Finding Sixpence None The Richer

While this blog is usually dedicated to finding free music, today I will break form in hopes that you might find and enjoy the 12 new tracks from Sixpence None The Richer that, up until today, have been “Lost in Transition.”  Probably no other band has impacted my musical taste more than this group.  Much of the music I feature here is likely because I first found Sixpence.  You can read about the band and their ups and downs of the last decade that have inspired the new album elsewhere.  I would like to get right to the music and share my initial thoughts on each track after listening to the album yesterday.

My Dear Machine:

The album’s opener previously appeared on the EP of the same title that the band released just after they reunited several years ago.  The track, in the exact same form, appears on the new LP and apparently was added after the rest of the tracks where recorded.  A close listen will reveal the difference in production, but the song is a great opener and is one of the more unique Sixpence songs in their entire catalog--featuring nice distorted guitars and horns in the chorus.  I am glad they chose to add this song to the album so that the song could be purchased by fans who missed out on the EP (the EP My Dear Machine is no longer available which ironically makes Around--the only track missing from this album on the EP—truly “’lost in transition”).

Radio:

The second track on the album is one of the strongest and will be a favorite to those who enjoy the radio friendly sixpence songs—however this time the subject matter is not as happy as the beat suggests.  This song would be a great radio hit and an obvious first single but who knows if the new “Indy” status of sixpence will allow for radio airplay to be possible.  

Give it Back

Another song that was on the My Dear Machine EP, Give It Back has had a slight makeover that will come as a pleasant surprise to fans of the older sixpence material.  The obvious conversation, among those who heard the EP version, will center around the fact that the word “Damn” has been replaced by “always” in the lyric, “You are everywhere at every time.  Yet you’re always hard to find.”  This is a wise choice.  This song, in my opinion is one of the strongest Sixpence songs to date and so far my favorite on the new album.  To me, the previous version with the four-letter lyric seemed to be a distraction to the spiritually honest prayer that the song is. 

In many ways, this song is Melody of You – Part 2.  In fact, one might even wonder if Matt Slocom references Melody of You (which is thought by many to be one of his finest songs ever penned) in the first verse where he writes, “it seems I’ve lost the melody.”  As much as the lyrics are quintessential Sixpence, it’s the guitar work (missing in the EP version) that makes this song the best on the album.   Toward the end of the song, vintage Matt Slocum guitar reminiscence of This Beautiful Mess era solos, takes center stage.  The only negative of the song is that it ends.  One has to believe that sitting in a studio somewhere is an additional two or three minutes of this song.  Hopefully someday an “extended version” will surface much like the extended version of Within a Room Somewhere did on the EP Tickets for A Prayer Wheel.

Safety Line

One of the stronger tracks, Safety Line is a wonderful love song that serves as our first introduction to the alt-country Sixpence.  Here, as elsewhere on the album, the nice steel guitar work meshes well with Leigh’s twang-less voice allowing the song to avoid a typical country sound and stay true to their pop/rock roots.

When You Call Me

Some have pointed out that some of the songs on this album that are written by Leigh seem to be more in line thematically and musically with her solo work.  So I tried to guess which songs where Matt's and Leigh's.  I made several incorrect guesses as to which songs where penned by Leigh during my first few listens (I knew she wrote five) and this was one of them.  When You Call Me is song that has maturity, depth, and very much a Sixpence sound.  It is also one of the more spiritually themed songs on the album and is my second favorite so far.  The guitar part is catchy and sets this song apart nicely from the other tracks.  I can imagine that this song will be a great song in their live show.  When You Call Me shows (like previous Sixpence contributions Easy to Ignore and Down and Out of Time) that Leigh still has a feel for writing songs that are unique to Sixpence None The Riche.

Should Not Be This Hard

While lyrically simple (and I don’t think that is a bad thing) this song, like Radio, is one of the catchiest of the album and will have listeners singing along with the chorus by the end of the first listen.  Noticeably missing from Lost In Transition is Matt Slocom’s cello.  The cello does, however make and appearance on to this track—although not apparent at first.  It wasn’t until I heard it at the end that I realized it was playing throughout the track.  I noticed it much more on the second listen.

