My Top 40 Albums - #32

#32
The Juliana Theory - "Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat"

Year: 2005
Label: Abacus
Favorite songs: Shotgun Serenade, This Is A Lovesong... For the Loveless, French Kiss-Off, 10,000 Questions
Lyric sample: "What good is dreaming when I can't even sleep here / What good is lying down with no one to hold / What good is letting go when something won't let me / What good is saying goodbye / Now that you're gone"

The Juliana Theory's final repose is in some ways their finest. Singular in purpose, this is break-up record - no bones about it. Now...never in my few years of life have I had a particularly painful breakup. More than most people, perhaps, my heart is relatively unscarred from the battery of difficult relationships. So it's not so much that I personally identify with the sentiments as expressed, at least not any more than I might identify with a movie character in far less plausible circumstances; and maybe I am actually able to enjoy them more because they don't dredge up painful memories for me to dwell on. Yet, there is something pure here, an unbridled emotion that is equal parts anger and anguish, resignation and stubborn defiance - and I can't help but admire it if for no other reason than its audacious abandon. I'm sure it's a catharsis for me as well. I feel not my own emotions, but those of the unseen speaker. I feel the sense of loss in moments of quiet parting, and I coast on the energy of the angry tirades. There are some really great angry tirades on this record, too. To feel these things so clearly shows a remarkable fusion of music and lyrics. If I were just to read the lyrics, maybe I would write them off as angsty drivel, an angry teenager spouting off. But that's not what I find when I listen to this album. All the elements are so dependent on one other, each augmenting the other, so that the whole is far greater than the parts. If this is emo, then you got me. I love emo.

At very least I love the Juliana Theory's expression of it. I've been following the band for a while, and each record has a unique style. Following the garage shoe-gazing of the first, the prog-pop of the second, and the heavy rock of Love, Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat is just good rock music. It's the first album in a while that does not feel overproduced. It's very upfront, and this adds to the urgency of it. It puts you close to the music. Brett Detar's voice is better than ever, the drumming is better than ever. The guitar work is at is most defined. Every note has a clear place in the mix and a sense of purpose. Not one to do a lot of soloing, there is even a great lead part in "Shotgun Serenade" that reminds me of the Toxic Seahorse stage in Mega Man X3. <_< Moving on...

The track list is a pretty even mix of fast-paced rockers and more subdued, numbers. As is often the case, the rock songs are the standouts, and even the bands admits that they are the pillars of the record lyrically as well as musically. The way "Lovesong..." builds is enjoyable, and the two halves of the chorus compliment each other well. I especially like the extra harmony thrown in at the end to seal the deal. "Shotgun Serenade" is probably the signature track, and it features not only the best rock on the record but also the most scathing lyrics. The stinging line "You're not my favorite mistake / You're just a simple regret" is equivalent to a sonic punch in the gut. Of course there's no denying the emotional toll that it all takes, even on "forget you" songs like "This Valentine Ain't No Saint" with sardonic sentiments like "At least I got away with your money / And all you got was my heart." The final track, "French Kiss-Off," is the most manic song on the record, perhaps mimicking the behavior a girl who has turned to cocaine abuse with blink-and-miss-it metaphor. The track ends with a resurgence of the main riffs and an incredible, wrenching scream by Brett Detar that lasts for a solid 30 seconds. There's some relief from that exhausting display with a long semi-hidden track with a beautiful guitar part and one of the most melodic choruses on the album. It's actually a highlight of the CD and not to be missed. The Juliana Theory went out with a bang on this release which has quickly come to be numbered among my favorites.