Mitch Easter

Dynamico

(125 Records)

Record Review by Joe Cortez

For an artist, the passage of time often incites a change from within to strip away the naiveté and inexperience of youth for the maturity and wisdom of age. While some songwriters use such gaps in their recording career as conduits for reminding us just how old they actually are, a precious few manage to carry with them the wonder, joy and exuberance of youth long into their adulthood and work. Although it has been nearly twenty years since the release of his last major studio work, Mitch Easter has kept busy producing for others and evidently writing material for what would become his latest offering, Dynamico. The result is a collection of fourteen songs that sound as if they could have easily been written by someone more than half Easter’s age covering such well-worn topics as suburban angst, jilted love and blasé night spots, backed with that irresistible indie ‘twang that made his work with the likes of R.E.M. so legendary and timeless.

Such an ageist observation is not intended as a slight against what has been accomplished on this long player, but act as context by which these songs can be critiqued, if not enjoyed. It should come as little surprise to those with even a passing knowledge about the man’s prior work that Easter clearly knows how to craft a catchy tune, but none of the songs on Dynamico show the stagnant pause of a craftsman at the end of his journey. Each track is highlighted by the joy of discovery. This is an amazingly easy album to enjoy, one that never panders to our desire for a toe-tapping hook.

Consider Easter’s decision to present his latest work without the pretense of his former band Let’s Active but rather under his own moniker, a first in his career. Such an act almost feels defiant when the strength of Easter’s still vital voice is heard throughout his compositions and is notable further still when one takes into account the various permutations that Let’s Active has endured over the years, not to mention the fact that Dynamico doesn’t dramatically alter the sound heard on Active’s three ‘80s-released albums. While some might see this as a lack of development on the part of Easter, in execution it feels more like a natural continuation that is as heartfelt and raucous as Easter has ever been.

Although Easter himself can be said to be responsible for influencing gaggles of upstarts to take the stage, shades of his own influences are present throughout. Certain tracks like the radio friendly “Break Through” have a kind of madcap, Syd Barrett-esque lyrical invention that masks deeper meaning with seemingly simple rhymes, with a generous helping of sixties-era backing vocals and chord progressions. More salvo than coda, Dynamico singes and soars with impressive licks and daring vitality.