Okay, I’ve been meaning to review this album for months now, but hey, twins happen. At least I’m posting it now so you can buy it as a last-minute Christmas gift. Anyway, let’s get to it.If you flip through your memory bank – or perhaps just your iTunes library – to the summer of 1997 when a song entitled “The Freshmen” hit No. 5 on the pop charts and seemed to be playing every time I drove to or from the office. The song was the biggest hit for a band called The Verve Pipe and was written by their lead singer and songwriter Brian Vander Ark.
Fast forward 11 years to May 2008 and you’ll mind me sitting in the common area at Farstar listening to Brian reel off great song after great song for a whopping 30 or so people. Why only 30 people? Because for the last couple of years, in addition to his regular touring, Brian has put on a Living Rooms and Lawn Chairs tour where he basically holds mini-concerts in fans’ homes, yards or even, as in this case, offices. It’s a really sweet deal. He chats with people before the show, puts on an awesome set and then plays guitar with whoever wants to hang out afterwards. (I managed to squeeze in one of my own songs before running back home to the family. Even got a “nice lyric” from Brian – which is good because I’m a lyricist first, a singer fourth and a guitar player 692nd.)
On this particular night, Brian played several songs from his just-released self-titled (or eponymous, as the music critics say) CD. Which was sweet in and of itself. I always find it very cool when you go to a show and don’t really know much of the performer’s music, but end up really digging it anyway. Such was the case here.
Brian also had signed CDs for everyone, so I naturally put it in my car’s CD player for the 30-minute drive home. Fantastic. The lyrics are smart and often clever without being precious or arch. The production is first-rate. And not once did he call out Kanye or Fiddy. Why? Because the man’s classy. That’s why.
My personal favorites are “Lily White Way” and “Little Man.” The former bemoans the cookie-cutter life of suburbia in a way that is quite elegiac, but without being overtly damning to the existence many of us eventually find ourselves living. “Little Man” appears to be autobiographical, but I never like making such assumptions given the nature of lyric writing. Nonetheless, there are more than a few lines that mirror my own life of late, and I often find myself hitting the repeat button on this one.
All in all, a great album that’s better than 99.44% of the dreck out there and a worthy addition to any music library. You can get your own autographed copy here, or grab it digitally from the