Adam Green - Friends of Mine Review
In the court of musical opinion, I think just about everyone will disagree with me, but originality aside, The Velvet Underground and Nico is not as strong an album as Nico: Chelsea Girl, the bands first solo outing by half member Nico. The lyrics, while not as cutting, are crafted better, and the music is more masterful. Because of the jarring nature of The Velvet Underground and Nico, its' unusual subject matter, its' primitive beat and shreiking viola and electric guitar, it is more of a groundbreaking album. Nico's solo album, mostly created by The Velvet's member John Cale, has a classical touch with its' avant-garde leanings, and its' experimentalism is tempered by a pop sensibility.
The Moldy Peaches, who brought lo-fi back on the map, and made the diy esthetic fun again, will eclipse any solo efforts the band members attempt, which is a shame, because Friends of Mine is perhaps a stronger album than The Moldy Peaches. Adam's juvinile sensibility is tempered by his maturing in his lyrical craft. Still peppered with pornographic wordplay, his subject matter is no longer relegated to pop culture references so prevelant on The Moldy Peaches and fellow bandmate Kimya Dawson's solo albums. He has created tiny riddles within his songs that are a delight to unravel the true meaning, much like fellow antifolker Beck's recent outings. Here is an example lyric from Jessica Simpson:
Tommorrow gets closer/A purple bulldozer/Is calling you on the phone
Your love life procedes you/Your Son-In-Law feeds you/Injections of cortizone.
Of course, the most striking thing about Friends of Mine is that first off, the string arrangements that are plastered throughout the album complements Adams songs so well that I don't know if they would be nearly as good without; sometimes the sum doesn't have to equal the parts. The pairing of Jane Scarpantoni and Adam Green is like the pairing of Lenny Warnoker and Randy Newman. The second thing is that Adam sings wonderfully, so much so that he might be kicked out of the antifolk camp just for having such a terrific voice. His deadpan delivery on The Moldy Peaches and his first solo album hid the lilting quality of his instrument.
No song overstays its' welcome, with the longest track on the album clock in just slightly over three minutes. Even with strings on almost every track, each song is its' own entity, and the album is varied even with its' similar instrumentation and tone. The music swells and swoops throughout, and Adam sings with confidence. Standout tracks are Friends of Mine, The Prince's Bed, Frozen in Time, and Salty Candy. After hearing the mellowness of Garfield, or Adam Green if you have the UK version, I was shocked when I heard this bold outing. Adam Green, after years of posing, is becoming a true rock star.
