This article commences a long-running series in which I shall highlight bands/artists that I feel do not get the attention they deserve. They will cover a span of genres: from indie rock, to metal, hip-hop, progressive rock, bachata, pop punk, salsa, djent, jazz, etc. Needless to say, I will present a wide array of music in order to try and accommodate the interests of you all. I will not occupy myself too much with writing a review but rather a mere presentation of the content; my thoughts concerning the featured artists should be clear enough.
For the initiatory feature, we shall look at the indie solo project of Dan "Soupy" Campbell, the front man for the pop punk band The Wonder Years, based out of Lansdale, PA, south of Philadelphia.
With his breakthrough album "We Don't Have Each Other," which is often described as Americana storytelling and has a total of ten songs, including a cover of a song by The Mountain Goats, the concept album relates the story of Aaron West, a distraught Brooklynite who struggles to be happy despite all of life's woes that seem to follow him and how he copes with them, though he always seems to be dragged back to where he started.
The album opens with the song "Our Apartment," which sets the scene of the album with the departure of Aaron's wife, Diane. Aaron's love for his wife and its accompanying nostalgia sweeps over him while he remains living in the apartment he shared with her; he sleeps on the couch even though she is staying at her parents' house because he cannot stand to be in their bed without her. He waits for her to come back but has no idea when or if she will.
It then progresses to "Grapefruit," in which Aaron talks to the Holy Ghost, in which he asks where the Holy Ghost went in his life and why it abandoned him. Aaron then questions whether he is alone and begins drinking heavily. He then details the miscarriage that his wife suffered and how badly they wanted a child; they painted the room pink and orange, like a grapefruit. The miscarriage drove Aaron to isolate himself emotionally instead of comforting and commiserating with his wife. The song revolves around the transformation of Aaron and his descent into alcoholism and the burden he becomes; the tone is not as sad as some might expect but rather has a degree of firmness, of certainty. This is what Aaron is, and this is what he will continue to be: a town drunk.
"St. Joe Keeps Us Safe" relates Aaron's woes from the perspective of Aaron telling his mother about how his wife had left him this week, how he is still alone, how he is becoming sick of himself and his present situation. He's begun wasting away, but he visits his mother, whom he calls a soldier of God who buried St. Joe in her backyard after her husband had passed, who consoles him and tells him that she will always be in her corner and finishes the song by telling him to "take the car and run."
We shall continue this feature next week, detailing the rest of this incredible album.
