Welcome to Suburbia
Jeremy Messersmith serenades Minneapolis with his sophomore release
Jeremy Messersmith
The Silver City
Released on Sep 09, 2008
Recording an album seems hard enough for a band. Recording a concept album has to be even harder. With an album the tracks have to have a certain resemblance to each other but a band can pick whatever songs are the catchiest ones in their repertoire. Creating a concept album requires a massive amount of planning, picking and choosing songs that best tell whatever the story might be. Minneapolis native Jeremy Messersmith is one of those brave souls to conquer the concept album. Messersmith broke onto the scene with his debut The Alcatraz Kid in 2006. Whereas The Alcatraz Kid was recorded in his basement, Messersmith chose to work with producer Dan Wilson, previously of Semisonic fame, on his follow-up concept album The Silver City.
Listening to The Silver City is like taking a road trip. There are moments of desperation, love, madness, and elation, ups and downs that are inevitable on such a journey. Messersmith has a knack for going beyond the surface and diving right into the heat of things. The intro track “The Silver City,” a hodge-podge of train sounds and other transit noises, leads right into “Welcome to Suburbia.” The effect is like bursting out of the business of daily life and into a bright, warm place. Though the suburbs to most city people mean certain death and misery, Messersmith’s “Welcome to Suburbia” makes the outskirts of civilization sound like the greatest place in the world. The dreamy, soothing effect on his guitar along with the chorus of singers in the background lures the listener into the beautiful home of barbeques and cookie-cutter houses. Minneapolis may not be the sprawling metropolis that some other cities may be, but The Silver City makes it sound like one of the most gorgeous cities in the United States.
Though there can be a tinge of sadness to the material on The Silver City, Messersmith’s heartfelt words sound empathic rather than depressing. “Dead End Job” is about a man who works all the time to make his wife happier, sacrificing his music and dreams to be with this woman. Even when he discovers that she’s cheating on him, he’s still brutally in love with her. Messersmith sings “I saw him kiss your neck/So soft and violent/But I won’t say a word to you/I would lose my pride for you” and you understand the depth of this man’s love, though it may be a tad unhealthy. The album is full of these stories that fill our daily lives. Throughout The Silver City we experience the beauty, sadness, and joy that make every trip exciting.
High Point
Messersmith’s track “Love You to Pieces” would fit right into a Wes Anderson picture, its quirky guitar and sweet lyrics imaginable in a signature Anderson moment.
Low Point
The Silver City feels like it ends too quickly. Less is more, but in this case more is better.
Posted by Amy Dittmeier on Nov 17, 2008 @ 9:00 am