I Can Make A Mess

I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business (2004)

hstisgod

Albums and singles come and go. Artists fade with trends…but real music fades inward and never leaves you. The quiet intro leads in and instantly you're fully aware of the creative journey ahead. This sounding all too familiar? Just like any other recording success of the 21st century thus far, the album I am referring to touches base with many genres and influences.

From electrically acoustic to softly screaming is Ace Enders' first solo effort, aptly titled I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business. Another Drive-Thru Records release, once again proving that if you close your eyes and step on the accelerator you can make it through the smoke of the music industry. While this project is not musically the stereotypical blueprint D.T. records has been following, the attitude that comes through the speakers by this New Jersey native is that of his labelmates. Confident, powerful, and progressive, this album digs straight through to the bottom of simplicity, then quickly yanks back up with a force of lyrical beauty and accompanying synth.

Widely known and respected for his work with The Early November, this piece could arguably create a whole new notoriety for Enders. Managing to hit all chords of the human spirit, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business is as playfully beautiful as it is painfully redundant to keep repeating. "The Best Happiness Money Can Buy" certainly pulls back from the somber beginning with its poppy bluesgrass singalong feel.

Though, not all here is milk and cookies. Added to the backdrops are conversations, noises, etc. Wanting to provide you with a realistic adventure, Ace felt the random submissions were imperative. "Whether it's a career or a relationship, there are so many things that make you lose touch with. The pure love that made you start from the beginning. I think it's important to weed all that other stuff out. I guess you could say it's like picking up trash, even if you weren't the one who threw it on the ground."

Sounding like the early days of emo, when every instrumental intensity began with a lyrical lunacy, songs such as "So I Finally Decided To Give Myself A Reason" are destined to become a bedtime choice. So familiar yet newer than ever, it amazes me how singer/songwriter always manages to create itself a new cocoon. Subtract the propensity for very short songs, and this CD may just add up to a memorable record for years to come.