This is the David Mead that I’ve been waiting for. After raising the funds through Kickstarter, David has released one of the most intricately crafted pop albums of the year. We meet a collection of Dudes through each musical narrative starting with “I Can’t Wait.” The warm melody bubbles with optimism; “I can’t wait to get up/ get out of bed/my mind is filled with words you said.” It then rocks out to the Paul Simon styled bounce of “King Of The Crosswords” and “Bocce Ball.” Both songs have smart, descriptive lyrics that show a whimsical portrait in time. And it wouldn’t be Mead album without a slow ballad, here “Tell Me What I Gotta Do” just drips with desperation and hopelessness. The theme that wraps each song up is the title track, “Dudes” a celebration of male friendships. The heaviest guitar riffs scream out on the rocker “Happy Birthday, Marty Ryan” and it’s sure feels like bar room party at the chorus. The albums poignant high point comes on “The Smile of Rachael Ray,” where loneliness during the holidays season come into focus.
This is surely the finest Mead album since his debut, not that his discography lacks excellence – but the concept album here is exceptionally cohesive and not a note of filler is visible. On top of all this Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) produced the album, so the mixing is perfect as well. Overall a great antidote for all that lame holiday music.
P.S. That is all for my year 2011 album reviews, there were so many good albums this year – I’ll be doing a top 25 On Christmas Day. I will start the New Year with some great albums that I got just a bit too late to add to my year ending list.The remainder of this week’s reviews will focus on my favorite Christmas music!