Is it really possible for a punk/garage rock act of any merit and success to originate from Memphis, Tennessee of all places? Jay Reatard – a man whose name is perhaps reason enough to warrant regular use of the spellcheck function on one’s computer – approaches his latest project with a fistful of attitude, and a surprising amount of sentimentality. Watch Me Fall is Reatard’s first major projection since the release of 2006’s Blood Visions – an album often noted for its approach to have been crafted independent of influence from any particular record label. While Reatard had been composing music for quite some time up to that point, he was adamant that time around to have the music created for itself first, as opposed to with the motivations of a particular label representative in mind. Despite it’s departure from this previous line of thought, Watch Me Fall succeeds quite impressively in collecting songs that display a varying amount of emotional sincerity that many often find difficult to include in such a genre of music.
The first track/single, “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” does a very impressive job at offering listeners a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg that is the album. Truthfulness and a straightforward approach to his lyrics have really paid off here. Reatard sings with the raw energy akin to what one may find in the wake of the abrupt end of an intense relationship. With this energy logically and methodically transferred over to this musical medium, Reatard can be heard to express his ire and frustrations regarding the faults of himself and those around him as he attempts to make sense of his life.
This album was made by an individual whom strikes me on some level as being especially protective of his work. While one can be sure that Reatard is not above letting himself just “hang out there”, the level of thematic organization in the track arrangement (tracks seem to be arranged not in order they’re written, but how they would sound next to each other) seems to suggest that he almost prefers to do it entirely on his own terms. This artist, this album, is a display of a man that seems particular with his tastes. While it’s impressive for an individual to be clear on what it is they do/don’t like, there is fault in the inherent rigidity that accompanies such a perspective. Reatard’s willingness to compose Watch Me Fall for a label suggests that he’s at least open to the idea of adapting his tastes to new situations.
Reatard holds his album’s messages close to himself, but hold’s this spectacle on his outside, freely visible for others to see, should they truly wish to look at him and what he does.
(8.7/10)
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