[rating=4.00]
Tom Hamilton is an amazing and underappreciated songwriter. While his work in Brothers Past and American Babies has steadily produced memorable hook after memorable melody across a diverse range of musical styles (from electro jam to indie-electro brooding to pastoral country rock) his name is not particularly well known. Hamilton’s penchant for producing a majestic elegance inside all his musical voices is second to none and on his new American Babies release, Flawed Logic, he further cements his reputation as major talent.
The American Babies moniker gives voice to Hamilton’s Americana side, a rootsy sound that explores a bit of Gram Parsons territory. The country-ish instrumentation is mixed with very modern reflections on hope and hopelessness and the nature of change in times of stark transition. Hamilton’s personal life was disrupted when two drummers left his band and his bass playing brother was deployed to the Middle East. Hamilton seems to see those close to him making huge life decisions, even changing their priorities and this leads him to face tough questions of his own. Turning to music to explore these relationships in a confusing time can be a lonely salvation when others are moving on. Hamilton dives deep and comes out swinging with a big, emotional album full of forlorn grace.
Album opener “Streets of Brooklyn” is an example of the lush piano playing first highlighted on the band’s 2008 self-titled debut. This work adds to the full, resonant textures present throughout Flawed Logic. On “Desperate Times” Hamilton begins to open up the valves of pathos as he sings “These lonesome lies I keep telling are getting to me/I’m all elbows and knees/Lost my peace of mind and it shows/In these acts of a desperate man/Who’s just looking for love in any place he can”. Gentle slide guitar gives “The Sin”, a song about lost love, rethinking choices and regrets, a 70’s rustic warmth. Hamilton is nimbly able to navigate the fine line between sentimental and annoyingly “emo”, never veering into the latter. He continues to make the sad romantic in him not only palatable but also successfully sincere. Coming from the jam world, Hamilton has always worn his heart on his sleeve, a rarity when fun and funkiness are the household brands.
The understated elegance of “Dance All Night”, a darker country jaunt, is simply very pretty. The lyrical directness of “Winter War Games” is raw, conscious and topical, acknowledging the vast desperation of our times. This darker theme is mimicked musically in a wailing guitar solo that stunningly brings the song to a monstrous close. “Joeline”, maybe the album’s strongest track, is a quintessential example of Hamilton’s ability to make sadness uplifting. Full, echoed drums burst and the emotional strain of anxiety is sifted through strained guitar lines that scream atop the lyrics – “Oh Joeline/I think we got dealt the shit hand/I think we broke ground on quicksand”. Meticulous song arrangements throughout the album allow the listener to dig into these songs. Musical fullness abounds, showcasing a vast array of textures suited for in depth listening.
Every song on Flawed Logic is a keeper, the more overt country twang of “Blue Skies” and the rollicking “Weight of the World” maintain the album’s strength as it moves forward with the latter sounding like an ode to a friend who has lost her way by seeking fortune instead of happiness. The lyrics acknowledge Hamilton’s sadness at another one fading. “Great Expectations” finishes the album with a forceful and mournful stamp of dark slide guitar. Plaintively, Hamilton recognizes there are no answers; there are only these states of hope, hopelessness and a massive mix of the two. For a while we live off our youthful exuberance and have it all figured out, we are going to change the world. Gradually our idealism fades and we are faced with tough choices. Friends and relationships split up but the music marches on.
