Estranged
Maybe it’s ’cause I’m livin’ it up more rural with the new house, or maybe it’s the revelation that country music is the new punk, but I just can’t seem to get enough steel guitars in my ears these days.
Former Bauhaus bassist and co-inventor of Goth, David J elevates to unlikely new heights in his latest solo album, Estranged. Actually, to be fair, David has always sounded a bit more countri-fied in his solo efforts. What makes Estranged so unique, though, is his commitment to a more personal songwriting. With this endeavor, we’re always aware of a second presence, (more than likely his wife), who serves as a constant source of inspiration throughout the entire album. I don’t know what sad event happened to cause such an introspective moment of reflection, but many of these songs benefit duly using David’s unshakable poignant tone. And many of them are among the skinny man’s best crafted to date.
- Guitar Man is a cover from an old Bread song. It’s a fittingly disarming album opener and makes good use of Dave Navarro’s ripping guitar solo.
- Mess Up is probably the best track on the album, if not the best song David’s ever written. As a funny testimony for the modern day fuck-up, I can’t help but think this song should be featured in the next Farelly brothers movie, fading in just as the lead character inevitably “messes up” the love interest in some funny, yet still tragic, way. It’s a custom crafted ditty for all of the goodly hearted failures of the world, which I should think makes it pretty relevant for a large-sized audience.
- Pulling Arrows from Our Heels is the surprise sleeper. The string arrangement is unexpected and different from any track he’s ever recorded. I have to say that it works beautifully and could be a great direction for an entire album. The connection to word imagery he achieves in this piece is also quite a milestone.
- If Anything Should Ever Happen to You was my first reminder of David’s roots in the often macabre world of Bauhaus. It also put me in mind of the fact that David and comic book writer Alan Moore (Watchmen, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) were once childhood friends. The song is a vendetta-laced free form of sorts, describing a love relationship’s darker side. Chilling, but effective.
- Bright In Your Absence appears to be David’s full commitment to the country/western form. It twangs, thumps it’s foot along, and should be outlawed, along with the Dixie Chics, in any self-respecting country tavern. But it works. He nails the slide guitar, the preacher-like sentiment, and the sing along airiness, and ends it with a drawn-out trip to a disturbingly alien side. This is, after all, a David J record.
- Trophy Wife begins the album’s catharsis which sheds light on his marital strife. If it were a part of therapy, this would probably be considered the “a-ha” moment.
This album grew on me considerably by the end. As a longtime fan of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, I knew not to expect anything. After all, this is the same man I saw in 1998 performing with a pink boa during a T.Rex cover.
Clearly, in his age and wisdom, David J has grown into a mature songwriter in his own right. If he is somehow overshadowed by his past achievements in the 80′s, as one of the founding members of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, it shouldn’t be considered that much of a tragedy. However, I’m really beginning to feel that his work as a solo artist lays out more credible proof of his overwhelming, if not undeniable, importance in the influencing of those groups.
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