forced to interact with other people on a regular basis, or didn’t have the good fortune of the world’s greatest partner…I dunno…my opinion might change drastically. I think I’d be more suited to being the lonely alone type and prefer to die in a cabin somewhere out in the middle of the woods face down in a novel one day, but maybe before reaching that point, I might stumble back to the nearest point of civilization after a couple of decades and seek out some kind of company to be “Lonely Together,” it’s possible I suppose. Hooks are strong on this tune, the idea is stellar, and the sentiment is actually a whole lot sweeter than it seems at first.
I wouldn’t take anything away from the performances on “Miss Me Baby” – I think both Bill and Matt ended up doing a great job with what they’ve got in that regard, especially in the verses. It’s not my favorite material overall, and the melody feels stretched a little thin at a few key points in the chorus, but other than that, I can still see this cut’s got some solid energy and appeal to it for the people out there listening to DID NOT!. This particular track even reminds me a little of my old man’s old band, Doug And The Slugs from up here in Canada…it’s got that bounce & element of showmanship to it…and the chorus hooks are smartly designed, even if it feels like they’ve got more potential than we currently hear in’em. It’s about infatuation at the end of the day…at least from what I can tell. I don’t think a track like “Miss Me Baby” is hiding too much below the surface…it’s a track where it really is what it is – and if what it is, is the kind of something you love, you’ll get nothing but a high-five from me – right on.
“Don’t Look Back” is a solid cut on Again? that highlights Bill’s penchant for penning his wisdom and insights into his tunes. “The world is full of reasons to run away and hide,” for instance, is completely accurate as far as I know – and I like the fact that he’s added in the lines afterwards that go on to aim at inspiring you NOT to do that. “Don’t Look Back” is all about embracing the present, and generally not being afraid to give this lifetime a little of the ol’ carpe diem. Thematically, I dig it…the energy is great, the vibe is stellar, the mood works…everything supports the main ideas at the center of this tune, and I feel like this turned out really well. For the most part, it’s pretty shiny Pop/Rock for sure, especially in the moments where you’ll find Bill’s vocals involved…outside of the verses & chorus & such – am I crazy or am I hearing a distinct Rush influence on Matt’s guitar lines? Is it Rush I’m thinking of? I think it is. I keep a library’s worth of information up in my dome and there’s always a chance I’m getting my wires crossed…but oddly enough, I’m like, it either has to be Rush or it’s actually early Heart I’m thinking of, and both of those comparisons seem like they have a million miles between’em. One of’em is right though…and I’ll let you be the final judge & jury on who that is. Now I’m leaning towards Heart. Maybe? Okay…I’m moving on…but you get the idea I’m sure…”Don’t Look Back” comes out really well for these two. If you want my honest opinion, it actually reminds me a lot of when Mike Watt and Evan Dando got together for a moment on an album Mike put out back in the 90s called Ball-Hog Or Tugboat, at least for the showmanship aspect to it more-so than the sound I guess. Watch the video and maybe you’ll get what I mean…I could see “Don’t Look Back” coming out with a similar style in the live shots.
One of my favorite moments of instrumentation to be found definitely exists on “She Gets Around” without a doubt…that’s a huge highlight for Matt’s guitar work. Within such a tiny time-frame, I feel like it’s actually the music that makes this particular track overall…the vocals are decent, don’t get it twisted – but they’re really quite a minimal part of what we hear in this song. You get a couple quick verses and hurried choruses…and it’d be tougher to pin down a verifiably memorable moment being added into this one from Bill’s parts in comparison to the way the music takes over. Ain’t nothing wrong with that in my books…the musicianship of Matt Rendon deserves its due credit for sure…this guy’s basically a one-man army in that regard, and he’s been rockin’ the living daylights out of this record from the moment it began. He gets a well-earned moment in the spotlight to shine on “She Gets Around” and as a result of him confidently taking that on, he becomes the most memorable aspect of this particular tune. Dude clearly loves to beat on the drums too…you can hear the enthusiasm in every single song.
