By Jerry Moxley princetonian 'street' writer
Far from their bluegrass roots, the first offering off NickelCreek's latest release, "Why Should the Fire Die?" is appropriately titled, "When in Rome. " The reference to Rome and it's ancient allure seems doubly appropriate, considering the dated equipment the groupused to produce this album and the ancient pop techniques thatcharacterize it. All of the recording was done with analogue equipment, providing a different blanket of sound throughout thealbum. However, what assaults the listener and, more specifically,diehard Nickel Creek fans, is the excessive use of time-weathered popcomposition formulas. The groundbreaking and boundary-stretchingbluegrass style that has become their calling card is largely absentfrom this album.
Don't expect another bluegrass instrumental that leaves the listenerin wonder at the virtuosity of these twentysomething-year-olds. Thisalbum marks the group's split from producer Allison Krauss (sheproduced the band's two previous albums, ""Self-Titled" and "ThisSide"). In fact, the only song that even holds a candle up toprevious remarkable hits, such as "Smoothie Song," "Ode to aButterfly" and "The Fox," is "Scotch and Chocolate," which seemsawkwardly thrown into the album. Smacked in between the depressed "Jealous of the Moon" and thesecretly incensed "Can't Complain," "Scotch and Chocolate" seems tohave no place on the album, a lost tribute to the roots that broughtthe band to this point.
Also included in the "great song-wrong album" grouping is"Stumptown," a beautiful, dancing Irish reel that has no place on thisexperimental album of broken hearts and broken relationships. Thesepop music pop themes are expounded in detail by all three members ofthe group.
In "Somebody More Like You," Sean Watkins, lead guitarist and one ofthe three vocalist, vengefully wishes "I hope you meet someone yourheight, so you can see eye-to-eye with someone as small as you. "Chris Thile, premier mandolin prodigy and avid music experimentalist,regretfully confesses, "I cheated on her with a friend of mine, andthere are no days when we don't fight" in his piece, "Can't Complain. "Sara Watkins, the band's violinist whose vocal excellence is evidenton "Sabra Girl" off the "This Side" album, repeats "He said he can'tlove me, but I think he can ... he's not looking back, 'cause he doesn'twant anything I have" in her self-written song, "Anthony."
Nowhere are the simple ditties about a maiden sleeping abreast of amountain stream, as spite and sorrow have now taken a primary place in Nickel Creek'ssongwriting. There is no doubt that this experimentation is a sign ofthe maturity and development for the band. But this development seemsto feature an excess of cliche pop themes played on bluegrassinstruments.
And then, the second most popular aspect of pop songs? Fast chordsjust pounding away on electric guitars and amplifiers turned up to 11.
But context, once again, is important; this is a bluegrass band — sothink power chords on a mandolin and guitar. Throw on some catchytop-lines for the mandolin or violin and it's a pop song through andthrough. "Helena," seemingly the perfect pop song off this album,might as well define this new genre of pop on bluegrass instruments. The majority of the song is the same four chords played at a fairlysimple rhythm that builds into an explosion of sounds to close thesong out.
It's not a bad pop-bluegrass-acoustic mixture; to be truthful, it'ssome of the best acoustic stuff to be heard in a while. It is simplya very unexpected follow-up to their two gold-selling previous albums. Thile explains, however, that this effort is a 'genre hop. ' "If we're going to blend genres, we'd like it to be genre soup, where youcan't see what's in it — as opposed to genre stew, where everything isvery defined," he said.
And this new soup has its high points: For one, it's different andfresh, which counts for something. Still, diehard Nickel Creek fansare likely to experience a time of withdrawal, existentialism andnostalgia for past times. But just keep the record spinning and even themost bluegrass-minded Nickel Creek fan will realize that "there's beauty inthe silver, singin' river. " And while it may not be the best album oftheir three, it's a step toward something ... something that could beamazing.
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