Perfecting Loneliness

After being delayed twice,[1][2] Four Cornered Night saw release in September 2000 through independent label Jade Tree.[3] It was supported with two US tours;[2][4] during the latter of these, in early 2001, the group premiered new material, including the tracks "William Tell Override" and "Loose Candy".[5] Vocalist/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach spent six weeks at his mother's farm in Nova Scotia, Canada;[6] his family planned to go on vacation and left him alone at the house. Due to the farm's remote nature, he spent plenty of time writing new material. Following the September 11 attacks, it took the group several months to become creative again.[7] In March 2002, the band announced they had planned to record their next album in the coming weeks for release in the middle of the year.[5] It was produced by J. Robbins.

Musically, the sound of Perfecting Loneliness has been described as folk-pop[8] and indie rock,[9][10] incorporating piano melody lines [8] and infrequent use of cello.[11] Schwarzenbach's vocals on the album have been referred to as a mix of Joey Ramone, Cracker frontman David Lowery and Teenage Fanclub frontman Norman Blake.[9] Lyrically, it tackles the themes of despair and loneliness, against piano, softly-played guitars and scare drum patterns; though it occasionally enters into rock territory with distorted guitar lines, loud drums and heavy bass parts. The group said the record was about the search for love, God, while lacking in attempting to find these aspects.[6] Schwarzenbach explained the search: "I think it is always worth trying to find out whether you can find what you are looking for or not ... at the end of the trip there is a new album in my case, so the search was by no means in vain."[7] Schwarzenbach initially composed some of the tracks as folk songs, but later evolved after showing them to the band.[6]

The opening guitar riff of "The Frequency" recalled Hum,[12] before shifting into a mix of power pop and a Built to Spill-esque instrumental.[13] It sees Schwarzenbach's detail his hometown New York City with a bitter nature, lamenting hipsters and prolonged career paths.[9] "You're the One I Want" was reminiscent of Howard Jones.[14] "Cat Heaven" was written for Schwarzenbach's cat Chinatown, who became ill and had died.[7] The title-track, which lasts for over five minutes in length, combined the lyrical nature of the group's debut Orange Rhyming Dictionary (1998) with the layered sound of Four Cornered Night. The final minute features radio transmissions from the Apollo 11 moon landing; this aided in the lyrics discussing alienation and isolation.[15] The song, along with the final two tracks "Disgrace" and "Rocket Boy", was written after the September 11 attacks.[7] "Psalm" was compared to James Taylor. The energy of "Autumn Walker" and "William Tell Override" recalled the likes of Hüsker Dü and Sugar.[8] "Further North" begins with a folk-tinged acoustic guitar part, gentle percussion and a bass part, as Schwarzenbach details his mother's farm and the topic of isolation.[6] Schwarzenbach uses "Disgrace" as social commentary on having nothing to watch despite a multitude of television channels.[9] The closing track "Rocket Boy" is a ballad[6] that lasts for over nine minutes in length.[16] It discusses loneliness, alongside humanity and the urge to fix life's problems.[17]

In June and July 2002, the group went on a US tour, dubbed Fill in the Gaps Tour '02. They were supported by Pilot to Gunner.[18] On July 1, Perfecting Loneliness was announced for release in October; its track listing was revealed.[19] Perfecting Loneliness was released on October 15 through Jade Tree.[19] The artwork features a castle under a twilight moon; guitarist Brian Maryansky saw the image in a children's book that they found in the street.[7] The band had intended to promote it with a US headlining tour in October and November,[20] however, on the day of the first show, the whole tour was cancelled due to an illness in the band.[21]

The group self-directed a music video for the track "Cat Heaven".[22] On January 9, 2003, Schwarzenbach revealed he had spent the preceding six weeks recuperating in Canada. In the same announcement, he said drummer Chris Daly had left the group.[23] In April, Matt Torrey, formerly of MK Ultra, was announced as their new drummer. Between May and July, the band toured across the US on the Throwdown 2003 tour, with support from John Vanderslice.[24] Additional shows were added into late July, with dates in Canada.[25]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Chart Attack	Favorable[14]
CMJ New Music Report	Favorable[12]
Ox-Fanzine	9/10[26]
Pitchfork	5.2/10[13]
Rolling Stone	[27]
Spin	7/10[9]
Sputnikmusic	4/5[6]
Stylus Magazine	F[28]
Ultimate Guitar	8/10[29]

Perfecting Loneliness received a mainly positive reception from music critics. Ox-Fanzine's Joachim Hiller said the record "fully met my expectations."[26] It "lives up to its title", bordering on "pathos and kitsch."[26] Chart Attack writer Elizabeth Chorney-Booth said Schwarzenbach's transition from "emo-punk hero to dreamy-eyed pop wuss is complete… and the results are lovely."[14] The album is filled with "swoony lyrics, bulging keyboards, unabashed melody and earnest little rock-outs."[14] AllMusic reviewer Charles Spano noted the "deeper instrumentation, undone piano melodies, and larger-than-life orchestration", which the group used to "turn intimate observations into moments of transcendent grandeur."[8] Sputnikmusic staff member Tyler Fisher said that despite the group toing the "line of bland here and there", the music is, at times, "perfectly beautiful."[6] The album's strength relied on its "softer, slower tracks rather than the more intense" ones, though "there is a good variety of both."[6] Louis Miller of CMJ New Music Report said the "lushly arranged" collection saw the group crafting "stellar, yet humble songs ... that quite often develop into six and seven-minute epics."[12]

PopMatters writer Adam Dlugacz said album "immediately addresses some of the problems that were prevalent" on Four Cornered Night, however, by the midway point, things became "absolutely inexplicable to me. Just when you think they've turned the corner, they turn into Chicago, complete with cheesy progressions that are supposed let you know how much they care."[30] While noting the album's long length, Ultimate Guitar found the release less personal than Four Cornered Night with more obscurity in the lyrics. Despite the lack of "immediate emotional impact", it had "moments of greatness."[29] Punknews.org staff member Scott Heisel criticized the album for "lacking in the lyrical department", "recycling themes" from Orange Rhyming Dictionary and the length of the songs.[31] In a negative review for Pitchfork, Eric Carr wrote that it was a "sad example of a few decent arrangements being recycled and regurgitated until, by the end of the album", with nothing "left but pre-chewed, partially digested gunk."[13] Stylus Magazine's Todd Burns highlighted Schwarzenbach's lyrics as being the sole highlight on the record, though with no "audible signs of innovation or progression."[28] He found the music "so entirely lacking"; he release failing to deliver "the one two punch of lyric and music."[28]

1. "The Frequency" – 6:15
2. "You're the One I Want" – 4:26
3. "Cat Heaven" – 5:06
4. "Perfecting Loneliness" – 5:47
5. "Lucky Charm" – 5:59
6. "Wish List" – 4:19
7. "Psalm" – 5:16
8. "Autumn Walker" – 5:33
9. "Further North" – 5:14
10. "William Tell Override" – 3:58
11. "Disgrace" – 6:34
12. "Rocket Boy" – 9:33

Citations

Sources

• Perfecting Loneliness at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)