Eef Barzelay may be best known as one of the mainstays behind the ambiguously dubbed Clem Snide, but his solo efforts find him straying beyond the bounds of the band’s power pop template and veering uncertainly towards weirder terrain. All it takes is a glance at the new album’s off-kilter cover art - fanciful drawings depicting dogs and cats offing their owners - to realize there’s a bizarre subterfuge underscoring these proceedings, one that’s somewhat skewed compared to his group’s patented approach.
Following a similar template to that of his solo debut, Barzelay’s songs reflect a malcontent’s disconnect transposed into a slacker’s point of view. “I can’t find comfort in the fact it could be worse,” he moans on the woozy opener “Could Be Worse,” only to profess in “True Freedom” later on: “I take pills, I don’t know what they do/I always swallowed more than a few.”
It’s heady stuff from a guy who seems to suggest he’s a head case to begin with. Fortunately, the melodies are so seductive, they manage to deter any concerns about Barzelay’s shaky state of mind. The dark ramble of “How Dare They,” the hushed, meditative caress of “Take Me” and the pensive drift and strum accompanying “Song For Batya” make for fairly compelling listening even if the tone is rather sinister. Still, it’s telling that the best song of the set is a bonus track, a replay of Clem Snide’s “I Love the Unknown,” its reliable sing-along refrain belying the cocksure abandon reflected in its title.
-- Lee Zimmerman [June 28, 2008]
