No More Songs About The Matrix

Nickel Creek
Why Should The Fire Die?
Sugar Hill Records

Okay, so my relationship with Nickel Creek has been a tenuous one, right? Sugary sweet, and fraught with peril the like of Hand Song and Spit On A Stranger, you gotta be careful listening to those darn kids.

But then there's those crazy instrumental romps like Ode To A Butterfly, Smoothie Song, and The House of Tom Bombadil. I love those songs. I mean... love them. I think they define an entirely new genre of instrumental tune -- a far cry from "Bluegrass," but damn damn good. (And The Fox is about as good as a song gets... period.)

Then there were the song-writing stretches that might not be fantastic, but were definitely showing promise. Okay, I guess there was just the This Side song. And it was ruined at Merlefest 2002 when they announced it was about the movie The Matrix. I'll let you in on a little secret... if your songs are about sci-fi movies... don't fuckin' tell us. Just a thought. (Yeah, and Reasons Why was pretty good too.)

Sigh. Those blasted kids with their amazing talent and good looks. If it wasn't for them and their dog, I'd have gotten away with it too. But I wondered if they'd ever really grow up and write something to match, or at least compare with, their unearthly instrumental performances.

I really didn't have much hope. I've said in the past that these kids grew up in a sheltered life, and that I doubted they'd ever write anything that spoke of real loss or pain, real love or hate. Hmm, now I think I was wrong. Very wrong. (A divorce or two will do that to you, kids.)

This album, Why Should the Fire Die?, didn't exactly blow me away at the first listen. But it had something. It was something I couldn't quite put my finger on. It took me a little while to figure out how to listen to this album. It's really nothing like their early work -- neither in theme nor production. (They dropped Alison Krauss' "must-be-perfect" production for a couple of college and pop rock producers.) It sounds completely different... but familiar somehow.

Then I realized it. It's freakin' acoustic college rock. It's like if R.E.M. was mainlining Bluegrass somehow. But more than that... it's relevant. Like... the music scene the kids are listening to today. I finally realized I needed to listen to this album with my The Shins, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket ears. And while doing that -- I realized this album is really very good. Damn good even. Freakin' good.

As far as Nickel Creek albums go, it's by far my favorite. It has more four-star songs than the other two put together, and I dig the three-star songs even more than the three-star songs from the earlier work. It's taken the coveted position of "album I fall asleep to." Look it up -- that's an important metric in any musician's book. On repeat... all night long... that's a big deal.

Dark, moody, angry... I love it. A little bitter, a little sweet, and never too sweet, which they've been in the past.

Alright, my favorite songs? Without a doubt, my favorite is Helena. I can't help it -- they're ripping off my favorite Radiohead gimmick... the "entire song is a crescendo" thing. Yay Chris Thile! To quote Stacy, "it's one delightfully evil little ditty." Amen, sister!

Want a Bluegrass stomper? It's got it -- Stumptown. It's no The Fox, but hell, what is? That song rocks.

Want a quirky, jazzy number? Listen to Sara sing Anthony, her own composition. It's a dated sound -- deliberate and fun, 1940s radio program fare.

Want spooky cool? How about the instrumental First And Last Waltz?

Want bitter and vengeful? C'mon, of course you do! Take your pick -- my favorite Helena of course, then Somebody More Like You, Can't Complain, and Best of Luck. Crazy good songs.

Top all that off with the radio song, When In Rome, and then just for the sweetest dessert -- the instrumental Scotch & Chocolate. Mmm, mmm, good. (Those are two of my favorite things too, Nickel Creek.)

Twangy? No. Bluegrass? Nope. Indie? Oh yeah. Youthful, energetic? Hell yes.

Bring it on. I can't wait to see how they affect the music scene for the next several years. These folks are ones to watch. (And their pesky dog too!)

(I'm especially interested in seeing how the Bonnaroo crowd reacts to them, but that's a post for another day. Trust me.)