GRANDADDY
SUMDAY
It is said that Grandaddy is an amazing band. While I completely agree with this I also must warn you. If you are looking for that new CD that is going to rock your world this is not it. (Please see Killing Joke) If you are looking for a new CD that is going to cradle you in it’s arms and make you feel warm and fuzzy, this is that CD. SUMDAY reassures the listener that all of us are drowning in the concepts of man versus machine, lost love versus death and happiness versus sadness. That it is okay to love ourselves, that we are not alone.
Grandaddy uses solicitous titles and inventive lyrics. The lyrical references suggest machines taking over mankind as mankind sits by feeding the machines. That man is befriending machine and even having relationships with these machines. The kind of things that make you lie in bed and think at night
‘ Am I the problem or the solution?’
‘Could I live with out my computer?’
‘Will it live without me?’
This has the resounding likeness to the techno pop icon Gary Numan. Grandaddy and Numan are in the same lyrical arena that makes you sit back and ponder the future. The eerie musical sounds married to the lyrics create a feeling of loneliness but don’t make you feel alone.
SUMDAY is a nice change from Grandaddy’s last release THE SOPHTWARE SLUMP. The latter was too dark and also seemed rushed with bitter connotations. This could have been due to the fact the band had just finished a major tour and was ready to stay home but felt the need to get the next piece of work out. SUMDAY renews the original Grandaddy feeling and sound. Not all the songs on SUMDAY are of man versus machine even though; machines are widely used to make this record. Even some toys come into play. Check out the moocow toy in the beginning.
The first track off of SUMDAY is an instant sing-a-long hit. I believe it’s even on the local modern rock station. ‘Now it’s on’ is an up beat go-getter that makes me want to pull up the shades and dance naked around the room. ‘I’m on Standby’ is one of the machine ditties that is from a monitor’s point of view. ‘The go in the go for it’, ‘”yeah” is what we had’, and ‘saddest vacant lot in the world’ are ballads for a new generation. They are sad, lonely songs that only Mr. Lytle’s voice can deliver with a happy twist. This album has many references to the sun, smiles and being ok with yourself. The remaining songs are of being a new band on the road; the touring, making that big break and being away from home for long periods of time. Only this time it is with less bitterness and anger. ‘El Caminos in the West’ has a great line that says it all.
“The Pacific, will pacify us when we are done, If only we weren’t always spun,”
Grandaddy is frequently weighed against bands like Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Weezer and of course the ever so popular, Radiohead. This is also is due to the fact that Grandaddy’s front man Jason Lytle sounds vaguely similar to Thom Yorke. Lytle has less range but a sweeter voice. While most reviewers do see the correlation between Radiohead and Grandaddy, it is Sparklehorse that Grandaddy really emulates. Although many diverse bands influence them it seems Grandaddy does a great job and creating their own niche.
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