Of course, I'm a Walker stalker (c), so take my opinion with a grain of salt. For what it's worth, though, I never felt quite this way about 1969's Maya (though "Wreck Me" is still a tremendous song). While that album sounded a bit like a Echo & the Bunnymen tribute, Sycamore Meadows feels like Walker consolidating his strengths and bringing a personal touch that has lurked underneath his work without ever showing itself overtly.
This could especially be true about his previous album, The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites. That album was a party record, but its personal touch was all in perspective: it was simultaneously Walker's ode to and critique of the party life and Hollywood, but its observations rarely ventured inward. It was a party record for the moment that stays vague enough to outlast the trends it decries, crafted to be an impulsive listen.
Sycamore Meadows, too, is an impulsive listen, but as a quiet record. One could argue that this is his Sea Change, maybe, in its naked emotion. A fire destroyed everything he owned last year, and that event hangs over the proceedings like a ghost, as songs dictate Walker's life in LA ("The Weight of Her"), Atlanta (The absolutely breathtaking "ATL) and New York ("3 Kids from Brooklyn"). This adds a sense of personal catharsis that was missing from the craftsmanship of his previous work, despite their resonance. Yet, Walker avoids being insular on much of the album by doing what he does best: writing a damned good breakup song. Much of the album, from the jumpy "Going Back/Going Home" to the pensive "Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car, Thought of You," reflect on feelings of loss.
And yet he manages not to lose his sense of humor. "Ponce De Leon Ave" and "3 Kids from Brooklyn" brim with jokes and puns. In the same way, each song manages to be distinctly catchy and memorable - perhaps more diverse and comfortable than any work he'd done before. In these ways, the solid craftsmanship of his production work meets a more singer/songwriter-ly sense or his music-as-art, making Sycamore Meadows a real winner.
Butch Walker's Myspace