Somewhere between a Neil Young & Crazy Horse tune and something by Strawberry Alarm Clock, you’ll find a track like “Nothing Comes Easy” chillin’ out and making a home for itself. I’m not opposed to this song…but I’d reckon it’s one of the album’s deeper cuts. Less emphasis on creating the kind of catchy hooks we’ve been hearing throughout Again?’s first half, “Nothing Comes Easy” seems like one of those moments where they pushed record after saying, ‘alright – we gotta take this one super-seriously.’ It’s a reliable track and adds both strength to the lineup & credibility to the songwriting…but yeah…something about this song also feels like it’s reaching for more depth than a lot of the material surrounding tends to, and I’m not entirely convinced that works to its advantage within this particular lineup. Essentially, it seems like a case of good song, wrong fit…but I think with multiple spins, people will appreciate it more.
“All Of My Books” ends up being featured in the lineup of DID NOT!’s album (Did So) too – and I’m gonna stand behind the comments I made there as it seems like we’re dealing with the exact same mix unless I’m mistaken. It’s one of those rare tracks that seems to have eluded Bill…maybe even Matt a little too if I’m being real with ya…and that could be the reason that we’re actually finding this particular song on two different records. Sometimes the ideas we’re the most passionate about as musicians are the hardest ones to get down in a recording in the exact way we want to…and “All Of My Books” could be one of those. Conceptually, there are some really great ideas here…I think it just feels like there’s a different approach that’s needed I suppose…or maybe it’s a track that simply needs to be left behind. Sometimes we never get everything as right as we want to or intend…and maybe that’s the case here.
With kind of a Tom Petty-esque type of riff to the guitars on “Miss L,” we’ve once again arrived at the point of an Owens record where he wants to start tasting people again…and we’ve talked about this Bill. I’m kiddin’ around with the guy, of course…it’s not like that isn’t a reference I’ve heard within music a whole bunch of times in a whole bunch of different places throughout the years…it’s a thing, people taste people, and then for some reason they write songs where they mention it. I’m not all that concerned about it at the end of the day…but I would be concerned in a few other spots where it feels like Bill’s using a few words we don’t come across as normally in our speech like “swoon,” or spots where he’s trying to fill the needs of the rhyme-scheme more than say what he’s really wanting to say. I’m probably neither here nor there when it comes to “Miss L” for the most part…I could probably take or leave it. I like the energy, I like the way Bill’s vocals come out, and I absolutely loved the drums on this tune…lots of positives here still, but admittedly a bit thin on the substance by comparison to many of the songs I’ve heard in the two Owens projects to-date. That being said, it’s got a real uplifting spark to the way it sounds and moves, and if this ended up being a fan favorite, I certainly wouldn’t blame’em.
Aha! The answer to a question I had earlier! The mystery is finally solved! It was mentioned that I’d reviewed “She’s My Girl” to me before when I was reviewing the Blunt Objects album Safe At Home?, and I was convinced that I hadn’t…and as it turns out, I was right all along – it’s here, on this DID NOT! album. And it’s still alright! I’ve mentioned comparisons to The LA’s before in what Bill creates, and this particular version of “She’s My Girl” with the sparkle of Matt’s guitars definitely brings out the similarities to that band more than ever…but yeah…it’s a solid tune in both forms I’ve heard it in so far. The “don’t get ideas” hook is highly effective and could very well be the most memorable part of this particular tune…”She’s My Girl” is a track about loyalty and being protective…and I think the sweetness translates easily from the concept to the execution. Interesting to get these multiple cracks at creating these songs at long last for Bill…I don’t know that I’d recommend it with every song he’s written given that he’s releasing as much music as he has been…it’d be a very easy way to oversaturate things with the listeners out there, so I do advise some caution on that – but I personally dig that we get different perspectives on some key tunes. Like, the difference made on “Desperate Man” earlier on was not just noteworthy, it was a monumental difference that turned a song I was on the fence about into something truly excellent…so don’t get me wrong, it’s actually outright important to try different things as artists. Now to crack open “All Of My Books” and see if there’s something that can be done there my good man! Anyhow. Again? is another solid DID NOT! album from start to finish…at least I think so…I’ve heard a whole lot of Bill Owens tunes over this past month so it’s getting a little fuzzy…but I think this is one of my favorites from the DID NOT! catalog…at least for now…something tells me he’s far from finished.
Listen to more music from DID NOT! at Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4hGkrerd3ni70NnCNxrZfn
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