sslabs's Full Review: Wreck of the Day by Anna Nalick
I wonder if the music world even cares that Anna Nalick’s debut Wreck of the Day hits store shelves this Tuesday. I mean let’s be honest, there are no obvious traces of a pierced belly button, eye-catching cleavage, or scumbag boyfriend/husband lurking in the background. So I guess Nalick may as well just go the hell away to be honest. Sure there are some catchy tunes, sure Breathe (2 AM) has been on regular rotation on Sirius for months, but who cares, plenty of one-hit wonders have accomplished the same.
So why am I bothering with this review? Why do I even bother at all? I ask myself the very same question all the time. I don’t have an answer on most days. I know that after requesting advance copies of albums for longer than I care to remember, only to get blown off, I really don’t know why I bother. Sure I finally got an advance copy (no thanks to Sony Music and Nalick) because posting reviews with all the other schmucks is getting old. Further annoying me is that Wreck was initially tagged with a January release date, with advance copies hitting way back when and then bam! April was the new date.
I guess I do it because like millions of people out there, I have this insatiable desire to share. I have this strange and unhealthy urge to share Wreck of the day in spite of the bad taste in my mouth. Shifting gears...20 year old Anna Nalick lives in California and Wreck has a mellow northern CA vibe regardless of where this chick truly hails from. On the first single, Breathe Nalick crams her words close together, dishing out imagery filled thoughts in long strings. For those that relish poetry, emotion, and real thought in their lyrics, Nalick’s album and Breathe in particular will fill the need. To be honest, in that regard, Wreck holds me over, but it’s no Tidal, Choirgirl Hotel, or Little Plastic Castle.
Back to Breathe for just a moment, Nalick’s got a lot to share, and it comes through in her dense delivery. Like a pizza that hasn’t been sliced quite right, Breathe sticks to itself stretching out in all directions with Nalick’s life/relationship thoughts and stories. Nalick also has this knack for expressing time, and not being able to go back and change anything. When Nalick sings “Sing it if you understand” I sing dammit, ‘cause I understand.
Citadel starts out as this thick, slow turning tune that reeks of something catchy and deep but quickly reveals a bridge that’s something else. It’s a little too much Liz Phair, and not the old Phair, but the new, lame, plastic-y, Phair. But Nalick’s voice is so heavenly in the opening “I’m walking on clouds of white...” that I can overlook the annoying bridge/chorus.
But not everything on Wreck is as urgent as the first single, case in point, Wreck of the day. With a slow simmer a la Minnie Driver’s Fast as you can, the opening is a showcase of Nalick’s sweet vocal ability. With just a guitar and her heavenly pipes, this title track is one I replay heavily. Nalick’s tune is also overtly religious when she croons “I’m thinkin’ ‘bout calling on Jesus.” But Nalick also sings of leaving behind The Wreck of the day (her problems) with “It’s finally quiet in my head... I’m finally on my way home to the comfort of my bed.”
Forever Love (Digame) is for the most part your standard love song, but with a tiny thing that seems a bit odd. The odd part is Nalick’s inclusion of Spanish here. No need for the ‘loose translation’ disclaimer Digame translates to Tell Me exactly. Her repetition of said word is just fine I guess, and it fits, but most everyone else in America will probably ignore it, or simply start their Google engines, c’est la vie I always say. That translates... oh forget it. There are some faster moving tunes like Bleed, (very “Harmonium”) another upbeat favorite, the bouncy and rolling Consider This (I’m thinking Apple’s “the way things are”). So it’s not all girly Lisa Lobe crushes, or Apple style heartache, it's more in the center, there’s a balance, maybe too much balance.
Bottom Line
Nalick has a Vanessa Carlton thing going on with the preciousness in her voice, but with greater range than Carlton. Most of Wreck of the Day conjures images of sunny days, and things-are-gonna-get-better emotions with a country tinge. And maybe that’s why I like it, but I’m not excited by it Wreck is almost too polite and safe. It’s not her fault that she doesn’t have a wrecked heart and dark soul so that she could churn out a bitter and possibly stickier on the heart album.
Wreck feels like bits and pieces of Nalick's journal strung together, and it's sweet, but not overly so. I have this strange feeling that much of Wreck will end up on countless TV shows (with finger pointing at The WB). As much as I enjoy Wreck of the day, Nalick’s sound isn’t always distinct enough, she sounds like so much that can be found on FM and Sirius. That’s too bad because there are plenty of moments on Wreck that are worthy of your dollar come new music Tuesday. Check her out, she’s one to keep an eye on.
Anna Nalick is beginning to live her dreams. As one of the new breed of singer-songwriters for this century, the 20-year-old California native has put...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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