Master of the enigmatic and godfather of emo, Jeremy
Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft) returns….already!
For those who haven’t followed this stellar
singer/songwriter’s storied career, there was
a decade long lapse between his critically acclaimed
debut solo album, The Return of the Frog Queen, and
the follow up sophomore effort, World Waits. Though
the albums are like night and day, both are astonishing
works of art (a term I do not use often when writing
about music). Proving to his fans that there will
not be another ten year gap, Enigk offers The Missing
Link hot on the heels of his critically acclaimed
sophomore solo record.
The Missing Link has sort of quietly snuck up on
fans and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it get
little attention. For die hard fans though, this much
new material all at once is nearly sensory overload.
The Missing Link is comprised of four brand new songs
(“Oh John,” “Chewing Gum,”
“Tasteo Show,” and “On the Wayside”)
as well as five songs (“River to Sea,”
“been Here Before,” “Canons,”
“Dare a Smile,” and “World Waits”)
from the World Waits sessions recorded with his touring
band live in the studio. So nine songs in all. Glorious
day!
As with all of Mr. Enigk’s solo material to
date, the new songs are powerful and thought provoking.
If you look up the phrase “thinking man’s
music” you should readily see a picture of this
man. “Oh John” and “On the Wayside”
are nearly spiritual in nature. I may even dare to
say that these tow song are quite possible Enigk’s
finest writing to date. On the flipside though, all
four of these songs are fairly barebones versions
so it takes some getting used to. They are not quite
as bombastic as you expect them to eventually become.
The live in studio version of the World Waits material
is much the same circumstance. At first it’s
odd to hear the songs without the bells and whistles
but they are so powerful, yet so intimate and spiritual
that they ingrain themselves in your psyche.
No matter what Enigk does he sound important. Much
like Johnny Cash, Enigk’s voice sucks you in.
You can hear his sincerity, his belief that he’s
saying something important, and his expression in
every word. He is someone who speaks with authority,
a rarity in music for the last two decades. If you
have never heard Enigk before (or specifically his
solo work), I think it would work best to start here.
These songs/versions will challenge and amaze you
and then when you hear The Return of the Frog Queen
or World Waits you’ll probably pass out from
their awesomeness. There are few better ways to pass
out my friend. Don’t miss this album!
Key Tracks: Any of the four new songs, any of the
five re-recorded songs, although I’m slightly
partial to “Dear John” and “Been
Here Before”
Reviewed by Mark Fisher |
