MAX WERNER :: Seasons ~ 7.8
Radio | RR 16050
The platter before you can be assessed one of two ways: a thematic effort using weather events as a frame, or a concept album built around the drum sound of "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. Truth is, Mr. Werner's album is a little of both. The record's giddy first half is like a mischievous kid jumping from puddle to puddle on a rainy day. "Rain in May" sets the table: the simple lyrics and childlike melody take me back to the cracked masterpieces Brian Wilson was churning out on The Beach Boys Love You. Here, the additions are a weird mechanical voice robo-singing through the song's finale and the aforementioned Collins drum sound from his ‘81 hit (a lightly ticking programmed beat interrupted by bombastic drums in the choruses). Most of the songs on Seasons can be as deep as the listener prefers. The high atmospheric pressure in "Thunderstorm" could signify fear, and "Raincloud" ties bad weather to a failing relationship. The latter contains some real '60s-style pop whimsy despite the subject matter and fades far too quickly. Songs such as "Like an Autumn Leaf" and "Indian Summer" are practically stomps, driven by tribal chants and memorable call-and-response gang vocals (and check out the ELO influence on the latter). The elephant in the room is the Sprockets-approved version of "Summer in the City," but Werner shows proper respect for the source material. Instead of an indulgent deconstruction, the cover retains the charm of the original tune, strengthened by some catchy drum patterns in the breaks and what sounds like rhythmically chirping crickets. Clouds roll in and the mood turns darker on the flip side of the album, which opens with a rather stunning set of songs. Featuring a particularly heavy Phil Collins influence, the agitated "In the Winter" decries the cold and embodies desperate, schizophrenic isolation quite effectively. Werner transcends on "Crystals (So Cold)," telling of the death of a romantic dream through the chilly lens of side B. It's the kind of beautifully floating masterpiece that Beach House has made a career out of. Over a smoothly gliding synth line and gently ticking drum pattern, Werner sings in vulnerable falsetto about a relationship that appears calm on the surface with trouble brewing at the core. Despite painting a bleak ecological picture on “Cosmic Winter (We’ll Make It to Mars),” Werner is optimistic that humanity will prevail against all challenges, offering the tune as a singalong on the voyage into space. With its friction of minor-key verse rubbing against major chorus, the lengthy title track works as a nice comedown from the preceding trilogy. After a few listens, Seasons really coalesces: Werner's craft begins to outshine the eccentricities of the record, and a deeper theme emerges. From the heartbeat drum pulse that opens the record through the fluctuations of the journey that follow, Seasons ultimately encompasses life, and one worth exploring.
September 27, 2021
