By: Marc Z. Grub

The Priddle Concern is mainly the project of Bill Priddle, a Toronto artist who was formerly in Treble Charger and has toured and recorded with Broken Social Scene. On his site, he writes, stream of thought style: “I spent long hours with a producer and an engineer and a computer guy and a guy who ran out to get mediocre take-out food…he told me to repeat lyric phrases over and over again he assured me the vocal track wasn’t too slick some of my songs didn’t fit the album I could do a lot of things, but I couldn’t do everything I wanted I left the band and moved to the country…” Why does this story seem so familiar?

A lot of rock artists just seem to get sick of it all. They run away to the country, write songs in seclusion and emerge with albums full of hard-earned wisdom. From Skip Spence to Bon Iver, it seems like this running-away-from-society things actually is a recipe for good, lasting albums. They’re usually not commercially successful ones, but obviously that’s not the point. Or that is the point. These artists have had it with commercialism, money and corporate bullshit and they just want to get back to being human again. It reminds me of this quote from Allen Ginsberg: “Recent history is the record of the vast conspiracy to impose one level of mechanical consciousness on mankind and exterminate all manifestations of that unique part of human sentience…which the individual shares with his Creator. The suppression of contemplative individuality is near complete.” These artists realize that and are making a point of leaving civilization for a while to go all Walden and regain “that unique part of human sentience”.

Anyways. The Priddle Concern’s self-titled album is one of the most touching and human albums I’ve heard in a while. There’s a strong feeling of alienation, disillusionment and suffering that runs through it and makes it one of those records that’s more than a record. Priddle’s melodies are very strong but his lyrics are what really make the songs special. In just about every song he dishes out a couple Dylanesque lines that are impossible to ignore. I’m talking about lines like “if I could get out of this place and escape/ I’d find more people to alienate,” in “Videotape” or  “we all get up/we all get beaten down,” from “Beaten Down.” They just reach out and slap you in the face and say “Wake up!”

The sound of the record is interesting. It’s almost lo-fi in a way, despite the fact that Broken Social Scene super producer Dave Newfeld produced some of the album. The album’s not an acoustic album but there’s something about it, which definitely makes you believe that this was recorded in a small, wooden building. Everything feels hollow. I mean that in the best way possible, because each sound carries with it a great deal of feeling, as if it had to sound exactly that way to reflect the true intention of the artist. When the guitars are dirty, they speak volumes about frustration and emotional conflict. When they chime like McGuinn’s (of The Byrds, of course), they echo sentiments of hope. Priddle’s vocals are thin like John K. Samson of The Weakerthans, though they give the words a sort of angular quality reminiscent of Slowdive’s Neil Halstead at times. They’re not fragile but noticeably lack any suggestion of pretension or aloofness. There’s something about them that’s…detached. The drums and bass are manned by none other than Broken Social Scenesters Justin Peroff and Brendan Canning.

This is one of those albums. An album conceived in the nowhere land where all tortured artists go and mine the depths of pain and beauty.  It’s the type of album you play in the dark until your brain releases that pre-sleep chemical that relaxes every muscle in your body and makes you feel so gone. It’s the type of album you listen to with tears in your eyes.

Bon Iver said recently in an interview that he received an email from a Scandinavian man who, after listening to his majestic For Emma, Forever Ago, fell down on the floor and just cried. The Priddle Concern is a less otherworldly album than FEFA, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it incited similar reactions. I used to argue with an ex-girlfriend of mine that the only way two human beings could possibly fully communicate real emotion was through music. I believe that with The Priddle Concern, Bill Priddle has done that, and tremendously.

The entire album can be streamed at: http://www.thepriddleconcern.com/stream
http://www.myspace.com/thepriddleconcern 

The Priddle Concern - “Back Around”
The Priddle Concern - “Back Around”

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 4:03 pm.