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There's plenty of heart on Big Bad World. Says singer/songwriter Tom Higgenson, "We tried to be really ambitious and not worry about people's expectations for this record. Our vision was to do it in a classic way." To that end, the band only used gear or instruments made before 1970: vintage guitars, old Vox amps and Leslie speakers, a Ludwig drum set circa 1966. They even recorded without a click track (equivalent to walking a high-wire without a net). Because they recorded it live, you might hear imperfections. But in the case of "Big Bad World," those imperfections worked perfectly. "Our songs in the past had a `50's and `60's influence with classic songwriting structures and harmonies," says Tom. "This time we decided, rather than punk that out and make it sound modern, we would record as though it could have been done by the Beatles or early Tom Petty. We got to a place where we sounded good live 300 nights a year, so we wanted to capture that." Of course aiming high means nothing without good songs. Fortunately, coming off a smash hit like "Hey There Delilah," Higgenson felt inspired. "There was no second guessing," he recalls. "If I thought something was good, I went with it. The album is 10 songs, very concise and to the point." The opening title track, co-written by Tom and Chris Thompkins ("Before He Cheats"), conveys a battle-scarred confessional offset by a deceptively upbeat melody. "Over the past year, I made lots of mistakes," Tom says, "and I wanted to write about that rather than point fingers at people. I wanted to place the blame on myself." Next, the first single "Natural Disaster," with its ballistic beat and tale of a seductive groupie, upends the band's undeserved reputation as loveably lovelorn. "Serious Mistake" wraps a solid rock foundation with a wild orchestration. "I was in a dark place," Tom says of the song's origins. "I made a stupid mistake with a girl that I immediately regretted. For a while I harbored some guilt. So I wrote the song in an effort to work through it." Bassist Mike Retondo lends a major assist on the track, playing everything from bass clarinet and melodica to trombone, even improvising some of his parts on the spot. The ballad "Rainy Day" serves as melancholy counterpoint to gems like "That Girl" and "1,2,3,4" (featuring the otherworldy sounds of Jon Brion on the Chamberlin), both of which embody Tom's idealized sense of pop simplicity. Then there's "Sunlight," which just might be the new album's crown jewel. Written by guitarist Tim Lopez, the song blends a reverent melody with "Abbey Road"-level harmonies to proffer a message of forgiveness (Grammy nominee William Hamilton, the father of PWT's drummer De'Mar Hamilton, plays organ). "Last year should have been the best year of my life," says Tim. "The band was exploding. It seemed we couldn't do anything wrong. But my marriage was ending right in the middle of the success. I wrote this song to my wife. For me, it was written as a message of hope that we could work it out, that we could save what we had. We don't usually do dark songs, but the song had enough hope for Tom to latch onto." "I Really Want You" infuses a tale of unrequited lust with a "Blonde on Blonde" vibe, right down to the saloon-style piano. "Everybody has that reaction when they see a pretty girl," Tom notes of the song. "Your heart starts racing, your life flashes before your eyes. She's the one! This was written one morning when I caught sight of a girl that for a moment seemed like the one." As for"Meet Me in California," the song is based on another torturous misstep in the Tom Higgenson love saga. "It's an allusion to another serious mistake," he says. "You can only hurt someone so many times before it's not even about whether they forgive you. It's about why do I keep being such an idiot. I always had it in my head, even as a kid, that I was going to live in California someday. The song is about finally getting out to California and hoping something better is waiting for me there." The album ends on a high note with "Someday," an intricate composition that swaps typical verse-chorus structure for something harder to label. "I always write hopeful songs," Tom says. "The record starts with `Big Bad World,' talking about my screw-ups, and then it ends with a message that someday it'll all work out."
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Reviews:
Their best album yet and a power pop classic
As a big fan of power pop (ala Big Star) as well as great harmony and melody I have immediately become immersed in this new PWT album. I'm already a fan of their earlier work (even before "Delilah" hit it big), but I'm coming at this critically and not as a fan.
"Sunlight" is hands down one of the best songs I've ever heard. Tom Higgenson effectively channels Bruce Johnston (Beach Boys) and sings a plaintive love song in the same vain as Pete Ham in the original "Without You" by Badfinger. The chosen hit from the album, "1,2,3,4" is equally sweet but more pop-oriented and is a great song. Other stand outs include "Natural Disaster" which has been played on TV as well as "Serious Mistake". PWT will no doubt cycle at least 3 or 4 singles off of this long-player.
