I like to call this album, "14 Acoustic Songs from 2 Guys who Probably Shouldn't be Singers." Actually, that's not true. I'm not that stupid. But that is perhaps a good summary of what this album is. Like the album I reviewed before this, both of these guys come from harder punk bands - The Lawrence Arms and Smoke or Fire respectively - and are here playing mostly acoustic versions of songs from those bands. Unlike the previous album, however, neither of these guys should probably be trying to do prettier versions of their songs, as they both definitely exhibit the seedier side of punk vocals. The harsh quality of their voices definitely originally drove me away from their bands originally, though I have come to appreciate their unique styles and thus come to appreciate their bands. So in the end, despite what I have said, this is actually maybe an album worth noting.
I began to notice pretty quickly once I moved past my initial dislike of Kelly's vocals, that some of the lyric writing in the Lawrence Arms was actually very beautifully poetic. These acoustic versions then give these lyrics a greater chance to shine than in the rougher electric versions from the full band. This makes the song choices particularly important then, and songs like "Quincentuple Your Money," "Like a Record Player," and "Requiem Once Again Revisited," definitely shine with emotion and power on this record.
Joe McMahon is perhaps an even more brusque singer then Kelly, but the two choose to embrace this fact on the album. Rather than attempting to "pretty" up their songs, they push for a more country/western style that allows the gruffness to seem perhaps even more fitting. This still doesn't do particularly much for me on McMahon's half of the album, but that's probably largely due to my lack of familiarity with his original band. I definitely have to give the guy credit for putting his foot out there and giving something like this a try.
Despite my doubts about this album, it proved to be perhaps one of the most unique acoustic transformation experiences I've ever had. It actually leaves me wanting more, which is exactly what I would hope an album is able to do for me.
