Unlike, say, the '88 album and
That Lucky Old Sun,
No Pier Pressure isn't exactly an album that I find easy to completely dive into and get immersed with. It's more like creeping your way into a swimming pool slowly until your body is used to the temperature. After a while you feel good that you're in the pool, but it's still a bit chilly and you'd like it to be a bit warmer. But no regrets.
I gave
No Pier Pressure a six...there are some great tracks, but the not-so-great tracks kind of bring the overall feel down a bit.
"This Beautiful Day" -- beautiful. Great vocal, regardless of any pitch correction that may or may not be present. Sounds like an outtake from
TWGMTR, similar to "From There to Back Again" and "Pacific Coast Highway," perhaps amalgamated with "Meant For You."
"Runaway Dancer" -- I don't understand why, but somehow this track just plain works. It does the job. Fresh and classic at the same time. (And to tell you the truth, I've never heard of Sebu outside of this album.)
"What Ever Happened" -- Kind of striking...the overall sound is how I would imagine one of Brian's classic ballads -- "The Warmth of the Sun," "The Lonely Sea," "Your Summer Dream," etc. -- with a much more grown-up production.
"On The Island" -- something tells me that Darian may have given some inspiration toward the overall sound.
Love it. Kind of disappointed that Brian didn't do this at the Hollywood Bowl this year [2016], what with She & Him being part of the opening act and all...
"Half Moon Bay" -- Proof that Brian can still make a masterpiece...with or without words.
"Our Special Love" -- vocals simulating instruments isn't my thing (sorry, Peter Hollens, but Bobby McFerrin *owns* that). Nice song that would be even better without those stupid fake techno drum sounds.
"The Right Time" -- Down....lay me down....lay me down.....lay. down. bur. den.
"Guess You Had To Be There" -- blah. Banal. Sounds too compressed, too...no dynamics. Kind of pointless lyrics.
"Don't Worry" -- okay, this one is brickwalled to death. Definitely in the red. Noticeable distortion, especially in the drums. And an unexciting track. I'm guessing it's an Imagination leftover. Nothing exciting here.
"Somewhere Quiet" -- Okay, so..."Summer Means New Love" with lyrics...it's been done.
(Bicycle Riders on one of the
Net Sounds fan cover albums!...and personally I prefer their lyrics.) Okay, so...a 1965 song re-made on a Brian / Joe album...it's been done.
"I'm Feeling Sad" -- this is one of the happiest sad songs I've ever heard. But again, with the brickwalling....why in the name of God do people insist on doing this?! Hard to listen to because of this. Too bad because it's a very enjoyable song.
"Tell Me Why" -- Man...there are a lot of "whatever happened to us?" lyrics on this album. Somebody must have had a falling out with someone...and it gets old. In fact, a lot of stuff on this song has some overused Joe Thomas stuff -- rim shots and other percussion, sudden moments of acoustic guitar notes coming out of nowhere...it's like a Joe Thomas drinking game.
"Sail Away" -- No, not the Randy Newman song from the album Brian loved (and probably still loves). No, not the "Sail Away" from Orange Crate Art. To me, this sounds too much like "Sloop John B" in a different key (complete with flute riff) to be remarkable, but I gotta say, I love how Blondie sounds on this track; in a few places he sounds a bit like Carl.
"One Kind of Love" -- Really nice track. Still lots of compression, but not distractingly bad.
"Saturday Night" -- I really feel Nate Ruess's voice didn't suit this song; he deserved something with a lot more oomph. I mean, FFS, did you see his performance of "Hold On, Dear Brother"?!? Good Christ!!! I think "Saturday Night" would have sounded much better with Brian singing lead.
"The Last Song" -- Very nice. Sounds like it'd go great together with "This Beautiful Day." Glad the album ends on a happy note...
Oh, wait...my copy doesn't end yet, because...
"In the Back of My Mind" -- Betcha anything this was in consideration for
Made in California but was left off for whatever reason - timing issues, whatever else you have. And yet another reason I love hearing Brian being croony. It's odd, though, in that it's both heartbreaking and smile-inducing. Even when Brian was in a downward spiral he could put out some lovely material.