Beautiful EP

Following the release of The Ghost of Fashion things seemed to be falling into place for Clem Snide. Was there really a tongue-in-cheek fan-base that fit Eef Barzelay’s arcane sense of humor? After doing the theme song for “Ed,” a tour with Ben Folds and increasingly praiseful critical acclaim, the band seemed well on it’s way to achieving success on their own, perverse terms.  

Two long years later came the anticipated followup, Soft Spot, an album which acted as a playful, loving ode to Barzelay’s wife. Was it a misunderstood joke? Or possibly an under-conceived, half-inspired misstep for the band? Either way, Soft Spot didn’t live up to the high expectations set by The Ghost. While hardly a bad album, Soft Spot will inevitably lead Clem Snide into a split road. Stick to your artistic guns and likely head down slow death road; or stop, rethink the past and make a more palatable comeback?

A current trend in music is to cover an otherwise “dumb” pop song with the intention of not only making a good joke, but also a good song and a quick buck. This time around, we get Christina Aguliera’s semi-vain “Beautiful.” Anyone who is familiar with The Ghost will immediately see the relevance. To others it might seem like a cop out or easy joke. Listening to “Beautiful” through Barzelay’s ears proves not only to be funny and ironic, but also quite good. “Beautiful” sounds better than ever; in fact, throw in a slight cello and it could easily be a single from The Ghost.

Also included is Soft Spot‘s single and possibly best track, “All Green,” a clever love song that easily ranks among Barzelay’s best writing and the band’s best moments to date. “Summer will come, with Al Green and sweetened ice tea. / Summer will come and be all green with the sweetness of thee.” Placing the best song from your current album on an EP full of otherwise unreleased recordings feels like a white flag to me.

Anyone who has seen the band live has inevitably heard them play their show-stopping “Mike Kalinsky;” a song which tells a story of a young introvert with a bad case of asthma. “Mike” tells of Mike’s young, tough life, only to pick up at the end of the song when Barzelay sees Mike on stage performing with his band. The slow, beautiful song turns into a full assault as Barzelay sings in Mike’s voice, “I couldn’t even blow out a single match!”

The EP’s final high point is a cover of Lou Reed’s classic, “I’ll Be Your Mirror.” The second-to-none cover surprisingly works as Clem’s most beautiful and moving moment to date. The cello is back to add depth to Barzelay’s sincere, heart breaking vocals. “Mirror” alone is worth the purchase price.

Beautiful ends with the auxiliary “Nick Drake Tape,” a song which is often cited as their signature moment. Tally it up; you get a hilarious novelty cover, the newest single, their unreleased gem, their sweetest offering to date and the best known song in their catalog. Beautiful is a good starting point for a band that may have already hit their peak, but also does it’s job of making fans excited for their next album.    7/10

Written by G. William Locke