I've had an elephant in my room for eight months. This morning, just after 1am, I decided to confront it. By 2:10, one of us lay defeated, and I don't think I'll ever know which one.
September 11th will be remembered forever by all who lived through it as one of the most notorious days in the history of the world, the day when, for one nation at least, everything changed. That was in 2001. There were many September 11ths before that day, and there have been many since. Today is just another September 11th, but while it is destined to have considerably less significance in world affairs, it is the day that, in a sense, and on a very, very small scale, everything changed, and it is worth noting.
I have no idea how many bands continue to be interesting or creative or innovative or even just plain good after a ten year recording career and all the touring and promotion that comes with it. In spite of all the hype surrounding new bands and their seemingly rapid rise to prominence (almost all of it generated by record companies themselves), very few release as a first album an instant classic, and one that will endure for as long as music is played and human beings have ears. Of course, it's a curse that can never be broken and effectively strangles the band at birth. Discerning fans, critics and the casual, curious outsider will always claim that the second or third album is nowhere near as good as the first and so begins the inevitable and inexorable decline into obscurity or self-parody or Coldplay-style success.
So what should one expect by the time the fourth album arrives? A greater degree of competence, musically and lyrically? It would be nice. A recognisable 'sound'? That would help, too. A hint that the band knew where it had been before, and where it wanted to go after it decided on an ill-advised and utterly pointless change of direction? Yes, of course! The reason why I left that album on my shelf for so long was that I didn't want my experience of it to be, well, ruined by my opinion of the two singles released from it. I wanted to approach it afresh, and with no prejudice. Sadly, I fear I should have got it over and done with at the time. Of the thirteen tracks, only four are worth a second hearing, and only those four will ever get a second hearing. I don't have enough time left in my life to persevere with a pathetic rehashing of riffs or ideas from tracks on the previous album, with added electronic gadget doodling. The four tracks I alluded to all come from one member of the band, and never has the gulf between the songwriters been so wide. The yawning chasm is clear for all to see, and though it pains me to say so, a swift, merciful end is required.
A few weeks from now I will travel to the venue where I had my first, belated sighting. On the way back to the railway station that night, I vowed to see them again as soon as possible. I did, and I travelled the length and breadth of Britain to see them play more times than I had any other band. Never say never, but I suspect that I won't be in such a hurry to see them again, particularly if they continue in their present form with no signs of improvement. I love the symmetry of this, the beginning and the end; the same band, in the same venue. It is true that all adventures must come to an end. Back then, I wished that all of time could be like this, and with good reason.
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