Breck Alan confuses me. Part Captain Beefheart, part folk
\nballadeer, Alan seems to straddle two unique (and polar opposite)
\ndimensions of pop music. Yet his six-song EP
\nKissing Rock Stars<\/i> manages to walk that line well – and even
\ndares to attempt to draw these two worlds together.<\/p>\n
Granted, such a combination isn’t the easiest thing to get used
\nto. The opening track “One More Day” proves this, going from a
\ngently-sung chorus to the vocal growls of the verses. But the more
\nyou listen to this collaboration between Alan and Charles Reeves
\n(the engineer who, with Alan, plays all the instruments), the more
\nyou realize that they’ve pulled it off. It took guts to tackle such
\na combination, and it took talent to succeed. Alan and Reeves
\nclearly have both.<\/p>\n
Other tracks on
\nKissing Rock Stars<\/i> prove this without a doubt. “A Man And
\nHis Beautiful Wife” is a beautiful yet poignant portrait of
\nunrequited love – and the unlisted acoustic version of this song
\nruns rings around the already-good electric track. Likewise, “Who”
\nand “Appropriate” both shine in their own ways, each dealing with
\nhuman emotion and desires in different portraits.<\/p>\n
About the only track that doesn’t click is “Don’t Mess Around” –
\nanother attempt at merging two distinct worlds of music. It’s not
\nthat this track is a failure; indeed, there are many redeeming
\nqualities about this song. But Alan just isn’t able to work the
\nsame kind of magic on this one as he did on “One More Day” – and
\nwhile it’s not a bad song, it isn’t quite in the same league as
\nother tracks on
\nKissing Rock Stars<\/i>.<\/p>\n
I don’t know whether
\nKissing Rock Stars<\/i> was supposed to be a concept piece, or if
\nAlan intentionally went out to write an EP on love and the human
\ncondition. Whatever the case, Alan makes a strong case as both a
\nsongwriter and a musician, and proves he is supposed to be a
\nparadox in the present-day world of custom-molded music. Here’s
\nhoping we’ll hear a full-length project from Alan in the near
\nfuture.<\/p>\n