Even though I enjoy their entire body of work, I haven't owned a disc of theirs yet that I could play all the way through without skipping over one or two tunes to get to a favorite. This disc, however, holds my attention throughout, and I enjoy each of the songs. One can tell that the band had a lot of fun recording this album. Based on the hits they've charted in the last year they now have a long enough leash to take some chances by including some really great melodic songs. Too plain for my taste
I have to confess that I wasn't hip enough to hear about the Plain White T's, the emo rockers who hit the pop charts in 2006.
But I don't feel too bad, because the Plain White T's new album is not really hip. Unfortunately, it's a little too plain.
Don't get me wrong--the T's are talented. Mike Rotendo plays some killer bass lines in the song "Natural Disaster," and De'Mar Hamilton plays some killer hi-hat rhythms. However, guitarists Tirio and Tim Lopez just don't do enough with their guitars to compete with the new punk rockers. And Tom Higgenson sings too much like Ben Folds--in other words, he sounds too nice. His vocals and lyrics are nowhere near as good as Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie.
In fact, I was disappointed with their boring lyrics--Higgenson's just singing about rainy days and sunlight through windows. The guitar chords just sound so played out--there's hardly anything interesting other than plain cheeky guitar chords.
There are a couple lovely songs, such as "1, 2, 3, 4," in which Higgenson sang a sweet acoustic guitar song. However, sometimes Higgenson and the other singers sound way too happy for their good. "Sunlight" was supposed to be some sort of cross between Queen-styled vocals and emo punk. Instead, it turned into a boring song which teaches girls to find their way back home.
The Plain White T's have so many opportunities to sound exciting, especially with the blues-style chords in the opening of "I Really Want You." However, with the honky tonk piano in the song, it doesn't sound that edgy at all. Overall, the Plain White T's should have tried a little harder to craft an edgier sound, especially with the album title "Big Bad World." If they want to stay appealing to the teeny bopper crowd, then that's fine. However, the Plain White T's missed a perfect opportunity to become better than plain. Generic to the core
Sure you could repeat listen to this and force yourself to tolerate and/or like these songs. The production values are there and they are polished. But are the songs creative with staying power? One or two are, but that's it. Plain White Tease
There are two absolutely stunning tracks that end this album, "Meet Me in California" and "Someday." Prior to that, this album is melodically excellent, solidly produced, but it completely lacks punch. There is no urgency to the songs, which is not a bad thing because obviously the band is going for a retro, 1960's feel. There are times that the melodies seem transparently lifted from the Beatles' Abbey Road album, which is never a bad thing. It would just be a little more convincing if they rocked out on occasion. Of all the talented bands out there, it is odd that the Plain White T's of all bands has hit it big. I'm not saying they don't deserve it, it's just that while the songs are good, they are very ordinary. They have morphed into the Click Five. And again, this is tolerable because the melodies are good, and most teenyboppers who fell in love with "Hey There Delilah" probably don't even know that this used to be a pop-punk band. As structurally solid as the album is, it was shocking to hear them produce an album that is so soft. This album makes New Found Glory's "Coming Home" sound like fast-paced hard rock!!
So to sum it up, in one respect the band succeeded in creating the album they undoubtedly wanted to make. Question is, is it the album longtime fans wanted to HEAR? Enough Bang For The Buck?
After rushing out to obtain my copy of "Big Bad World", I sit here somewhat disappointed. Most of the reviews I read had led me to believe I was in for a more "mature" album, with better songwriting and enough variety and originality to satisfy even the toughest critics of Plain White T's. Because it was mainly recorded live as a band with very few overdubs or re-recordings, it was "supposed" to have a great character to the sound.
This is definitely not a "bad" album...unfortunately however, for both the T's and the record-buying public, they had a lot to live up to after the success of "Every Second Counts". There's nothing here even approaching "Hey There Delilah", but it would be hard to expect that. What's disappointing to me is that, overall... I don't know if I should say this... it's kind of bland and boring. Anyone who liked some of the 'punk pop' flavor of "E.S.C." won't find it here...at times it sounds like they're trying to imitate the Beatles.
There's still a lot of somewhat "catchy" stuff here, and I'm sure we will be hearing songs like "1234", "Natural Disaster", and the title track on the radio. The last song on the album is actually quite good.
This is a very short album...that always bothers me. You have to ask yourself, "Is there enough bang for the buck here?". I DO believe that some people will LOVE "Big Bad World". Go to a site where you can hear the songs in their entirety, give it a good listen, and judge for yourself...you may be one of them. It just wasn't what I was hoping for.
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Keyword: Music,
Description: Big Bad World
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