It's no
When I first bought "Fight Songs" on the day of its release, I really disliked it. The songs lack the edgy brilliance of nearly everything on "Too Far to Care", turning instead to a more accessible sound. However, upon many listenings, the album does have some excellent songs. "Indefinitely" and "Let the Idiot Speak" sound slightly overproduced but still shine as a testament to this band's incredible songwriting. Additionally, "Busted Afternoon," "Oppenheimer," and "Lonely Holiday" prove that the Old 97's can brilliantly succeed with traditional pop songs. However, some songs just aren't very good. "Murder (or a Heart Attack)" and "Nineteen" sound uncomfortably like the Gin Blossoms or Third Eye Blind and are completely out of character for the band. I really don't feel that mass exposure of these tunes will do a lot for the band's longetivity, and I hope that these aren't the tunes that the band is remembered for. It is an injustice that "Timebomb," "Salome," and every other brilliant tune from the band's previous releases didn't get the exposure that they deserved, but the band should not feel that it's necessary to compromise themselves either. If you've never purchased another Old 97's album, do not begin with this one. "Wreck Your Life" and "Too Far to Care" are far superior. This album does have moments that shine; it just takes a little longer to discover what those moments are. Until the next Old 97's release, I'll listen to "Fight Songs" with few complaints and hope the band is less worried about compromising itself with a few commercial songs the next time around.
I'm a relatively new fan of the Old 97's, starting out listening to their Fight Songs and Satellite Rides albums. Over the past several months, I've picked up every other album they released. For those of you who hate their newer material, I have this to say: each album is unique in some way, even the new ones are awesome in their own right. It's a Good Thing for bands to dabble with newer styles. Jagged and Satellite Rides are just as much the Old 97's as Hitchhike to Rhome or Wreck Your Life.
Too Far To Care
I just saw Rhett Miller open for Neil Finn and he was fantastic. The bile spewed by all the "I'm-a-fan-of-the-OLD-Old97s-and-now-they-stink" people is really unfair and unfortunate. I found Mr. Miller to be gracious, energetic and top-notch professional when I saw him live in Feb 2003 (and the Instigator is a great album, not perfect, but great). And I know that Neil Finn is a fan as well, and I trust his opinion a lot more than the sour grapes I've seen here from fair-weather fans and musicians alike. Anyway, the album is great! Yes it's different, yes it's more "produced," yes it's not as yowly or twangy. But so what? Why can't an artist try different things? Lighten up people, and enjoy the album because it's really good. So is their old stuff, just in a different way.
What's really frustrating is that all the people who've called this "the best album ever" are the ones who buy up all the tickets to the 97s shows online when they play a small show. Thanks...
but still has merit
The only albums worse than Fight Songs are instigator and satellite rides. I've opened for this band a few times and seen & heard their music decline as their egos (and paychecks) inflated. It is a terrible thing. I can barely stand to look at them.
And yes, I have heard Instigator and I'm not just "player-hating."bd
By dropping their y'allternative pretensions, busting out their rock chops, and releasing the pop child within, the Old 97's come out of the country and into the limelight. Some fans may decry the lack of twang, but there is no denying that Fight Songs is a terrific album, from its rollicking guitars to Rhett Miller's aw-shucks lyrical look at love's travails. --Tod Nelson
Barely into the second track of Fight Songs the Old 97's, who've made cantankerous sore-heartedness a virtue, sound harmonically mellow and sweet. "Lonely Holiday," on first pass, is edgeless, but then you get "19" and yet more polished eschewal of this old band's incisive penchant. Does it bring Fight Songs down? A bit, but clean production aside, the Old 97's show tremendous growth from the scrappy twang of Wreck Your Life and even Too Far to Care. These are pop tunes, no doubt, and the twang might be somewhat eclipsed in spots. Guitarist and singer Rhett Miller's hardly budged an inch on his confessional pissing and moaning, still keeping it clear that he's bent out of shape. And the band's decided to trim its instrumental colors in the production process, which leads to a vaguely compressed feel in the guitars and an even more up-front occasion for Miller to sound off. --Andrew Bartlett
