The past two years have been great for Grey Gordon fans — and perhaps even better for Grey Gordon.
The Indiana indie-rocker released his first EP on No Sleep Records — “Still At Home Here” — early last year. His brand of piercing songwriting was well-received past his Midwestern circle of influence and led to a collaboration with Fake Problems’ country-tinged frontman Chris Farren. The resulting “Ducks Fly Together” EP stacked Farren’s Floridian peace of mind and Gordon’s sobering self-awareness against each other, but delivered two strains of delicious, folksy sensibility. Fans were left hungry for more, and fortunately, the wait for new material wasn’t long.
Gordon fed his fans again — this time with his debut album, “Forget I Brought It Up,” which departs from the trends seen so far in Gordon's career as a signed artist.
The record is more in line with the rest of Gordon’s label family and comes packaged with a full band slamming out his songs. Gone are the more-reserved tendencies of his earlier material, making way for amped-up arrangements. To discover Gordon is the commonality between these two very different styles underscores his diverse appeal as a songwriter.
That said, having tasted the raw lyrics and organic sound of Gordon’s last two EPs makes it difficult to transition into the new album’s atmosphere. In place of honesty, Gordon drops clichés — like “What makes tomorrow any different from yesterday?” on opening track “Barstools and Haircuts” or “You say your life is s*** / well I’ve seen you make it so” on the semi-scathing “Learned Helplessness”.
It seems the new conventions presented by a full-band album called for different lyrical themes.
By the time “Hardened Regards” arrives at the album’s midway point, all concerns about the album’s integrity were washed away. Gordon sings, “You are so much blurrier than I ever thought you’d be / You are back where you belong; you’re wearing his ring.”
Gordon’s lyrics here set him apart from the instrumental counterparts echoed in bands like Into It. Over It. or Real Friends. Gordon’s brand of storytelling hasn’t faded away after all. Its return only enforced the strength of this new side to his music.
“Forget I Brought It Up” proves to be more than “just some catchy hooks and some scars,” as predicted in “Revelation Summer”. Though his acoustic fare is something that’s definitely missed here, Gordon’s talent proves diverse enough to distinguish himself in the genre-blending alternative scene.
The question now is where Gordon will take his musical ambitions next — but as he confesses on late-album track “Like Atlas”, he has "a plan without context or definition.” “Forget I Brought It Up” proves that Grey Gordon is a man of many talents and few disappointments.
3.5 stars
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