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 Keep It Simple
Van Morrison
Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
Another Country
Tift Merritt
Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
Juno – Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists
Yes - Their Definitive Story
Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08
Huntington, NY
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Seven Mary Three
At some point in their career, a band must face a crossroads that determines the way they will be perceived by all listeners; either they try to maintain their original fan base by continuing along the well-worn path they already established, or they follow their muse wherever it leads. Seven Mary Three appear to be following their muse, and it has led them quite far from the post-grunge appeal of “Cumbersome.” It’s a necessary move, and it also turns out to be an artistically successful choice as well.
“Day and Night Driving” is chock full of genuinely interesting, well-written songs that stick in your head long after the album ends. Frontman Jason Ross has grown considerably as a songwriter, and it will be a shame if radio isn’t hip enough to pick up on a band that too many people are already dismissing as past their prime. On the contrary, this is the band’s best collection of songs yet, displaying a sense of maturity that suits a bunch of guys who have been recording for over a decade.
Perhaps a few of their older fans would mock the notion of Seven Mary Three maturing, or seeing the words ‘folk’ or ‘country’ applied to their latest work, so instead, I’ll credit their newfound affinity with Americana as the element that provides so much warmth to the new songs. “Dreaming Against Me,” “Hammer & a Stone” and “Upside Down” are constructed from timeless elements (including a pedal steel guitar!) that are free from flavor-of-the-week posturing. The underlying theme of “Day and Night Driving” is disillusionment in all its guises, but instead of the anxious ranting that most bands utilize, Seven Mary Three aren’t afraid to show that they’ve grown considerably in the past ten years. Many songs revolve around the theme of a restless home life, and the thought that maybe you ought to be careful what you wish for. “Was a Ghost,” “Things I Stole” and “Dead Days in the Kitchen” all convey discomfort with the stasis of settling, but also admit that much of the blame lies with the protagonist. A rueful look into the past also haunts many of the songs. “Last Kiss” and “Things I Stole” open and close the album, and both reflect on what could have been, and what might have been done to make things better. One single couplet in “Hammer and a Stone” artfully summarizes all these themes, when Ross sings, “I’m a page torn from your novel, he’s a magnet on your fridge.” It’s a simple use of metaphor that lingers as the melody carries the song on an emotional journey that resonates. “Strangely at Home Here” is another cleverly written snapshot of a drinker’s lament, where solace is found in the comfort of a local bar instead of a home recently abandoned by his partner.
Now the only question is whether an audience can be found for a group that is willing to mature beyond the promise of the recordings that made them famous. “Day and Night Driving” is light years from where the band started, but they have finally won me over. Here’s hoping that others will make the same discovery.
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