No pure solo album, but the unofficial new album by the Beach Boys

In April 2015, the Californian musician Brian Wilson (72) has released his latest solo Pier Pressure No album that was meant, according to the artist, as a new album by the Beach Boys. Through newly erupted dispute over the world tour for the 50th anniversary, who have made a cooperation seemingly impossible Brian the legitimate successor to That's Why God Made The Radio (2012) has published alone. The album for its lyrics and co-production Brians longtime musical partner Joe Thomas is responsible, you can hear it at a few exceptions that it was originally intended as a band album with the participation of Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. After singing and playing it up to the latter two and drummer Ricky Fataar all surviving Beach Boys as Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin and David Marks and clandestine Beach Boys Jeffrey Foskett, who for a long time in the touring band for the falsetto vocals and the Guitar is responsible, as well as Matt Jardine, Al Jardines son, can be heard as a musical guest of the Beach Boys and more than 20 years.
It supports the aforementioned Beach Boys from some trendy guest singers who all already have a name in contemporary pop music: Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities (also on keyboards), Zooey Deschanel of She & Him, Kacey Musgraves, Peter Hollens and Nate Rues of Fun. The vocal contributions of guests like this sound sometimes as if they were to replace the missing voices of Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Instrumental contributions there are of star trumpeter Mark Isham, guitarist M. Ward (also of She & Him) sought, session drummers like Jim Keltner, Vinnie Colaiuta or Kenny Aronoff, bassist and producer Don Was and many other musicians from Brian's ancestral backing. The instrumentation and production is as might be expected of the utmost professionalism; a Grammy winner who has been in his 54-year career reached millions of album sales is, never mess up with his music, but show off like no other.
The cover of the album adorns this time no ajar to the 70s graphics, but a bit gloomy held photograph of the underside of a pier, the area covered by shells posts are washed by the surf and the shining through light in the background as a glimmer of hope. The title No Pier Pressure can certainly be understood as an intelligent pun No Peer Pressure, ie German, no peer pressure. Brian Wilson plays thus probably partly due to the many guest singers on, on the other hand, he focuses so probably a problem that everyone older musician knows: I bow to the modern zeitgeist, to succeed or I keep all my identity and go here maybe as helpless as.
Below I attempt to analyze each individual title of the album short and that in the light of: instrumentation, vocals, and text classification in the body of work.

1) This Beautiful Day: a short opener with reduced instrumentation: piano, violin and trumpet. Brian sings relaxed with typical Beach Boys harmonies in the background before all fades with a sacred acting organ. Sounds like a mixture of from Our Prayer and Meant for you. Anyway, a dignified entry into the album, like the last album of the Beach Boys.

2) Runaway Dancer (feat Sebu):. A ​​saxophone initiates a dominated contemporary beats dance number for which host Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities provides the lead vocals. Of course, here the so popular harmonies may not be missing. Despite supposedly modern production this is no sin in Brian's work, because at the end of the 70s he recorded with the Beach Boys Disco songs like She's got rhythm or Mona.

3) Whatever Happened (feat Al Jardine and David Marks):. On the first ballad of the album about life changes sings Brian Wilson the verses, Beach Boy Al Jardine the chorus and backing vocals, Beach Boy David Marks plays a relaxed surf guitar. The subtle strings deposits leave the number as an outtake from LA album of Beach Boys sound. Late 70s let greet!

4) On The Iceland (feat She & Him):. With this quiet bossa nova homage Brian the late '60s. Zooey Deschanel of She & Him sings with jazzy voice the verses, Brian answered in chorus. M. Ward (also of She & Him) plucks the guitar comfortably. This so short as relaxed breakfast lounge music might as well from the album Friends (1968) originate where it would be a successful addition to the similar numbers When a Man Loves a Woman or Busy Doin 'Nothin'.

05) Half Moon Bay: This instrumental with subtle vocal harmonies accesses the dreamy holiday mood of the previous song. It focuses on the trumpet by Mark Isham, who has here best Smooth Jazz. Mysterious but gentle percussion and strings can also be quiet here think of a relic from the Album Friends, where there was already a similar instrumental mounted with Diamond Head.

06) Our Special Love (feat Peter Hollens):. Begins as pure a cappella number with angelic harmonies before guest Peter Hollens with a lot of melting in his voice to the lead vocals with Brian shares. This contrasts with the driving drums.

07) The Right Time (feat Al Jardine and David Marks):. For a organ intro uses the lead vocals of Al Jardine, who is supported in this lively piece in the chorus of Brian, while David Marks again uses the electric guitar. Known as the first single number could also come back from the 70s.

08) Guess You Had To Be There (feat Kacey Musgraves). This cheerful sing-along song spoiled us with great produce, crystal clear vocals of country star Kacey Musgraves. Brian sings support to the regular vocal harmonies in the chorus. Through banjo and a little slide guitar which is reminiscent of the Beach Boys from 1969 to 1976, such as in Cotton Fields, Susie Cincinatti or Back Home, although in the final part still makes a distorted electric guitar for another pep.

---- The following three items are only on the deluxe edition of the album included ---

09) Do not Worry: disco strings even lead the next song a to dance. There are only singing of Brian pure, with harmony accompaniment and a funky horn section. Had a good addition to the disco version of Here Comes The Night on the album LA issued.

10) Somewhere Quiet: is a calm ballad in which again only Brian's vocals in the foreground, but this time with Al Jardine and Matt Jardine clearly in the background. As another reviewer has noted, it seems here to a revision of the Beach Boys Instrumentals Summer Means New Love from album Summer Days (And Summer Nights !!) (1965) to take action. From all over the instrumentation ago it fits well in this time. Officially confirmed is not that, but the resemblance is already striking and Brian's been known to revise the songs over and over again.

