Grunting and nu-metal aside, songwriting is back and bands like Centro-matic are supporting the fad.
With the advent of bubblegum punk and emo in mainstream radio, it became OK for guy singers to croon about their girlfriends and their feelings again. It also renewed the focus on solid pop melody writing.
Though definitely not emo - Centro-matic is more an innovative rock band than anything else - Will Johnson's tenor vocals are rooted in the notion of creating a good hook. Centro-matic's overall sound is reminiscent of Ben Folds Five, Weezer, Quazi and Cracker. Fuzzy guitars, mid-range tempo, the occasional piano and violin topped by thin, quavering vocal tracks -Love You Just the Same lurches jerkily through its moments to a charming result. The grainy quality of the recording, the innovative arrangement of the instruments and the attention to tambour, contribute to this album's very deliberate effects.
"All the Lightning Rods" is the pinnacle of this kind of songwriting for this mood-attentive band. Sparse and sort of nude, Johnson's eerie vocals stumble through the track conveying isolation. Juxtaposed with long, silky electric guitar notes and rhythmically simple acoustic work, this stark song imparts a great space.
The next track, "Reset Anytime" - almost a part two to "All the Lightning Rods" - continues this naked simplicity. Johnson's pleasant little melody, sung in that same cracking tenor, is almost sarcasm.
Then the album goes back to its very own delightful and clumsy form or rocking out, which is essentially what creates Centro-matic's strange genius.
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Still, something seems to be missing from Love You Just the Same. Sometimes the album is a great listen, a wide range of sound-scapes restoring faith in the tortured-songwriter icon - childlike pain resonates through the material. But at moments, somehow this record is kind of bland. It's hard to pinpoint what's missing, but the elusive empty feeling that accompanies the raw, wavering sound amounts to more than an intentionally imparted feeling of loneliness.
According to a news release, Johnson wrote the first song he did not think was "pure crap" in 1995. He began playing shows alone in the north Texas area. He named his one-man act after an accordion and to mixed reviews, the first version of Centro-matic made its debut.
"After I played a show at a laundromat, some linen-toting dude asked me if I was insane," Johnson said. "I started to miss the band I never had, the one I heard in my head."
He recruited drummer Matt Pence, bassist Mark Hedman and multi-instrumentalist Scott Danbom. The band has released about 200 songs since then, spread over many albums, EP's and compilations.
"As it stands, I don't think I ever got around to formally asking Matt, Mark and Scott to join Centro-matic, but I'm gonna do that soon" Johnson said.
Since Centro-matic's excellent songwriting comes from instrumentation as much as lyrics, he should probably do that.
Overall, Love You Just the Same is an achievement for the band, a soulful contribution to the world of effective mood-laden alternative rock and well worth a listen.
