Sixes & Sevens

From the first album, Garfield, to the release previous to this one, Jacket Full of Danger, Adam Green's music had been getting better and better, so I was rather enthusiastic about this album's release. Upon seeing the tracklisting, initially I thought it was somewhat daring that there was 20 songs, each of the songs only being around 2 minutes long. Could they all be great? In an interview, Adam Green said, in explanation, "people will just listen to things on shuffle". After hearing this album, I definitely get what he means.

'Jacket Full of Danger', worked really well as an album from start-to-finish, and is one I primarily listened to as such. If there were less tracks, I might say the same for 'Sixes and Sevens', but, in fact, it is more enjoyable to hear by just selecting certain songs here and there. It's clear that Green was really experimenting with different vocal styles and instrumentation with this album, more than ever. Just when we thought we knew what to expect, too! Calvin Johnson-meets-Jim Morrison-esque vocals, crude and witty lyrics and lo-fi techniques, yes, they're still around, but now we've got the addition of occasional gospel background singers and frequent bouncing around of genres!

There are some real quality tracks on here, like "Cannot Get Sicker", "You Get So Lucky", and "Leaky Flask", though these are just glimpses of Adam Green's potential. If Green had extended the length of such tracks and knocked away some of the others, 'Sixes and Sevens' as a whole would've been a more impressive listen. Despite it's flaws, I'm still not knocking it down in stars. This is just as fun to listen to as Friends of Mine or Gemstones; just listen to "Morning After Midnight" or "Twee Dee Dee".

If you're already a big fan of Adam Green's, it's doubtful that you would be disappointed by this, though it is far from being his best work. On the other hand, if you've just started getting into his music, go for the others first, then come back for this one later.

At first I was underwhelmed, but now this sucker has totally gone viral in my mind, such that I need to listen to it three times a day.

Adam Green is one of those musicians that won't ever be the next "big thing". You can show him to as many friends as you want, and they might think he's funny, but his music just isn't mainstream enough for the big time. Which is the exact thing that makes it good. If you're the kind of person who enjoys low-fi music that takes quite a few listens to get into, but eventually gives off a very comforting, warm vibe when you listen to it, Adam Green is the musician for you... Maybe.

Truth be told, Adam Green isnt't a fantastic musician. He plays his guitar alright for his songs, but you won't see any amazing guitar work here. He has a fantastic sounding voice, but his singing capabilities are also limited. His lyrics are all nonsensical and could be written by someone 8 years of age. So what's the appeal? If this guy really has no natural "amazing" talent, why does he has a record label? Why is he (somewhat) famous? When it comes down to it, Adam Green simply has a unique vibe he gives off which translates into his music, lyrics, and guitar playing. You could be a BETTER singer than Green, but his natural singing style just has such an appeal. He is an appealing character, and he makes appealing music. Even his odd, childish lyrics turn out to be somewhat brilliant. Sure, a child could write similiar nonesense type lyrics, but they wont be nearly as...well...entertaining. Green knows how to play off his own personality and make it into art.

As for this album, it's full of ups and downs. At 20 tracks in length, it doesnt grow tired, but sometimes lacks the standout track thats needed. There are plenty of classic Adam Green songs here, including "Morning After Midnight", the lovely "Tropical Island", the soulful "Getting Led", the Moldy Peaches-esque "Drowing Head First", and the upbeat "Grandma Shirley and Papa". While there are no "bad" songs here, many of them simply dont seem to belong on a proper album. Songs like "Exp.1", "Bed of Prayer", "That sounds like a Pony", and "Homelife" are all b-side worthy, but should have been left off the final cut. It seems as if Green just wanted to release all his material onto the album and not leave anything out. Which I can understand. His material goes very unnoticed, and it isn't as if it was going to suffer in sales no matter what he put on there. There are very few mainstream music fans who are going to buy into his music. There was no risk in doing this. Still, for all the iffy songs here, you still run into the occational gem like "It's a Fine", which makes this a good listen.

Listening to this album reminds me of the first Moldy Peaches album. Not because of similar style (the peaches had never gone "vegas"), but because it sounds like an album of music that is perfect in an imperfect way. You'll run into songs that are so-so, but find yourself not skipping them. The album is about 50 minutes long, and is full of surprises. I wouldn't recommend this as a way to introduce your friends to this musician. If you must use tracks from this album to do so, cut it down to a smaller EP of tracks, including Tropical Island, Cannot Get Sicker, Morning After Midnight, Drowning Head First, "It's a Fine", "BroadCast Beach", "Grandma Shirley and Papa" "Getting Led", and "Rich Kids (one of my favs)". The rest is definatley an album that has to grow on you, but it doesn't disappoint. Get this album, just don't expect a Sgt. Pepper's. Expect a bunch of songs your neighbor makes in his free time that make you think "man, this guy could go somewhere!", but he never does. Green got lucky when it comes to getting famous with his music. And in turn, so did we.