I have to say I'm a little puzzled by Counting Crows' new album, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, out today on Geffen Records.The concept itself is simple enough. Half the album is electric (Saturday Nights) and half acoustic (Sunday Mornings). But it's in the execution where things get a little bumbled.
The album opens with the heart-pumping "1492." The tempo keeps up through the next five tracks, ending with "Cowboys" and its brain-splitting chorus before mellowing out with "Washington Square."
In interviews, Adam Duritz talks about the two halves as if they are two separate albums entirely. And maybe it would have been better off that way. While I appreciate the concept, as a listener I feel it's better to have a little ebb and flow with the pacing of songs versus two chunks of one or the other.
Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings has plenty of songs that I enjoy. "Hanging Tree," "Los Angeles" and "Insignificant" off the "Saturday Nights" half of the album are all well-written pop songs that could easily stand alone, as well as "Washington Square" and "Anyone But You" off "Sunday Mornings." But the album hits a wall near the album's end with "Le Ballet d'Or" and "On a Tuesday in Amsterdam Long Ago" which, frankly, bored me.
Of the album and its concept, Duritz said, “We make good albums. I don’t know that we’re a great 'singles' band. Now with the whole world going byte-sized, we felt, and still feel, like it’s more important than ever NOT to cooperate with all of that.”
Maybe they need a second take on this one.
Counting Crows will be at Walnut Creek with Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles on July 29. Tickets go on sale April 4.
