I’m sitting down on my couch at my home in Paxton, Massachusetts. I’ve got the day week next two weeks off, and I’m enjoying a nice, lazy morning of being on the internet, listening to music, and drinking iced coffee.
I’m on and off with keeping up with the Twitter Haps, and this morning I’ve decided to see what people have been twittering about. For me, much of the twitter haps this morning are all about Steven Page’s new single “Indecision.” This just came out, and I’m actually listening to it now.
I read Steve’s blog post about the new record a couple days ago. Somehow, I feel like I’ve both skimmed it carelessly, and also poured over every word with intense concentration and thought, what does this *mean*. (One of my favorite things about Steve’s blog post? He gets the grammar right when he says the song was written by “me and Stephen Duffy.”) Steve describes the new song as a “melding of Jobim-style Brazillian pop and classic Steven Page power-pop” and this sounds like a pretty good description of what the song is, except, to me, for the word classic—at least its placement in the description.
When I think of Steven Page, I don’t think of power-pop. When I think of power-pop, I think of The Posies. I’d say this track is classic Steven Page wit, lyricism, song structure, and awesomeness. It reminds me of a cross between what could be a Stunt b-side, and a counterpart to “Baby Loves The Radio” from his 2005 release The Vanity Project. This is the kind of song I look forward to listening to in the car when I’m on my way to the beach, and I’m wearing sunglasses and sipping an iced latte and just feeling cool and pumped.
One thing that is always weird is when an artist releases a new single that you know very well isn’t new at all. This happens pretty frequently though. A quick google search will yield this performance of “Indecision” from three years back:
Indecision by Steven Page 06/29/07 at Jackson Triggs Winery
Carol | MySpace Video
It’s not the same as the huge re-release of Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” since this was really just performed in a special, you’re getting an acoustic performance of an unreleased song! kind of way, but hearing the full, banded-up version still feels very different after having the acoustic performance sink in.
The beginning of the song is sorta like the intro theme to a TV show. We get a quick blast of the drums, rhythm guitar, and ooooh-oooh back-up vocals, and then it’s all taken back as Steve lays down the first two verses for us. I sorta feel like he’s saying, Guys, get ready, this chorus is going to totally rock! I’m here to tell you that guys, he’d totally be right if he said that!
Way back when I started listening to music, Steven Page taught me that a song is like a puzzle, and this single is no exception. One of my favorite things that Steven Page is a master of is turning regular, everyday speak upside down, twisting it inside out and making me say, “Oh, so I guess maybe THAT’S what those words actually mean.” I hear this most in the two-line bridge and the first half of the final verse,
Leave decisions up to fate
Nothing comes to those who wait
Come see the view from on top of the fence
We’ll watch the world unfold its events
This is the kind of cutting, in-your-face lyricism that I’ve missed for quite some time now. I like how he says, “We’ll watch the world unfold its events,” as if the “world” he’s speaking of has a mind of its own. “Indecision” is a sparkly song with a speaker who wants to forfeit all power by refusing to make a choice, but at the same time, hold onto it as tightly as he can by keeping his world suspended in the limbo of refusing to choose.
In some ways I’m not wild about the production and all the instrumentation and vocals on this song, but that’s more a reflection of my tastes than it is of how well this was made (I’m pretty serious here – I think in some rendition of my personal heaven, there’s some guy with a sign saying, “Julie, everything here is acoustic and unpolished.”) And in some ways, I like when “they” release fully produced tracks with all the bells and whistles, because it just makes the stripped down acoustic performances that much more special. More than anything, I’m happy to hear Steve’s voice again, and I mean this both literally and figuratively. Over the years, his songs have created a home my mind can travel to at any time, and I’m glad to have that feeling renewed again.
People who follow Steve will have heard a good chunk of the songs on Page One already, and I’m sure there are mixed feelings about it. People want new stuff on a new record. I’m happy with anything. I’m happy to have Steve tie up loose ends, and I’m happy for each song to fall out of acoustic-new-unreleased-but-played-here-or-there limbo and into a real place in Page’s musical career. I’m looking forward to hearing what he’s done with everything, and I’m sure “Indecision” is just a peek at what is a really fantastic record.
In conclusion, I think you should look into buying “Indecision” on iTunes and having a nice day!
I thought this was just as good as any of BNLs latest offerings.
Musically, it really sounds a lot like many of the songs from the new BNL album (“I Have Learned,” “Every Subway Car,” “How Long,” and especially “Golden Boy.”) Lyrically, still clearly a Page song, but it sounds more like his BNL work than anything on The Vanity Project. That’s a good thing in my view, but I’m sure every other review of everything else he ever does will include a comparison to BNL, so there will be plenty of others.
Yeah of course. I mean, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing to compare his new stuff to BNL. He was one of the biggest forces behind BNL, and that’s a huge part of his career and always will be. It’s sorta like realizing that Ed’s the only member to never really have a side project (uhh Tyler has DTD) and then the 2nd realization, oh wait, it’d sound just like BNL, doh.
I haven’t thought about “Indecision” in terms of AIGT. I like “You Run Away” better than “Indecision” but they’re two totally different kinds of songs and I only brought up the comparison because they’re both the First Singles. I’ve usually enjoyed Steve’s writing the most, for example, I think “Over Joy” (which will be on Page One) is one of the best songs I’ve ever, ever heard, and I like it just as much as many of my favorite BNL tracks.
I miss hearing them together in both places. I want to hear Steve sing when I listen to AIGT, and I want to hear Ed and the guys on Page solo stuff. That will probably never go away, but I’m pretty okay with it. You can’t change, create, delete, or otherwise modify musical chemistry, and I feel more chemistry in BNL 1988 – 2009 than in any other musical act I’ve seen or heard. Regardless, it definitely doesn’t stop me from enjoying AIGT and solo Steve. I fell in love with TVP and I’m sure the same thing will happen when this record drops.
Thanks for this!
A comment I mistakenly marked as spam from “jayhawkseattle”:
Thanks for the review. I fell in love with this song live and acoustic, but think I like it even better in the final album version with the (marimba?) and Esthero backing vocals. My only fear is that it sounds very different from most of the music on mainstream radio right now and that might limit its airplay.
I’m a longtime BNL fan who realized I’m actually a Steven Page or BNL 1.0 fan. I agree with you totally on the BNL 1.0 chemistry. The “bathroom sessions” videos on YouTube are an excellent example. They really were more than the sum of their parts…sigh.
Given that, here I go with the inevitable “new” BNL comparison. AIGT didn’t dazzle me. It’s not that I don’t like some of the new songs, but the country rock/easy listening vibe the album often displays didn’t appeal to me. A big factor is that while I appreciate Kevin and Jim’s musicianship and miss their contributions on the new Steven songs, I don’t enjoy them singing lead…especially Kevin. IMHO, BNL post-Steven are truly a different band –okay but not special.
OTOH, I’ve heard all the songs on Steven’s upcoming album Page One live with the new band, and the songs have really developed. I’m also excited by his other solo possibilities. His voice is suited to many types of music, and I’d love to see him branch out beyond his collaboration with The Art of Time Ensemble.