As I was watching “Return of the Jedi” for the one hundred and sixty seventh time, I realized something. Though I’d seen the film countless times, I still found myself a twinge nervous that Luke, Chewie and Han were going to meet certain doom in the mouth of the Sarlacc Pit. Now never mind that they won’t, no, the good guys will escape and win the day like they always do in the pictures. Seriously, never mind that.
When something is really good, really quality, it makes you feel something over and over again. The best stuff out there is the stuff that manages to keep surprising you, even if you aren’t all that surprised.
Zack Toporek writes and makes records as Young Mothers, and his new EP, “Arts and Crafts” is very “...Jedi” in the way it takes good old fashioned pop music and makes it fresh, and utterly captivating. It’s one part tradition and two parts gumption, and I’m certain that without the heart and soul of Mr. Toporek, it could all come off as trite and uninspired.
But it doesn’t. Not once. “Arts and Crafts” finds Toporek tackling different sounds with grace and style. Opener “Yr Love” comes arena rock indie bedroom folk, with a soaring chorus and subtle electronic touches. “Drunk Driving” bubbles along with a sexual sincerity that can’t be faked while “Transcontinental” rocks with that earnest vibe that Rivers Cuomo used to be known for, replete with guitar histrionics and ba-ba-bahs. “I Do” gets dark and dancey, with a hint of menace on its breath, like the best Elvis Costello tunes. “3rd and Church” finds Toporek finally placing his vaguely rural voice in a suitable
y’all-ternative setting, with gorgeous, cooing female vocals adding to the tension. Genre hopscotch often results in train wreck albums, a bloody mess of intended sounds and textures, but like a masterful mix tape, Toporek’s words and melodies coalesce into a cohesive thing, varied but completely united in scope and vision.
It’s a bit frustrating to imagine such a young guy pumping out stuff like this great, posing such valid questions: Does “hooking up” make you a sexist jerk? Can the right guitar solo really save your soul? Is this folk music lost in the big city or rock n’ roll wandering the countryside? One imagines the world in Zach Toporek’s head as being a confusing and wonderful place, and these songs attest to it.
-Jason P.
Woodbury
Young Mother's First Official Release "Arts & Crafts" Now on iTunes!!!
Check It Out! Order the first release from Worry Dolls Records featuring the Young Mothers song "Broken Jukebox"!
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