Search - Pursuit of Happiness :: Downward Road

Good, not great, but still unmistakeably TPOH.

Scott Fendley | Zionsville, IN USA | 04/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A letdown for me after Love Junk and One Sided Story. There's still some good material and some wry observations from Moe and crew, but the songwriting is a bit spottier and the sound is more arena based, and less inventive than in the past. I'd still buy it, no problem!"

Let's raise the grade, shall we?

paul pirate | New York, New York | 09/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are more good songs on this third album than my colleagues mention:

beside Cigarette and Pressing, I would like to mention Nobody But Me, I'm Ashamed of Myself, In Her Dreams - the LP then gets a bit spotty, but Bored of You (interesting linguistic option to that expression), But I Do, Crashing Down, Villa, and Terrified. (I love the sliver of the Staples Singers at the beginning.) All rate. Perhaps the weaker songs are a bit more so than before, but the band has changed, new bassist, new back-up singer (in addition to guitarist Kris Abbott), so maybe there were adjustment issues. Moe can get formulaic (and the occasional lyrical overkill shows it), but it's a good formula to me, and the little kinks in the harmonic flow remain unusual and delightful. But, in this set of reviews at least, no mention of the most idiosyncratic element of this band: "chick vocals" that go way beyond "ooh ooh ooh" in lots of ways, as lyrical and musical counterpoint. Check out the second "chorus" in Crashing Down - medicinal advice rolling through the mind like an all too familiar memory. I agree that this may not be the first TPOH to check out, but for pure achievement, the very different Where's the Bone is as good as the band got for an entire LP. Meanwhile, if you can really get a used copy of this for what Amazon has on offer, don't hesitate, friend."