Calvin Johnson Albums (3)
'Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil'
Release Date 4/24/2007
Tracks 11
Label K
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Ever since he helped found Beat Happening in 1982, Calvin Johnson has been far more interested in music that feels right and honest than sounds that are technically precise, and for good or ill he's become an avatar of the concept of inspired amateurism in the quarter-decade that's followed. But no doubt a few fans have wondered over the years, "What would Calvin Johnson sound like if he sang with a real rock & roll band -- one with musicians who could actually play their instruments?" Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil is a game attempt to answer this question. Featuring Johnson fronting a band including Kyle Field from Little Wings on bass and Jason Anderson (Wolf Colonel) and Adam Forkner (Yume Bitsu) trading off on drums and guitar, this album documents Johnson revisiting nine songs from his various post-Beat Happening projects, but while this group certainly couldn't compete with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the chops department, the results are technically accomplished in a way very little of Johnson's music has been in the past. This band can creditably cut the funk on "Banana Meltdown," generate a cloud of sexy menace on "Booty Run," sound romantic and winsome on "Can We Kiss," and make a great slice of jangle pop out of "Sand." So how does this new embrace of technically skilled performing impact the group's frontman? A bit surprisingly, Johnson takes to this stuff like a duck to water; while his craggy baritone still wobbles a bit (as it always has), for the most part he slips into the role of "professional entertainer" with tongue-in-cheek aplomb (as the two examples of live show patter included here demonstrate), and on these songs he shows a confidence and an expressive range that's broader than he's revealed in the past, digging deeper into the emotional heart of the lyrics now he has a firmer foundation to stand on. Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil doesn't reveal him to be the new Sinatra, but anyone who has ever heard Beat Happening and said "that guy can't sing" might be in for a surprise when they hear this disc. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The second solo album from Beat Happening/Dub Narcotic Sound System mastermind Calvin Johnson is a different kettle of fish from his first set under his own handle, 2002's What Was Me. While What Was Me was recorded with just Johnson and his acoustic guitar, Before the Dream Faded pairs him with a variety of different collaborators, ranging from the delicate electric piano and violin backing of "When Hearts Turn Blue" to the jagged electric guitar textures of "Obliteration Overload" and the straightforward rock of "Rabbit Blood." While the overall tone is low-key, Johnson does manage to generate a solid and soulful groove on "The Leaves of Tea," and "I Am Without" conjures up a moody resonance; this is a decided step away from the minimalism of Johnson's work with Beat Happening and the white-boy funk of Dub Narcotic. However, while there was a heart-on-my-sleeve romanticism to the songs on What Was Me that was winning, Before the Dream Faded goes off into less personal and more impressionistic directions on several tracks that lack the same degree of emotional impact, and even if you're accustomed to Johnson's craggy Valium-OD vocals, the deliberately off-kilter harmonies on "When Hearts Turn Blue" and the wandering vocal patterns of "When You Are Mine" are a step back from the confident sound of his best work. There's enough good stuff on Before the Dream Faded to confirm that Calvin Johnson is still a viable artist with something to say, but for the most part this is a step or two down from his best work, and lacks the charm and immediacy of What Was Me. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Calvin Johnson's first album released under his own name is quite literally a solo disc -- except for duet vocals on two cuts, What Was Me finds the former Beat Happening/Halo Benders vocalist all by himself in the studio, with only his guitar for company (and on a few cuts he even dispenses with his instrument, belting out his songs in glorious a cappella). While Johnson has often emphasized the playful and childlike side of his personality in his music, What Was Me reveals a new level of maturity and focus; while he hasn't turned into Leonard Cohen, Johnson displays a surer and firmer command of his slightly craggy baritone here, and his songs, most of which deal with the ups and downs of romantic relationships, suggest a deliberate move away from the faux-naïve style of his early work (if he doesn't always sound like a man of the world, at very least he's moved up to college freshman level). But the fearless emotional honesty of his days with Beat Happening is still the hallmark of his music, and if he sounds older and wiser on cuts like "The Past Comes Back to Haunt Me" and "Love Will Come Back Again," his coy but insistent sensuality and his open-hearted longing for love still resonate. In short, indie rock's weirdest romantic still wants to hold your hand, and What Was Me is one of his most pleasurable love notes to date. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