Go Your Way

Just as I was surprised to find that Leigh penned When You Call Me, I was even more surprised to find that Matt wrote this tune.  This song perhaps will grow on me, but I must say that it is my least favorite of the album.  The melody is unique and I think now that I can see the lyrics to the chorus it will remove some of the frustration I experienced trying to make out the words.  Perhaps you will love the song (and I will in the future) now that you know the chorus is:

(Wait)
I get mixed up
(Love)
I get it wrong
(I’ll)
I find my way
(be)
When I get lost
(wait)
I loved you then
I love you still now
Don’t think that I’ve forgotten how

Failure

Most of us have a deep fear of failure.  This is something that I’ve wrestled with over the years and perhaps that is why this song is not a very pleasant listen.  In fact it’s probably one of the saddest songs I’ve heard.  You want the song to come around and offer some hope but all you get is  “I failed to make it.”  Of course if you measure a song by it’s ability to evoke emotion then you will have to recognize the value found in this song.  Some of my friends find it odd because I’m a pretty chipper person, but I tend to find great value in songs like this because they have the ability to push the listener to places that they generally do not go voluntarily.  Fans of Over The Rhine will know the song She on the album Ohio.  Much like She, Failure is not a song that make for good background music at your next dinner party but nonetheless is a highlight of the album.

Don’t Blame Yourself

Not a huge fan of this track.  I found it easy to skip on my third listen.  Not much to say about it… perhaps it will grow on me.  However, if you are currently blaming yourself for something that is not your fault then you may want to skip right to this track.

Stand My Ground

The word that undoubtedly will be associated with this song is “haunting.”  Stand My Ground is another Leigh penned song that is musically unique and begs for multiple listens—and that proves easy to do in a short amount of time given the song’s noticeably short running time of 2:37.

Sooner Than Later

Another one of the My Dear Machine EP songs, the updated version doesn’t offer a lot of changes musically.  The song, which was written by Leigh about her deceased father, has received some song placements in recent weeks.  At first this struck me as odd as the song didn’t strike me as one you would naturally promote as a “single” (which some sites have referred to it as).  I’m still not sure that it’s one of the albums stronger tracks, but the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me.  It’s hard, however, to not wish it had received the type of makeover that Give It Back received.

Be OK

On Be OK the guitars electric guitars return for the closer along with a sound familiar to long-time fans.  I was actually pleasantly surprised at the amount of electric guitar on the album.  The word on the street was that this album was stripped down and was predominantly about Leigh’s voice.  This is an accurate assessment, but for some reason I incorrectly took this to mean that the album contained a disproportionate amount of acoustic guitar to electric guitar.  The album has its fair share of rock moments and this song is one of them. 

Lyrically Be OK  is a personal anthem and declaration that Leigh “will be OK” despite experiencing the pain of a divorce.  When I first heard the song, I found it a bit unconvincing. Perhaps it was because I have heard loved ones going through divorce declare, “I’ll be OK” only to be a long way off from "OK" many years later?  Perhaps it was because “OK” can seem like a fairly low bar to set for ones life?  

The more I thought about this song, however, the more I understood that it would be necessary to put yourself in the shoes of someone who has experienced the kind of hurt and pain that comes from divorce to appreciate the statement "I'm going to be OK."  For many the pain of divorce is akin to hell on earth and against that backdrop, "OK" sounds really really good--even great and wonderful!  In addition, when you consider this song in the context of the entire album you hear a declaration that has been received from a loving and merciful God--not an attempt to convince oneself of something that they know is really not true.  Thus Be OK is a fitting and hopeful end (although there is a bonus track I've yet to preview) to a great album of songs all nearly lost in the personal and career transitions that life thrust upon Leigh and Matt.

Thankfully for all of us, they were nearly lost in transition.

 

TO FIND SIXPENCE: If you would like to Find Sixpence’s Lost in Transition it will cost you a little but it will be worth it! They tell me that it is available everywhere online starting today (August 7).  In Lexington, KY you can pick up the actual CD at CD Central. You can download the track Sooner Than Later for free by checking out the post a few entries below.