album #18

pet sounds (the beach boys)

First few times I listened to this album, I was a little worried- "what is wrong with me? how do I not like this?" the reputation of this album is so overwhelming, I'd looked forward to hearing it, but then almost none of it stood out. After many, many listens I can appreciate it in many ways, but it's still not quite as brilliant or engaging as I had expected.

The most compelling aspects of this album:
• the lyrics often get starkly biographical… there's a really interesting sense of thinly-veiled self critique. "I had to prove that I could make it alone now, but that's not me," for instance, or "I know so many people who think they can do it alone," or "I guess I just wasn't made for these times." The lyrics alternate between love songs and a lot, a Lot of lyrics (generally sad) that seem like they're really about something else. Another example: "this is the worst trip I've ever been on."
• the vocal harmonies are brilliantly, beautifully complex. That particular talent is probably one of the Beach Boys' most lasting legacies. Every single track is amazing in this respect, but "God Only Knows" and "Sloop John B" are especially so.
• the music is pretty intricate- lots of cool, unusual, and lovely instruments; I had a breakthrough moment on a recent listen when I tried to really listen to the rhythm section, and suddenly I started focusing on hearing different instruments in the background, and there's just a lot going on.

The songs themselves, however, don't totally add up to satisfying slices. A lot of them just aren't my taste, I guess. Or rather- nothing was bad, it's just that I anticipated pure Greatness and a lot of it was more, 'good.' But I guess that's the difference between a great album and a great collection of songs- the sense of wholeness rather than the sum of parts. Subtle but important difference.

My personal favorite songs: "That's Not Me" is amazing. I Love it. The strikingly honest, reflective lyrics; a really brilliant match of song to message- the song moves and stretches and dreams the same way the lyrics do. And it transforms, the verse to chorus changes really feel like transformations. "Wouldn't it be Nice" is a classic, especially those opening bells- one of the most famous album openings in music history. "Caroline No" is really lovely and intricate. The instrumentals are nice, "Let's Go Away for a While" I like a little more, there's a sense of movement and romance in it. "I Just Wasn't Made for these Times" is first among an army of 'pretty goods.'

This one definitely is good for some more listens in the future- not because I love the individual melodies and songs, but because really absorbing that instrumentation could be worth it. A fine, impressive work, not the favorite I expected, but nonetheless a very special album.