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Avg: 3.0 (17 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 2001
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Label: Burnt Toast Vinyl / Redeye
A reedier, weedier Wilco; an oakier Okkervil River
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We Say...
It is perhaps no accident that the cover of the Trouble With Sweeney's "Dear Life" is an exact replica of the cover of Richard Brautigan's short story collection Revenge of the Lawn. Like Brautigan, Sweeney is enamored of smallness, finding the dark humor at the center of acute personal narratives. In fact, what stands out most about these songs — most of which fall snugly inside the same alt-country terrain as Wilco or the Old 97s — is the level of lyrical detail: the half-moon scars from a botched surgery, the mock wanted poster on an apartment wall, the kids using the laundry basket as a sled. Sweeney draws his characters with such depth and detail that, by the end of each opening verse, you almost feel you know them personally. That he's paired these stories with some of the winningest melodies this side of Heartbreaker-era Ryan Adams is just a bonus. If the album has a thesis statement, it's contained in the sample of Billy Liar in the album-closing "The Ghosts of 97": "I don't like knowing everybody, I don't like being a part of things. What I'd like to be is invisible — to be able to move around without having to explain everything." "Dear Life" attains this fly-on-wall invisibility, and the stories it turns up are fascinating. After the Trouble disbanded, Sweeney founded the Philadelphia-based gossip site Philebrity, where he's still writing short, sharp observations of the world around him — using fewer words than ever.
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They Say...
Combining an indie pop aesthetic with a country-rock engine, the Trouble With Sweeney are a vehicle for decidedly literary homespun reflections. While their sound has drawn comparisons to '60s folk rockers the Lovin' Spoonful and the Turtles, lead vocalist Joey Sweeney's scratchy croon delivers melodies with phrasing similar to Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, just as lead guitarist John Howkins maneuvers through some decidedly twangy guitar leads to give their sound a more modern alternative country currency. While their subject matter rarely wanders too far from small-town romance and disillusioned reflections, jaunty tunes like "$500-A-Day Hall of Mirrors," highlighted by banjo and flute, create more ebullient sounds. Still, many moods are rife with alienation and regret, from the bouncy rockabilly of "Kitty" to the Replacements mixed with Neil Young of "Is That Your Car?" Endearing from the first listen, endlessly charming, and a positively good journey, the Trouble With Sweeney ultimately make their home at a familiar crossroads, yet still manage to stake out a little new territory for themselves.
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| 01. |  |
$500-A-Day Hall of Mirrors |
2:43 |
|
| 02. | |
Two More People |
3:32 |
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| 03. | |
So Tough |
4:42 |
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| 04. | |
Kitty |
3:47 |
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| 05. | |
She Is Right Here Tonight |
1:26 |
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| 06. | |
That's What I Was Wearing That Day |
5:28 |
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| 07. | |
Ellwood City |
4:24 |
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| 08. | |
The Person I Know Myself to Be |
4:49 |
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| 09. | |
Master of the Scouts |
3:18 |
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| 10. | |
Is That Your Car? |
4:08 |
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| 11. | |
The Ghosts of '97 |
4:53 |
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11 Total Tracks, 43:10 Total Length
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Credits
- Bud Cort - Drums // Mike Brenner - Dobro // Mike Brenner - Lap Steel Guitar // Brian McTear - Banjo // Brian McTear - Vocals (Background) // Brian McTear - Producer // Joey Sweeney - Guitar (Rhythm) // Joey Sweeney - Vocals // Joey Sweeney - Art Direction // The Trouble With Sweeney - Main Performer // John Howkins - Guitar // Erica J. Pennella - Flute // Scott Hatch - Trumpet // Scott Hatch - Art Direction // Art Dupras - Trumpet
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