Reviewed by: Michael McKinney
Score: 7/10
A new Monkees record in 2016, at first glance, seems ridiculous. Their previous release predates this one by nearly twenty years; in 2012, long-time band member Davy Jones passed away; Michael Nesmith, a founding member, was unable to tour for the release, citing “other commitments.” But the group has never operated according to standard procedure, despite musical appearances: their origin lies in a television show of the same name; they graduated from being the “pre-Fab Four” to having critics clamoring for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; they evolved from a fabricated band to one whose name still rings bells half a century later.
But outside of the year on the package, it fits perfectly within the band’s discography. And this is no accident; Micky Dolenz said he was looking for a record of “that 1960s jangly guitar sound,” after all. So the group delved through their library of tunes never put to wax and asked around for songwriters both old and new to capture that – Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, Carole King, Neil Diamond, Noel Gallagher, Ben GIbbard, every Monkees member, and several others appear throughout the writing credits. The result is a well-crafted pop-rock record, with top-notch harmonies and saccharine melodies throughout.
For an example of that, look no further than the Cuomo cut “She Makes Me Laugh”: the verses are sweet and nondescript, descriptions of a love that feels genuine – but the chorus explodes, a burst of warm harmonies and heartfelt, urgent lyrics. It’s a stellar number, one that could risk coming off as generic but instead feels honest. This kind of song – simple, caring tunes about love – turn out to be what the record does best. Even when the lyrics are subpar, the delivery makes them feel endearing rather than thrown together: “You Bring the Summer” is based entirely on the notion of a love literally brightening one’s day, with lyrics about “melt[ing] away the winter’s gloom” peppered throughout, but it’s impossible not to smile throughout.
This isn’t to say that their lyrics can’t be great, though: “Love to Love” has a great tone, one that’s deliberately obscured but clearly frustrated or confused (and sees Davy Jones on vocals); “I Know What I Know” is awkward in an honest way, with vocals choked out because of desperate necessity that lends the track a wonderful emotional quality; “Me & Magdalena” is genuinely sweet – “And I don’t know if I love any other / half as much as I do this light she’s under” may seem trite, but the delivery makes it stellar.
But on a purely musical level, it’s wonderful. That “jangly guitar sound” is all over, the harmonies make bad lines decent and good lines great, the solos are simple but effective, and the vocal textures the group’s got work great in tandem. Truly, the best tracks here often succeed due to their sonics: “She Makes Me Laugh,” as mentioned earlier; in addition to its lyrics, “Me & Magdalena” has some of the most subdued, gorgeous harmonies on the record; “Birth of an Accidental Hipster” comes dangerously close to buckling over itself, with backing vocals overcoming main lines, toy-piano bridges, a blaring guitar solo, and an unexpected amount of reverb making this the most musically ambitious track on here. It’s an absolute sonic treat on a release filled with them; the group’s played off-and-on for fifty years, and it shows.
Sure, it’s not all perfect – the B-side is spotty, with some subpar vocal performances and a few tracks that feel immediately redundant or forgettable. But when it’s good, it’s often excellent, a record that lives up to its name. There’s an overwhelming sense of fun throughout; it feels like the reunion that it is, one that nevertheless traverses a wide-enough emotional range while still allowing the group to do what they love. They’ve got some slower, more melancholy numbers – but they’re always followed up by a stomp, a return to the party being thrown. It’s a great release, one that blurs the lines between the 1960s and 2016 with ease. It may signal a return to form, but that possibility is slim indeed; if this is the group’s swan song, it’s hard to imagine a better way to go out.
FCC: Clean
RIYL: The Beatles, The Turtles, The Beach Boys
Favorite Tracks: 3, 6, 8, 12
