III/IV
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
III/IV
For a couple of years now I've been wondering if all these lingering Ryan Adams loyalists are any different from the late-era Counting Crows fans who insisted that the rest of the world was just missing out. Following a handful of records that were supposed to "make" Adams, the speedball-loving manchild broke up with his longtime lady, Parker Posey, claimed he was losing his hearing, wrote a couple of books, attempted to be a painter and, most importantly, put out the first mediocre record of his career. Recently, with the smallest amount of press coverage he's seen since his early Whiskeytown days, Adams self-released his first proper record since 2008's Cardinology, a double album titled III/IV that sets his career back on track.
It's title a reference to Adams' last double album, 2005's Cold Roses, Adams' new release reminds most of his 2003 toss-off, Rock N Roll, in appeal. That record, which Adams claimed he made simply to satisfy his label (and, by doing so, get out another record he'd made called Love Is Hell), is a straightforward rock album that has become something of a cult record. III/IV, said to be leftovers from Adams' Easy Tiger sessions, also reminds of his 2002 record, Demolition, a loosely assembled sampler record that took a few songs from five yet-unreleased albums he recorded after getting a taste of success with his 2001 major label debut, Gold. What strikes me most is how little these new songs resemble anything from Easy Tiger. The vocals on Tiger were big and pretty (and clearly labored over) while the vocals on these 21 new tracks sound - for Adams at least - rough and raw. Spontaneous, even. Also, Tiger was a songwriter-sort of record that had some serious twang appeal while III/IV is a pop record full of dummy vocals and jangly riffs.
Okay, maybe not dummy vocals, but the point of this record is anything but the writing. Initially making his name by penning poignant, poetic lyrics in his late-teens and early-20s, Adams has been slowly taking himself less serious as he ages. Now at 36 (32 when he wrote these most of these songs), Adams finally seems comfortable making records for himself - making records for a big kid who loves video games, heavy metal, pizza, comic books and movie stars. The result is an album full of often short pop songs that are written around memorable hooks. Imagine an Adams album full of songs that could be played alongside The Cars, Cheap Trick, even Weezer and (gulp) Kings of Leon, and you'll kind of have an idea of what you're getting yourself into with III/IV. Or, if you're a Adamsologist, imagine those Pink Hearts demos from 2001-02, but with looser vocals, better playing and funny lyrics, and you'll have an idea of the III/IV vibe.
Opener "Breakdown Into Resolve" is a ready-made hit songs that Adams has played live here and there over the years. That solid starter kicks things off nicely, as Adams and his now-defunct Cardinals plow(ed) through nine more III tracks with hardly a dud in sight. Sure, there are some overly-goofy lyrics and obvious turns here and there, but this is pop music. In fact, the only song I'd cut from the first half of this collection is "Kisses Start Wars"; the rest, after a few listens, reveal themselves as new Adams classics.
The loose, rocking' vibe continues on IV with "No," a crunchy, shouting cut that ends with a solid, memorable, Brit-inspired bang. Next up is "Numbers," the most all-out funny/strange/memorable song of the collection (and maybe Adams career). Coming off as something of a late-80s-era metal-inspired song for people who don't particularly enjoy metal music, the track is at once addictive, hilarious and, for about 20 seconds, achingly beautiful. "Gracie," another all-around standout that could've easily been on Love Is Hell, is one of the better written tracks, as well as one of the albums only purely serious works.
You get it, I believe in this often silly, quite unlikely album. I especially love that Adams has proven that he's able to be both the deadly serious songwriter we know from Heartbreaker and Cold Roses and the masterful joker out to have a good time. Of the 21 tracks that span these two discs only four songs ("Kisses Stars Wars," "Icebreaker," "Sewers at the Bottom of the Wishing Well" and "Kill the Lights") feel like filler. Take those four off, rework the tracklist a bit, condense to one disc and, dare I say it, we might have a classic record on our hands. There's that much goodness here. A fun, fun record, whether you're a crazy Ryan Adams devotee or not, that maybe even stands as the best starter point for future fans. 9.25/10
