Guest Column: Jeremy Glass Weighs In on Lars Nagel’s Tomorrow Never Knows
Local Musicians
Released Music Reviews
by Jeremy Glass
https://larsnagel.bandcamp.com/album/tomorrow-never-knows
Artist: Lars Nagel
Title: Tomorrow Never Knows
Single or LP: LP, (10 songs)
Review Date:12-31-22
Lars Nagel/ Tomorrow Never Knows
Self-doubt, melancholy, visions of mortality, alarm over the opioid epidemic, grieving over loved ones who have passed, disgust with a society that, for want of a better description, doesn't give a crap – all delivered in catchy, easy on the ear, often upbeat little insulated packages of melody and arrangement. With Tomorrow Never Knows, Lars Nagel pulls off a compositional sleight of hand that many songwriters strive for, but few ever achieve: Writing songs that have instant appeal, musically upbeat and loaded with hooks that have a vague familiarity, relaxed in delivery and conveying the joy the musicians appear to be having. A good album to play at a party, or at dinner with friends, songs that feel good, enough edges to grab a hold of, but nothing musically jarring. Bobbing your head to the country swing of, say, “Fools Way Home”, tapping your foot to “Johnny Was Right”, maybe even singing along to the catchy choruses.
And then it hits you: the sunny song platforms are delivering songs that touch on death, madness, drug dependency, broken relationships, wasted opportunities and the lack of human compassion in today's post-covid landscape.
Neat trick, huh? I call it compositional depth. The layers are there for those who choose to explore them.
Lars Nagel not only pulls it off, he makes it seem effortless.
Before we look at the individual songs, a little back story:
All I really knew about Lars Nagels’ musical background, (before I became familiar with his solo career through the Kimono My House livestreaming concerts), was his being a member of the legendary Atlanta band “El Caminos”, and I didn’t really know much about them, although I knew they had a big guitar sound. So I was a little surprised by Lars’ solo work, which has a laid back, almost Americana flavor to it. That being said, there are some great moments of wonderfully nasty guitar sprinkled through some of the songs.
The production and execution are first rate; laid back but still full of energy, never sterile in any way, and delivered with the confidence of an artist who knows he is delivering the goods. He is assisted by several of his talented Kimono My House cohorts; Tom Cheshire, (the tireless legend and front man of the bands “West End Motel”, and “TCB”, among others), plays percussion and sings backup; Diane Coll, (the silken voiced singer/songwriter who released her debut album, the brilliantly sublime “Happy Fish” in 2022), adds backing vocals as does Heidi Jones-Hildreth with her uncanny sense of harmony. As I didn’t see any credits for the album, I’m sure I’m missing some other key contributors, so I apologize if I didn’t credit you!
Let’s talk about the songs on “Tomorrow Never Knows”.
"Years Gone By" the opening track, sets the tone for the rest of the record with its catchy melody and thought-provoking lyrics. Despite its sunny, easy-on-the-ear vibe, the song's lyrics betray a restless dissatisfaction with being unable, or unwilling to appreciate the moment we are living in. The line "stop your living for tomorrow - and your wishes for yesterday" reflects the way that often we focus on the future or the past instead of embracing the present and encourages listeners to make the most of their lives. Overall, "Years Gone By" is a strong opening track that displays Nagel's ability to balance catchy melodies with introspective lyrics.
“Johnny Was Right”- Pouncing out of the gate in a furious country shuffle, the song pays homage to "Can’t Wrap Your Arms Around a Memory”, Johnny Thunders cautionary tale about drug over-indulgence, made all the more poignant by Thunders own drug related death. The guitar solo rages! Nagel sounds pissed off, and rightfully so: The pandemic was especially hard on folks caught in the nightmare of opioid addiction.
“Fools Way Home” - A lovely melodic ballad with country overtones, “Fools Way Home”, explores themes of identity and the human condition, particularly the sense of loss and impermanence that can come with aging and approaching death, the feeling of struggling to hold onto one's sense of self as time passes and the world changes, illustrated perfectly in this lyric, “Do you even recognize my face, cause maybe I don't”.
“Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”- “Where can we go if we could work things out tonight”. What a chilling lyric. To me the question answers itself – nowhere. Touching on the heartbreaking feeling of a once special relationship that has used all of its lives as it coasts to an ending. “Any fool can tell we’re out of time, …….go your way and I’ll go mine”, a nice little side reference to Bob Dylan. Great pedal steel sounds throughout.
“You will never change” - charging driving rocker-
great electric riff that kicks the song into high gear every time it appears. “You will never change”, "covid empty with a heart so full of hate" – great zingers, (think I’ll try to stay on Mr. Nagels’ good side!).
“Now That You’ve Left Me” – This one brought me to tears, it’s not what I expected based on the song title and should be closely examined in solitude. It is a damn near perfect song. Enough said.
“Old Photographs” -
Begins with a journey from Stockholm to LA – and references California in the 70’s perfectly, while also asking bigger questions about destiny, will and the memories we cherish. "You can no longer take me there/ I can't feel that you are near"- "but I’ve got old photographs and glasses of beer" – and we have this wonderful song that transports us to the memories we hold dear.
The other three songs on this cohesive triumph of a record are equally great, but I would be remiss if I didn’t let the listener approach some of the compositions with their own point of reference.
Lars Nagel has created an impressive, joyful, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, euphoric musical landscape with “Tomorrow Never Knows”. His playing is first rate, sometimes visceral, and he uses his voice in ways that make him completely unique; the only artist he occasionally reminds me of, in his writing and singing, and in his fearless truth telling is none other than T. Bone Burnett. Mainly it’s the honesty and integrity that Lars Nagel uses in sharing his thoughts.
Thank you, Lars Nagel, I’m looking forward to your next record!
