Adam Green – Jacket Full of Danger

Adam Green – Jacket Full of Danger / 2006 Rough Trade / 15 Tracks / http://www.adamgreen.net / http://www.roughtradeamerica.com / Reviewed 06 August 2006

“Jacket Full of Danger” starts off with Green doing a very seventies, lounge type of song in “Pay The Toll”. If the production of the track wasn’t as strong as it is on this track, individuals could easily confuse this track with something that was created in 1974. This is the theme of Green’s “Jacket Full of Danger”; while the lyric material something that is typically much more adult than those in any of the songs from the period, the instrumentation is note for note something from the era. The only other thing that distinguishes these songs from original songs from the period is that Green halves the typical track length, so that the fifteen tracks on “Jacket Full of Danger” only ring up to thirty minutes. This is a smart decision on Green’s part, as the tracks could grow stale quickly. By relegating each of the track to about two minutes, Green has allowed eirself and eir listeners with an out.

If the song sucks, it only is a few more seconds until the next track starts. “Novotel” is a track that sticks with the overall theme but has a different sound than the rest of the tracks on the disc. In fact, Green’s vocals on this track are much more close to those during “The Edison Museum” by They Might Be Giants. By putting even a hint of current style into this track, Green has given listeners what they need to fully enjoy the disc. With a number of these theme discs, there is a feeling by the end of the album that perhaps the theme should have been reduced. However, Green is like Darkness in the sense that they successfully pull off a gimmick for the entirety of the disc.

I think it is due to the seriousness that both of the acts have; if the theme is not complete, individuals see through the veneer of the seventies (or whenever) and reject that reality. The tracks are immediately singable and are always fun, even if Green is being deadpan serious on the track. This is a solid disc in its theme and the quality of all the other segments of the CDs (lyrics, instrumentation, and overall sound). This is Gnarkill polished out and with competent musicians. Green has another hit on eir hands with “Jacket Full of Danger”, and this album should draw listeners by the boatful.

Top Tracks: Novotel, Hey Dude

Rating: 6.4/10

[JMcQ]