Netherfriends - Middle America (Kilo Records)
Shawn Rosenblatt has been the leader and only constant member of the Netherfriends for years now, but back at the beginning of 2010, the project took on a new level of intensity for him. That's when he got the idea for the 50 Songs In 50 States Project, a yearlong tour in which Netherfriends would both perform live, and write and record a song, in every state of the union. And unlike Sufjan Stevens, whose concept albums about Michigan and Illinois seem unlikely to garner the 48 followups that he once hinted at, Rosenblatt planned from the start to complete this project in a timely fashion, giving himself a year in which to pull it off. He set out in spring 2010, and completed the jaunt in April 2011 with a show in Hawaii. In the interim, he came through Richmond three different times, always with a different collection of backing musicians (the last time, he was by himself, supplementing live instrumentation with sequencers and tape loops). Over the course of that year, many local residents, myself included, found themselves falling in love with the idiosyncratic pop stylings of the Netherfriends.
At this point, it's been almost a year since the 50 Songs In 50 States Project wrapped up, but Middle America is only the first full-length release of the songs that were recorded during the project. An earlier EP, Angry East Coast, contained three of the tracks from the project, with a fourth appearing as an internet bonus track. The dozen songs on Middle America now mean that a decent chunk of Rosenblatt's tour-related output is available to fans, but at least 34 songs remain unreleased as of now (I say "at least" because one of the songs on Angry East Coast was "Washington DC," which is not a state at all--and if Rosenblatt actually recorded 51 tracks as part of this project, who's to say he didn't record 65?). We'll just have to wait and see what's next, and how long all of these tracks take to see the light of day, but for now, Middle America is a tremendously satisfying slice of the Netherfriends' typical stock in trade--hazy, delectable pop tunes.
The album's second track, "Bloomington, IA" (yes, every song is named after its city of composition, regardless of lyrical content), is the immediate attention-grabber, with its singsong refrain of "Everybody wants to have a good time" having the same staying power as the lead guitar melody that ran throughout "Bret Easton Ellis Novel," from 2010's Barry And Sherry, a previous songwriting apex for the Netherfriends. Meanwhile, songs like "Columbus, OH" mix laid-back pop melodies with a hazy, droning soundbed that's often created through the use of layered keyboard and synth sounds. The most overt melodies here indicate Rosenblatt's mastery of bubblegum-pop earworms, but he often seems more comfortable drenching those earworms in the sort of watery haze that often appears within the work of Animal Collective. Of course, the preference for more drone-based songwriting techniques that appear often on Middle America may be primarily dictated by the constraints of the project--most of these songs were written and recorded in short bursts, often in the hours before a live gig. It's impressive that the entire album sounds as good as it does, in light of the circumstances in which it was recorded; without being told in advance, it seems doubtful that anyone would realize that these songs were recorded in empty clubs, basements and garages, on portable home recording equipment.
One way in which the unique circumstances behind the creation of this album is undeniabe is the way the nomadic nature of the 50 Songs In 50 States Project influences the lyrics to these songs. For example, "Des Moines, IA" begins with the line "Dear America, where have you been all my life?" and goes on to discuss Rosenblatt's surprising and enlightening experiences with the Midwest in particular, and in general with the parts of America that don't make it onto TV shows all that often. As the song ends, Rosenblatt declares, "I'm gonna stay--do some exploring." "Madison, WI" is more like an origin story, hinting at the breakup with a longtime girlfriend that apparently occurred around the beginning of the 50 Songs In 50 States Project: "Leaving your house was a big mistake, but it was a mistake I needed to make." He mentions food stamps and other signs of poverty, but while he does nothing to romanticize these tokens of suffering--after all, this is the life he chose, and Rosenblatt will be the first to tell you that--it nonetheless gives his experience a tinge of Kerouac-ian grandeur. It's as if he headed out onto the road primarily to find himself, and the shows he played and songs he wrote were merely a vehicle through which to accomplish that goal.
On Middle America's final track, the elegaic "Lawrence, KS," which is structured around a Chris Isaak-ish guitar lead, Rosenblatt comes close to admitting exactly that, inbetween ambivalent laments for his lost romance. "You can do the same thing as me," he sings, on what turn out to be the album's final lines. "Just drop what you think makes you happy. Like a home, and a job, and a person you love. These songs are what happened to me. These songs could happen to anyone." As sad as that is on some levels, I can't help but hope that some more songs like this happen to him again real soon. Shawn Rosenblatt's continual journey across America, despite its attendant poverty and homelessness, has led him to something damn close to pop genius. I can't wait to see where it takes him next.