“You Wouldn’t Have to Ask” by Bad Books

I’m sitting in my room on an unexpected day off, enjoying a simple breakfast I just made (french vanilla coffee and homemade toast with cream cheese), reflecting on Kevin Devine’s current project, Bad Books.

Bad Books is the child of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra, with KD and Andy Hull at the front, and backed up by the rest of the guys from MO. They’ve all been playing together for years, so what makes this different from Kevin playing along with a couple songs during Manchester Orchestra’s set, or from the guys in MO backing Kevin up as The Goddamn Band—or, excuse me, The Goddamn Orchestra? In some ways it can’t be all that different—it will be the same friends, the same energy, the same musicians. What’s different from the collaboration we’ve seen between these two artists on stage is that the Bad Books album is a collection of songs written by both Devine and Hull—each writer contributed five songs to the record, and they both worked together to mold and build the songs to the stuff we’re going to hear in October. This album will show us what happens when the two artists work together from the start, when they collaborate before they take the stage.

So the first single was released the other day! It’s called “You Wouldn’t Have to Ask” and you can listen to it on the Bad Books Facebook Page. For the sake of links, add their Twitter to your list, and their website too. Don’t forget MySpace, or the band’s label, Favorite Gentlemen.

I like it a lot. It’s a good pop song, so how couldn’t I be into it? From the Bad Books website, “Bad Books cradles a much more noticeable pop aesthetic and energy than either artist has probably ever showcased before.” This is so true. This track is very catchy and it’s more straightforward than anything I’ve heard from either artist. As a big KD fan, one of the things I take note of in a song is whether or not there’s a chorus. If you scan his catalog, lots of songs don’t have them. It’s this amazing thing I noticed in his writing, that both inspires me and scares me. That fact that this one does sport a chorus is a clear pointer that we’re getting something more obvious than usual.

The structure of this song is pretty standard as far as pop songs go. More complex verses that tell us the story, and a lyrically simple verse that’s giving us the big picture of the song. A bridge that builds up to a big instrumental section and then slows down for another verse. This structure is so popular because it’s so brilliant and effective all the time, and yep, add this song to the list of ones that pull it off.

I played this for a friend of mine who enjoys Kevin Devine, but isn’t a big fan like I am, and she heard the first verse and laughed a little, “Sounds like Kevin Devine…bundled bunches break brain branch….” And it’s true: he’s a master of alliteration, and it’s great writing. Right now I don’t know who came up with what, but based on what I know, I’m guessing Kevin’s got something to do with that language.

Something I am so glad to hear in this song is backup vocals. Vocals vocals vocals! A strong display of back-up vocals is something that I consider to be one of the most important things that builds a pop song. The other most important thing is acoustic rhythm guitar, which this song has also got. It’s golden. I often picture melodies as little threads or ribbons that float around the song, and too often the ribbons are too thin or flimsy to solidly stand on top of a full performance of drums, guitars, bass, and so on. I like that I can hear everyone singing along.

While a straightforward pop song, there’s a lot more going on here. One of my favorite things is that muffled building-up scream we first hear before the second chorus, reminding us, “Well if it wasn’t…you wouldn’t have to ask.” I hear Manchester Orchestra there. The scream reminds us that yeah, you can bop your head and sing along to this and grin and stuff, but when you see this performed live, this is something both the band and the audience are totally gonna rock out to.

Bad Books is a lot more than Kevin Devine + Manchester Orchestra. There’s something intangible that’s getting created in the combination. This track has this amazing charge to it that I’m really excited to hear in full-length, and see in person on their upcoming tour. Good art is more than the sum of its parts, and that’s something we have here. What makes it work? It’s impossible to pin down precisely where chemistry comes from, but I think friendship is one of the most important things. You can hear how happy these guys are to be working together, and you can hear that they’re doing what they love with people they love. Music is a medium for spreading joy. I want to see and hear a band with members who’re having a good time with each other, who are so inexplicably happy to be doing exactly what they are doing. That intangible gratitude is what I hear on this first single.

There’s something new that comes from these two songwriters working together. One of the most beautiful descriptions I’ve heard of songwriting styles comes from BNL’s Kevin Hearn. He was asked to describe the difference between Ed Robertson’s songwriting and Steven Page’s songwriting, and he said that they were both wonderful writers, and if he had to sum it up, he’d say that, “Ed writes with his fingers, and Steve writes with his hands.” With the pair at hand, I’d give Devine the fingers and Hull the hands. On the Bad Books website, Kevin admits, “ I think Andy trusts his instincts to lead him to the right place in a song, and sometimes I want to outthink my instincts because I’m scared of repeating myself, of resting on my laurels.”

When I first got wind of Bad Books, I had to suppress a few thoughts like this, “Man, screw this, I just want a Kevin Devine tour.” I’m a fan of Manchester Orchestra, and I’ve been listening to them since they became a band, but there was a part of me that wanted to cling to what I already knew I loved and avoid the work of getting used to something different. Thankfully, I’m over that, and I don’t seriously believe that the independent work of each artist is threatened by Bad Books (crazy!). All the energy and excitement surrounding this release is infectious, and I’m so happy that they are following their instincts and going forward with this project, as opposed to just brushing it under the carpet as something that ‘may happen later if we have time for it.’ It’s better to give songs a proper place when you have them, as opposed to letting them get dusty and feel homeless, hidden beneath your staircase or in your closet somewhere.

The full album drops October 19, and the guys are embarking on a short east-coast tour shortly after. For those of you who don’t live in New England, I’m sending good thoughts that they’ll come to your city soon, too.

Lyrics, as far as I could figure:
Crooked days come bundled up in bunches
They break your brain like a branch
And push you out here asking after for something
you should know I don’t have

If you faced it you wouldn’t need a mask
If you meant it you wouldn’t need a mask
If I could fix you you wouldn’t have to ask
If I could help you you wouldn’t have to ask

*I’m still unsure about this line!

Preview more Bad Books songs:
The Easy Mark & The Old Maid

Mesa, Arizona

You’re a Mirror I Cannot Avoid