Franz Nicolay
Major General
Rating: 3.0
Label: Fistolo Records
Franz Nicolay is working on one of the most impressive résumés in music. A member of both The Hold Steady and The World/Inferno Friendship Society, he has also shared the stage with The Dresden Dolls, Leftöver Crack and Bruce Springsteen. Appearing on over 50 albums to date, he has somehow also found time to put together Major General, his solo follow up to 2007′s Black Rose Paladins.
And what might be most surprising about Major General is that Nicolay does not sound remotely exhausted with music: the album’s 13 tracks explore a whole range of instruments and genres. Possibly sensing that Major General would be evaluated against his already massive body of work, Nicolay manages two fronts: producing something new while remaining accessible to his eclectic fan base. For this he succeeds admirably, with explosive garage band tracks like “Jeff Penalty” and “Confessions of an Ineffective Casanova” appealing to Hold Steady loyalty while the cabaret swagger of “Dead Sailors” would hold over any World/Inferno follower.
What’s left is both the rise and fall of Major General; when Nicolay focuses his songs on arrangement, his full talents as a multi-instrumentalist come through. From the bluesy drive of “Hey Dad!” to the dreamy double-time of “Do We Live In Dreams?” Nicolay shows off why he is so sought after in music today. But without warning, Ikea-rock songs start popping up. Tracks like “Nightratsong” and the unforgivably hokey, “The World Is An Open Door” are beyond Barenaked Ladies bad and begin to sound like Hootie and the Blowfish with an edge. Nicolay’s strong vocal ability does its damnedest to save the weaker songs but with lyrics like “This world is an open door/ I’m waiting for you to come in,” it’s already a lost cause. But, members of the Dresden Dolls, Demander and Nanuchka appear throughout the album, and Nicolay, for better or worse, proudly lets their influences stand at the forefront of many of his songs. Thankfully the effort pulls together for a strong finish, ending with a warm arpeggiated banjo in “Cease-fire, or, Mrs. Norman Maine” followed by the sashaying fade-out of “I’m Done Singing.”
Franz Nicolay performs these songs with both abounding energy and the vulnerability of a drunken crooner. Every track on Major General offers the listener the possibility of raucous excitement or unguarded elegance; and while it would be easy enough to harp too heavily on the few regrettable tracks, thanks to the skip button, the opportunity is there to make this album perfect.
by Brian Loeper
[Illustration: Sarah Goodreau]
