Now what else is the whole life of mortals but a sort of comedy, in which the various actors, disguised by various costumes and masks, walk on and play each one his part, until the manager waves them off the stage?
~~~~~Erasmus
The Grand Masquerade is the sophomore effort by Madison's The Selfish Gene. The press release notes that album's lyrics involve "Orwellian concepts of deception, false identity, and doublespeak" and so the title implies that we mortals (we Americans?) don masks to hide ourselves from our fellow men. Musically the album is a bit of sonic alchemy with the band having mined the classic rock vein for substances to manipulate. While many influences are obvious, it rarely degenerates into being a copy of the original. Had The Grand Masquerade been released 30 years ago, folks would no doubt be talking about the melodicism of the first side and the more disparate and more somber second.
"A Grand Masquerade", which kicks things off, is a short string-laden prelude which builds to a climax amidst flailing backwards tape loops. "Weight of Light" is the first proper song and it opens with a bit of strumming that sounds like a lonely beacon struggling to be heard in the silence. Once the tune gets going, it turns into a pop song replete with a big build-up to the chorus. It runs the risk of sounding bombastic but manages to snare just the right amount of drama. The album's theme is evident from the get-go with the line "And our world, rarely viewed in true color".
"Overboard" is based around a perambulating guitar riff from Matthew Allen and the song features the band's wonderful vocal harmonies. (Three of the four members contribute their voice.) The admonishment "They're watching you" is contradicted in the next song, the Beatles-esque "Autopilot" which notes, "So sad, lost all surveillance". The more I listen to it, the more I love "Bad About It". The music has a touch of menace but it's almost light-hearted because the song's melody is so catchy. Plus Eric Andraska's nimble bass work here is a real treat.
Moving to the second side of the album, we encounter "Evolver" which is a flattering stab at late-period Electric Light Orchestra. Reviews often note a prog rock influence on the band's music but it's not really until "Bidding War" that this takes centerstage. The song would have almost sounded at home on Jethro Tull's Benefit. Also of note is the singing which is grittier with a hint of mania that recalls Van der Graaf Generator's Peter Hammill. "Archipelagos" opens with a fat drum beat clashing with synthesizers. It settles in a groove with rap-like singing. The guitar riffing is noticeably absent in the verses with sustained notes coloring the soundscape. "Foxhole" begins with the sound of howling wind as someone trudges along. A door opens and the footsteps continue down a hall until yet another door opens. Then a circus-like organ cuts in. I was reminded once more of the influence of The Beatles, specifically "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite". But instead of describing a circus, the lyrics vaguely invoke war and, more broadly, alienation. At the end of the song, the narrator is shot (or was the wound self-inflicted?), with his/her brains splattering on the wall. The backwards tape looping from the opening of the album returns for a chaotic finale as our victim walks toward the light.
Respite is found in the closer, "Wonderfall". It's a bit of sing-a-long on acoustic guitar with tambourine that ends with the hopeful line, "Give it a little more time."
The Grand Masquerade shows that The Selfish Gene's reach exceeds their collective grasp. "Archipelagos" was the low point for me with its attempt to sound current amidst all the tributes to 1970's touchstones. But the high points are numerous. These guys have a great ability to craft songs which are blatantly catchy yet have enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. Plus there's a certain exuberance here that's hard to pin down. The playing is solid throughout and the vocal harmonies are one of the band's great strengths, especially on "Idioum" which recalls the layered interlude in Yes' "South Side of the Sky". With all the diverse influences, one can easily imagine the band in the studio adding a bit of this and a touch of that until they had taken their rough ideas and transmogrified them into gold.
The Grand Masquerade will be released on 1 May and the album's release party is tonight at the Orpheum.
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