This was another one of those soundtrack-to-my-youth albums. Listening to these tracks brought back a flood of memories, generally involving some kind of drama, generally making me a little angry and a little embarrassed about how much of a dink I was in high school. It also gave me a reference point for how far my musical appreciation has extended. It used to be that Mad Season was the greatest album I had ever heard (before that, it was Spice World, but now, I like songs that I didn't like before, am tired of the ones I loved, and am still really sick of "If You're Gone."
In paying closer attention, I've also come to appreciate some of the not-so-forefront parts of the album. "Black & White People," for instance, begins with a slick little sax part.
Or, at 1:37 of "Crutch," there's a tasty little tempo drop.
Among my new favourites is the title song, "Mad Season," which I'm loving more than anything for its pacing. It has subtle growth throughout, then a mellow part, then a loud climax, followed by a nice little round-up.
I'm also liking "Rest Stop" more than I ever have before, mainly, again, for its pacing. The vocal line goes from slow and careful to rambly quick without ever sounding jarring in the change.
"Bed Of Lies" is successful for similar reasons, with its giant, triumphant climax.
"Leave," on the other hand, seems to be a little too heavily influenced by the boy-band music that was permeating the airwaves when this album came out. Throw four more vocals in there, create some perfect thirds, and you've got yourself an N Sync song.
But, thankfully, "Leave" leads into "Stop," the best fast song on the album. Its chorus is just infectious in its rampant energy.
It's a nice experience to pull this album out of nostalgia-land and be able to appreciate it for all new reasons, even if it isn't anywhere near as beginning-to-end incredible as I remember.
Rating: 3.0 stars
Tomorrow: The Departed
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