Outloud! Records, 4 Mar 2022
Grim Deeds is reflective and solemn on The Paradise of Absolute Solitude.
Grim Deeds is nothing if not up front and honest in his music. On record after record, song after song, he works through all sorts of turmoil and emotion with a raw purity that is seldom seen in music or in real life. The Paradise of Absolute Solitude, Deeds' new 10-song set (his 23rd full-length), seems to serve as a sort of personal meditation and trophy of perseverance following personal loss and motivation issues he'd been working through.
The music found on Paradise is not altogether different from what we typically hear from Deeds. There's the usual pop punk goodness with straightforward guitar hooks and brain-searing hum-along vocal melodies. Songs like the jangly stomp and Joey Ramone-vocal “whoa-uh-oh-oh's” of “Chance of Rain”, the mid-tempo bounce of “Got My Way”, the doo wop-pop kick of “Groundhog Day”, and the up-and-down guitar hooks of “Long Live Death” hit the pop-loving parts of my brain. They each leave their mark and I've found myself singing along while listening or humming the melodies while going for a run. He's always done these catchy numbers well, and it's no different here. And like other Deeds albums, he has a couple of angst-ridden rippers that blast with some intensity. On Paradise, those songs are “Denial” and “Selective Memory”, each dealing in propulsion without sacrificing a hook here and there. The album also has a couple of nice covers. “Hey Joe” (by The Leaves) surprises me as a sincere homage with its garage jangle and The Misfits “Teenagers From Mars” sounds just right with the straight-take coming from Deeds. And when Deeds closes the album with the acoustic title song, it tracks.
What I've found most affecting with Paradise, though, is that heart-on-sleeve songwriting that Deeds tends to revel in. In this case, however, the circumstances hit me in the empathetic heart-center, too. In December, Deeds lost his dad. And these songs follow, serving as a sort of reflection. Lines like “I've been wrapped up in catastrophe” (from “Chance of Rain”) and the “I'm terrified” refrain at the end of “Long Live Death” take on new meaning in this context. Maybe even more affecting are the words on “Got My Way” and “Nevermind”. “Got My Way” sings about moving away from home and family, living lines like “I turned my back on the ones who love me most, I ran away and escaped to the West coast”. And “Nevermind” (which I first heard in open-heart acoustic form from a posted video – a must hear) makes me wanna reach out when he sings “nevermind the struggle, and the peace we may never find” and “I'd tell you now but it's too late, how it felt to be your son”. Simply, I listen to these songs and just wanna make sure I'm up front and communicative with those in my own life. To that end, what more can I ask for from music?
I always end up finding lots to like on Deeds' releases. This one, however, hits me a little differently. All the hooks are there in the right places, but the words and the context for them make this a victory for Deeds in and of itself. And for me personally, it makes me reflect on who I want to be. This is a good one.
Favorite song: “Chance of Rain”, “Got My Way”, and “Groundhog Day” all take the spot, depending on my mood
Favorite moment: the Joey Ramone-esque vocal take on “Chance of Rain” hooked me instantly
Favorite whatever else: the surprising effectiveness of the 2 covers (I should love the Misfits one as I love the original, but “Hey Joe” surprised me like mad)
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He's very secretive, he might be an alien.