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Paul Westerberg Folker
Vagrant Records
Paul Westerberg is certainly one of the best songwriters of my generation, or, of any generation for that matter. The long list of classic songs he has written is a testament to this ability, and he is arguably one of the most imitated artists of our time. Since the demise of The Replacements however, his solo work has been spotty at best, and Westerberg had mostly been written off as a has-been until 2002’s Stereo/Mono rewarded his long suffering public with his best album to date.
Track listing:
01 Jingle
02 When Will We Arrive?
03 My Dad
04 Looking Up In Heaven
05 Anyway's All Right
06 $100 Groom
07 23 Years Ago
08 As Far As I Know
09 What About Mine?
10 How Can You Like Him?
11 New Life
12 Gun Shy
13 Folk Star
Working alone in his basement, Westerberg finally seemed to recapture on Stereo/Mono what made him so compelling in the first place. These recordings reflected a man who was finally embracing his legendary past, thus lifting its incredible burden off of his shoulders and allowing him a fresh start. New songs like “We May Be The Ones” brought the anti-hero of “Here Comes A Regular” into adult middle-age, still defiant though a bit wiser. The album’s piss and vinegar text also demonstrated that Westerberg could still bite when cornered. After the initial return to form of Stereo/Mono however, Westerberg released last year’s disappointing Come Feel Me Tremble, and many feared he was once again slipping into the banal mediocrity of earlier albums like Eventually.
Folker, Westerberg’s new release on Vagrant, is the album he should have made after Stereo/Mono. There’s a swagger to the songwriting here that Westerberg hasn’t displayed so consistently since his days with The ‘Mats. In fact, “Lookin’ Up in Heaven,” with its beautiful acoustic guitars and bluesy drumming, could have been an outtake from “All Shook Down.” The instant classic here is “As Far As I Know,” a sort of roughed up “September Gurls” in reverse. It’s been a long time since a simple four chord riff and vocal melody has grabbed me and twisted me around quite like this song has. In a just universe, no one would be able to turn on the radio without hearing this song blasting out of the speakers. Other high points include the touching ode to Westerberg’s father, “My Dad,” the Byrds-like shuffle of “Anyway’s All Right” and the biting satire of “Folk Star”.
There are a few throwaways as well, most noticeably the weak opening track “Jingle,” with its inane “Buy it now / Buy it now / Buy it now / This is my single / This is my jingle” refrain and the sub par “Breathe Some New Life.” Aside from that, there isn’t a whole lot to complain about regarding Folker. Westerberg shows that he can still be on top of his game when he wants to, as the songwriting is steady and confident and proves that the attitude is still there after all these years.
What strikes me most about Folker is how much fun Westerberg seems to be having. He’s relaxed, doing his thing at home, and probably doesn’t give a shit if you like it or not. In fact, he’s probably smiling and giving us the finger right now. Welcome back Paul.
