Published on Dec 2, 2005
Scruffy, whimsical and stylishly retro, Patrik Tanner is sort of
like John Hiatt and John Lennon manning the two ends of a bear suit
— a punchline that makes much more sense after viewing the entire
cover art for
Soft, which consists of several shots of the rather
world-weary Tanner in a big, brown, furry, well, bear suit.
The opening “Enter” promptly announces Tanner’s key influences
with its sunny melodies and “ba-ba-ba-ba-yeah” background vocals
paraphrased right out of “Drive My Car.” This disc isn’t quite
Revolver redux — too much Americana flavor for that — but
the Fab Four’s indelible sonic stamp is there in the classic-rock
instrumentation, clever vocal arrangements and warm production.
What’s striking is how full and organic the sound is,
considering Tanner is pretty much a one-man band. A well-traveled
producer (Tina Schlieske, Martin Zellar, Scott Laurent), Tanner
puts his studio skills to great use here, playing acoustic and
electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, Hammond, harmonica and
whatever else he can get his hands on.
Tanner’s penchant for sunny melodies is most apparent on upbeat
tracks like the sincere “Halfway There,” but he seems equally
comfortable with — and exceptionally competent at — sarcastic
blasts like “Best Ever!” In fact, it is as a Warren Zevon-esque
sharp-tongue-firmly-in-cheek songwriter that Tanner seems to hit
his stride.
Proving that point, “To Be Your Fan” is a modern classic in the
underappreciated subgenre of musical odes to deranged fans (not to
mention, surely the only one to employ a sitar). From its cheeky
start — “Your songs are my best friends / I guess that sounds
pathetic / Your music’s so profound / Your words are so poetic” —
the narrator becomes steadily more obsessive and unhinged in a way
that’s simultaneously funny, creepy and alarmingly
true-to-life.
Just when you want to pass him off as a clown, though, Tanner
comes back with a swaying, richly bittersweet ballad of loss like
the gorgeous “Little Guy,” and follows it with another, just as
strong and full of keening little Brian Wilson-isms (“Don’t Leave
Me Here”). Which, now that you mention it, is exactly the approach
Hiatt or Zevon would take. Comedy, tragedy, mortality and good
punchline — it’s all here, wrapped up in a singularly appealing
musical package.
Soft is a compendium of warm, witty songwriting and
masterful studio craftsmanship that is well worth your time and
cash. Highly recommended.
[For more information on Patrik Tanner, visit
www.patriktanner.com]