Nick Gordon has written the kind of album that any lo-fi slacker could only hope to eventually finish when he gets around to it. That's not meant to be a dig at Nick (or the other musicians in his band, bassist Sean Kader, drummer Ryan McMullen, guitarist John Toohill, and Keyboardist Peter Scheck), but while I was listening to this album, I got the sense that these are just a bunch of laid-back dudes who wanted to write a bunch of laid-back songs to match. There's a definite Lou Reed vibe here, with even a touch of Bob Dylan or Band of Horses, but all in all, Nick Gordon has written and released what every procrastinator musician wishes he could finally sit down and finish.
"Summertime" kicks off the album on a pretty acoustic note. I realized fairly quickly that these guys just like jamming on catchy bluesy guitar licks. Many of the songs on Nicky & The Hall of Fame seem like they could just be really, really good improvisations by five talented guys in a room. Nick sings about the summertime and how nice it is to get together with friends and just hang out. He even mentions a fly buzzing around outside of a window. And just like the brevity of a Buffalo summertime, the song comes and goes before you know it.
The album then heads into one of it's strongest tracks, "Sucker's Paradise." In a different life, I feel like this song could have been a song by the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, or even a hit Black Keys single. It's got classic rock swagger, but Nick rarely gets revved up enough to let his emotions show through - he mostly just rambles eloquently over catchy bluesy rock. For the entire song, it feels like there is something bubbling under the surface and the song is about to explode into something huge. But Nick & co. never break that surface tension, instead they just jam quietly and contently. Let it be known I am totally cool with that.
The closest these guys ever come to straight-up rocking out is the longest song on the album, "When I Feel A Certain Way," that clocks in at just over four minutes. For the most part, The Hall of Fame doesn't really linger on their tracks for much longer than they have to, and it is probably usually for the best. Their distinctive slow drawl is a definite strength, but it's also good that they don't play it out more than they have to. Instead, "When I Feel A Certain Way" comes in gently and finds the band locked in a tight, exciting jam through the final minute of the song. As a whole, this album isn't one that I would put on if I wanted to get pumped up, but Gordon came damn close on this particular track.
I really, really (really) liked the electric piano jam, "Shit Talkin'." You can tell these guys are from Buffalo - Nick immediately gives a shout out when he sings, "Shit Talkin' down on Bidwell and Allen. I don't care, go run and tell 'em, I got that fearless feeling on that avenue, shit talkin', nothing better to do." Now, to someone who isn't listening to the gentle tremolo that accompanies the Fender Rhodes, that might sound a bit comical - but honestly, this song is just straight up beautiful. I am sure there are times when we have all "overindulged" (i.e. got super drunk), and that thirty minutes of blissed-out fearlessness that accompanies a good buzz is captured perfectly here. I have been there. That moment when you are leaning up against a wall or a light post, not a care in the world... I don't hear "Headstrong" by Trapt, I hear this song.
Nick wraps up the album with another good jam, "Under the Moon." The song is about a seventeen year old named Vincent who (I am assuming) committed suicide in a parking lot. Gordon sings about how seventeen came way too soon for this poor kid, and it wasn't enough time for him to really develop into an adult. After the band tells the kid's story, they break into a freak out jam to close out the song. Needless to say, it's awesome.
Now I might have pegged Nick all wrong here, you know, by implying that he is a slacker so much... But as a fellow musician, I know how tough it is to sit down and finish a bunch of songs that have been laying around for who knows how long. I don't know if it was Vincent's untimely passing, or even just some well-timed inspiration, but for all the slackers out there with all the best intentions of releasing a bunch of unfinished songs, take a hint from Nick.
P.S. Nick, seriously, if you aren't a slacker, you should pretend that you are. You'd be a hero.
Nick Gordon is a real cowboy. The only real cowboy I know.