Review Summary: …And I’m never coming back.
The Wedding Present’s latest definitely marks a change in direction from their previous releases. Since their reformation back in late-2004, the Wedding Present have been recording at a pretty steady rate, and while none of them really grabbed me like early-Wedding Present, I appreciated the effort. They were still sharp and poppy; full of the pretty guitars, drums, and lyrics I’ve come to expect. Still, I couldn’t help but want more from David Gedge and crew. I could tell there was more to this second coming than just a few fireworks: I wanted a spectacle.
And that’s what I got.
While the first few tracks are instrumentals for the most part, they are quality openers for the album. The opening track, “Kittery,” starts with a thick fog of instruments and unintelligible noises, until the booming guitar fades in to truly bring the song to life. This is quite a strange opener for a Wedding Present album, but it’s definitely interesting enough to hook a listener in. “Greenland” is twice as confounding, with what seems to be someone emulating a GPS repeating the pattern of: cardinal direction, a degree measurement, and an “ETA” of sorts. Do you see a theme appearing? Yes, this album is (if you’d indulge me for a bit) a road trip/concept album based on Gedge’s trip across the United States. This is a loose concept, mind you, but it gives the album an interesting vessel to deliver its songs through.
Truly, the album is more heartbreak-centric, with many songs painting the protagonist in a less-than-flattering light. Sure, there are tracks like “Bear,” about a reliable someone you can depend on. But then there are tracks like “Bells,” a moody recollection piece about a regretful one-night stand. “Birdsnest” is a sadly pertinent tale about the choices one makes in their life and wanting to forget about everything by buying another merlot to make his decisions for him. “Lead” chronicles a pretty difficult breakup, with our protagonist unwilling to move on:
"And in all that time apart, I never learned to live without you.
I need you, it's transpired, you're an addiction that I've aquired"
Something I’d like to bring attention to are the vocals, which are actually quite excellent on this album. Gedge sounds like his usual self, but a more distilled, mature version. He sounds quieter, more melancholy, which fits the tone of the album perfectly. But when the more upbeat tracks (like “Fifty-Six” and “Ten Sleep”) start appearing, he transitions to the more aloof, classic Gedge vocals. The harmonies with Katharine Wallinger (the band’s bassist) are also wonderful. “Marblehead” is a soothing canoe-ride-of-a-song with the two of them going together perfectly. Wallinger’s vocals on “Kill Devil Kills” sound almost like Nicole Johnson (female vox from a few early Modest Mouse songs). The vocals are just flawless from start to finish.
The album ends with a near-perfect trilogy with “Wales,” “Rachel,” and “Santa Monica.” “Wales” signals the end of a journey, slowly building with flute accompaniment until the song kicks it into high gear. It’s that final stretch of road at the end of the road trip, where the entire car’s excitedly anticipating the destination, but there’s still an air of sadness to be found because the ride’s finally over. “Rachel” is the reminder why you decided to drive out in the first place: to forget all that was bugging you during the trip. You’re here with someone (or several people) you truly love being around. The past is behind you, and today is here for you to enjoy:
“Listen to that guitar, listen, Rachel they are playing our song.”
“…Lying here beside you is where I belong.”
“Santa Monica” (of course) is where we end up, and the last track of the album. It’s been a long day, and the sun has begun to set, both literally and metaphorically. The protagonist’s girlfriend wonders if their relationship will work “this time,” signaling us to realize this is probably the lover the protagonist was thinking about throughout the album. The man tells her that this time will be different, as the music begins to ominously swell, getting progressively tenser and tenser, until the music leaps out at you in the confusion for a brief segment of cacophony. After that, we don’t know what happens. Did they make it? Did something go wrong? Like many great stories, it’s left up to you to decide how it ends. And with that, the song slowly drifts off to sleep.
I wanted a spectacle from the Wedding Present; something special. And with the band’s newest release, I can safely say I got one. This 20-track behemoth isn’t a firework display, it’s an atom bomb. An atom bomb I’ve been waiting for since 1994’s Watusi. It might be blasphemous to even vaguely parallel this album to Watusi, considered by some to be the band’s best effort, but I stand by it.
Going, Going… is a wonderful release by the Wedding Present, one of their best. If you’re not yet acquainted with this band, I can assure you that this is a perfect introduction. And hardcore vets will find even more to be excited about here. I can’t this stress enough: listen to it now.
