Fat Wreck Chords – September 28th, 2021
Having the best of times with songs about the worst of times.
Teaming up for this two track Fat Wreck Chords release, Yes Way Jose features the iconic Joey Cape and the talented Jose Prieto. While they’re both imaginative storytellers in their own right, they still take their own particular approach on this acoustic split. While not entirely dissimilar, they eloquently put their personal stamp on their respective contributions.
The introduction of this release, “Sorry,” is quintessential Cape, everything we’ve come to expect from his stripped down songs. If you’re a Lagwagon fan, it’s instantly recognizable. If you’re familiar with one of his many solo releases, projects like Scorpios, or his splits with Tony Sly, you’ve come to expect a certain loquaciousness to his presentation and there’s no deviation from that here. With a slow and straightforward strumming style, he takes a satirical approach in his social commentary on the apathetic nature of civilization where everyone’s looking for excuses everywhere but within themselves. Oddly, I couldn’t help but be reminded musically of “Lux Auturna,” sans the string section, from the soundtrack of the film Requiem For A Dream. I can definitely see thematic similarities between the messages presented by both. Don’t let yourself become desensitized by the lies being sold on your television.
The second half is administered here by Prieto, the frontman of MakeWar, one of Fat Wreck’s newest additions to their roster. He produces thought provoking and approachable pieces, albeit with a healthy dose of drinking, providing criticism on the shortcomings of human nature as a whole and, more importantly, of ourselves. “Red” digs deep into the latter. He’s a wonderful wordsmith, easily evoking feeling without much effort. There’s a simplicity in his songwriting and, with an honest approach, it never comes across as contrived. With it’s palm muted intro, things begin to build much like the feelings of despair as the song progresses into the narratives of lost love and the self destructive things we do to distract ourselves from that which ultimately might destroy us inside. It’s a tale as old as time, complete with the toxicity that sometimes accompanies it. It’s hard not to reminisce about the good times as we’re left to deal with a roller coaster of emotions but what we do with them is up to us. Will we find ourselves saying “I’m looking to black out and forget how you broke my heart?”
Cape and Prieto compliment one another quite nicely and prove that a lot can be done with a couple guitars and a pair of voices. A little reverb goes a long way and the airiness of the recordings add to the solemn nature of subject matter addressed on this duo of sad little ditties. I really appreciate the collaborative nature of the project and can’t wait to see what these two have in store for us next. If the new teaser is meant gives us a taste of the torch being passed from one generation of punks to the next, I remain hopeful for the future and for the remainder of the record!
Jerred Lazar is a make believe musician and wannabe writer attempting to survive in Washington DC