11) I'm Feeling Sad: could again come from the mid-60s. Brian sings accompanied by acoustic guitar, accordion and harmony vocals on a sad Saturday in the city. No ballad, but relaxed midtempo.

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12) Tell Me Why (feat Al Jardine). Begins with Brian's lead vocals like a sad song by the legendary Pet Sounds (1966) with chamber-like strings, organ, trumpet (let myself there gladly correct) and subtle percussion. But if Al Jardine takes the powerful chorus supported by harmonies and pop-like winds, we have again a great power ballad in the style of the 70s. Definitely a highlight of the album!

13) Sail Away (feat Blondie Chaplin and Al Jardine):. A ​​wind instrument is buzzing like a ship horn, then the sparkling sunlight sea imitating instrumentation like Sloop John B. before guest star and Beach Boy Blondie Chaplin sings the first verse. Then Al Jardine singing the catchy chorus before Brian takes on the second verse. Sounds like a cross between the already mentioned Sloop John B. and Sail On, Sailor 1973 with a wistful full text seafaring romance, which had also an album like Still Cruisin '(1989) or Summer In Paradise not sounded wrong.

14) One Kind Of Love: a flugelhorn not conduct God Only Knows, but a ballad as of Pet Sounds, which again is quite in the center of Brian. The chorus also this piece sounds then again a little more to the 70s.

15) Saturday Night (feat Nate Ruess):. Is the second of the album folk rock number. Guest star Nate Ruess of fun sings throughout the lead vocal, while Brian can be heard only in the bridge and in the background. The translucent harmonies that come along with the subtle keyboards like a cool breeze can, the sound carefree song as best West Coast sound of the early 70s. Incidentally Nate Ruess has a pop voice as once at the Hollies.

16) The Last Song: Decides as the last song of the album, the Standard Edition, but hopefully not Brian's career or the Beach Boys. A dreamy piano, strings and a melancholy lamenting Ender Brian, who is concerned about the end of his career, the end of the collaboration with the Beach Boys and the approaching end of his life. The chorus of the chorus sings La La La as in San Miguel (1969) and the song rises towards the end in its intensity. The text makes us think, after all, one must now constantly expect the end of the Beach Boys, since up to David Marks, Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar all who 70 along left behind purely for reasons of age and health reasons. On the other hand, Brian Wilson has indeed indeed already spoken in interviews of the possible end of his career, on the other hand he has also hinted that he, for example like to a rock and roll album would take as a tribute to Chuck Berry, Little Richard and co. Also rumors going around that Mike Love and Bruce Johnston will alone make a Beach Boys album to his feet. Finally, know the fans so that are still waiting in the archives some gems waiting to be officially released.

--- The following two pieces are as separate from the main album bonus tracks marked and can only be found on the Deluxe Edition ---

15) In The Back Of My Mind: is if we are to believe the article in the English Wikipedia, a 1975 version of the demo created in 1965 to publish Today songs. Here we only hear Brian on piano.

16) Love And Mercy: A new version of the song, which was published in 1988 in Brian's first solo album. Here we hear mainly Brian on piano with background vocals by a small choir. About the recording date nothing seems to be known, maybe it's an outtake from No Pier Pressure.

Conclusion: No Pier Pressure truly sounds like a new album of the Beach Boys in 2015 would sound. As a reference to one may be so only once the aforementioned That's Why God Made The Radio 2012 listen. Although Brian was inspired by his young children to something Contemporary, take it were trendy, the music fits seamlessly into his oeuvre. You hardly hear a sound here, it would not have ever been on an earlier album of Beach Boys or a solo album of Brian. On the other hand, offer the young guest vocalists sufficient identification potential to even at a younger audience (say the Generation U-40) to be heard. Brian Wilson is likely because certainly benefit from that currently all sorts of retro sounds are popular in the music scene, regardless of whether the now folk, soul and pop are 80s. The creative head of the Beach Boys seems on its newest beast, even himself a retrospective about the time the mid-1960s to have made until the early eighties. Unlike his last true solo album That Lucky Old Sun in 2008, which has been trying to resurrect the '60s, he drifts through the stream of time to No Pier Pressure lively and mixed in the new songs often have different influences. It sounds rounder and less artificial than to stay in a certain epoch arrested.
The involvement of Al Jardine, of vocally appears fortunately not just the songs that explicitly mention him as a guest singer, it falls really hard to consider this album as a solo album; Jardine then provides also for some goosebumps moments with the fans. Incidentally, all older singers (presumably using Autotune and similar Studiotricksereien) in good voice and the young guest vocalists fit seamlessly into the ranks. The polyphonic accompanying harmony singing is held in the style of the Beach Boys.
It is difficult to criticize something on this album. Perhaps like the not quite as strong One Kind Of Love between the previous and the subsequent Song perish something, maybe the lyrics are sometimes a bit too melancholic and perhaps Runaway Dancer produced a little too modern. But that's what makes the music of the Beach Boys but has always been made to go that genius and madness, art and commerce, art class and triviality, depth and arbitrariness hand in hand. Anyway, the songs are consistently "catchy" and of recognition. It is also a pleasure to discover the many different voices in the background and colorful range of instruments that come to their best advantage thanks to the warm production as differentiated as with any album from the environment of the Beach Boys. A BUY recommendation for all fans of the Beach Boys or the lovers of sophisticated pop music with high nostalgia factor. One can only hope that it is still going on with the Californian myth for a while!

Christoph Alexander Schmidberger