(yes, my first pretentious review, with .mp3s at the end. Enjoy...)
Former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty (insert obligatory "white-boy hip-hop" reference here) has spent the last few years beating a heroin addiction, getting his heart broken by nubile olive-skinned women, and touring relentlessly in stripped-down, boy-and-his-guitar form, building a fan base while working and re-working many of the songs that appear on this, his long-awaited proper solo debut.
It's a shame, then, that many of the rabid fans who have marvelled at the former M.'s transformation from - well, you know, "white boy hip-hop" - to smart-ass acoustic folkie are bound to be disappointed in Haughty Melodic. The leap from the intimacy of Doughty's bare arrangements (highlighted on 2003's self released live album Smofe and Smang) to the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink production of Semisonic's Dan Wilson is a jarring one. Nearly every song here is filled with, for lack of a better word, stuff - layers of horns, strings, keyboards, backing vocals, banjo, electronic squeals, and even Dave f'n Matthews invade throughout, with Doughty's vocals and percussive acoustic guitar struggling to be heard above the muck. The results, while never less than interesting, aren't always pretty, and even listeners who aren't familiar with the songs in their previous unadorned forms will no doubt get the feeling that the production here bogs down some truly great songwriting.
That said, Melodic is still a fine album. When the overall sound works, as on first single "Looking at the World From the Bottom of a Well", the results are an impressive mix of the avant-garde sonics of Soul Coughing and the noisy theatrics of bands like The Arcade Fire or Neutral Milk Hotel. And even when all the extra noise threatens to swallow Doughty whole, it's hard not to get caught up in the sublimely awkward lyricism and propulsive melodies of songs like "Grey Ghost", an apparent ode to the author's military-brat childhood and/or the death of friend Jeff Buckley ("On the docks of Memphis with a boombox, nodding out.../He will not walk out the river"). Still, the album works best when the songs are allowed to shine on their own; the acoustic-and-slide-guitar beauty of "White Lexus" and spare, two-step drums of "Sunken-Eyed Girl" are highlights not only of the album, but of the year in music so far.
Overall, recommended, with the caveat that longtime fans be prepared for less "small rock" and more big noise.
And for the free stuff, here's a demo from the record that didn't make the cut:
Mike Doughty - I'm Still Drinking In My Dreams
And, some unreleased Soul Coughing to boot:
Soul Coughing - Wooly Imbibe
