Sometimes it takes a few listens to "get" an album. You know, the intricate song structures, the subtle nuisances, figuring out if that was really a glockenspiel you actually heard—the important things. And sometimes there are those albums you will never get and that is fine. Well after multiple listens to The Love Kills Theory's Happy Suicide Jim I've come to a few conclusions 1) I don't get it and 2) I'm never going to get it, which in this case is not fine. The album starts off poppy enough with "Authenticity," a song perfect for college radio…if we were talking about early 90's college radio. And the same thing can be said about "King of Cream" and "Dream of Sleep," songs that sound similar to a mix of bands like the Replacements or a male fronted Throwing Muses or (fill in the blank of your favorite "alternative band" circa 88-94), but not as good. Quite a few tracks
veer into self-righteous manifesto-land such as "Region of the Worms" which, from what I gather, is about people being sold on products and "concepts" to make their lives better. Something this album is definitely not selling me on. But hey, all is not lost. The highlight of this album is "Vacuum Space," a lovely track in which hushed vocals, strings, and electronic glitches dance around seamlessly together. Unfortunately that kind of cohesiveness is too far and few between to make up for Happy Suicide Jim as a whole, and makes you not want to "get it."
--Erika Clarke
