Mike_Doughty-Sad_Man_Happy_Man-(Limited_Edition)-2CD-2009-404

Mike_Doughty-Sad_Man_Happy_Man-(Limited_Edition)-2CD-2009-404

Mike_Doughty-Sad_Man_Happy_Man-(Limited_Edition)-2CD-2009-404

NFO:

ARTiST: Mike Doughty
ALBUM: Sad Man Happy Man
BiTRATE: 181kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: Nois-o-lution / ATO
GENRE: Indie
SiZE: 94.91 megs
PLAYTiME: 1h 08min 51sec total
RiP DATE: 2009-11-28
STORE DATE: 2009-11-27

Track List: Disc #1/2
--------
01. Nectarine (Part Two) 2:26
02. (I Keep On) Rising Up 3:25
03. (You Should Be) Doubly 3:07
(Gratified)
04. Lorna Zauberberg 3:02
05. (I Want To) Burn You (Down) 2:01
06. Pleasure On Credit 2:48
07. Lord Lord Help Me Just To Rock 2:57
Rock On
08. (He's Got The) Whole World (In 2:40
His Hands)
09. (When I) Box The Days (Up) 2:12
10. Year Of The Dog 2:29
11. Diane 2:02
12. How To Fuck A Republican 2:52
13. Casper The Friendly Ghost 1:32

Track List: Disc #2/2
--------
01. Lazybones (Half Smofe: Live In 3:18
Minneapolis)
02. Sunkeneyed Girl (Half Smofe: 3:43
Live In Minneapolis)
03. Busting Up A Starbucks (Half 3:20
Smofe: Live In Minneapolis)
04. Maybe I'll Come Down (Half 4:17
Smofe: Live In Minneapolis)
05. Madeline Plus 9 (Half Smofe: 2:52
Live In Minneapolis)
06. Thank You Lord For Sending Me 2:34
The F Train (Half Smofe: Live
In Minneapolis)
07. Rising Sign (Half Smofe: Live 2:16
In Minneapolis)
08. Grey Ghost (Half Smofe: Live In 3:53
Minneapolis)
09. Soft Serve (Half Smofe: Live In 3:12
Minneapolis)
10. True Dreams Of Wichita (Half 3:59
Smofe: Live In Minneapolis)
11. Train To Chicago (Half Smofe: 1:54
Live In Minneapolis)

Release Notes:
--------
A mere nineteen months after releasing his last album, "Golden Delicious," Mike
Doughty is back again with another eclectic collection. Cutting to the chase,
“Sad Man Happy Man” sums up every one of Doughty’s best skills and condenses
them into one thirteen-track, thirty-three minute collection. This may very
well be his strongest work as a solo artist, not only because the songs are
appealing, but every aspect of his work through the years is represented. Yes,
at its core the album‘s closest relative is his stripped down solo debut,
“Skittish,” but that’s because most of the songs here are delivered with minimal
arrangements and emphasis on Doughty and his acoustic guitar. The songs on
“Skittish” often dealt with loss and the overall tone was rather somber. In
comparison, “Sad Man Happy Man” is downright optimistic. It’s evident that this
was written in a happier place. Maybe this is intended. Maybe this is meant to
be a sequel to “Skittish.” Both records are essential parts of the Doughty
canon.

Long term Doughty fans should note that a few of these songs contain the wacky,
spoken-word beat-poetry side he hasn’t truly exhibited (quite to this extent)
since his days fronting Soul Coughing. A few bits of sonic experimentation
recall his former band, as well. This is a mature Mike Doughty. All of these
aspects are present yet informed by the polished troubadour offerings of his
last two records. Thus, the combining of all these facets of Doughty makes this
record a complex and compelling stew.

The record begins with “Nectarine (Part Two),” the love-struck, upbeat sequel to
the darker, jazzier first part found on “Golden Delicious.” The lyrics are
conflicted as if about someone who wronged him who he wants to “love (him) right
again!” As he so eloquently puts it, “Sweetness swept through all my senses.”
This line really can be seen as the track’s thesis statement.

With its bouncy beat and slight electro touches, “(I Keep On) Rising Up” sounds
like it could’ve been on his “Rockity Roll” E.P. It should also please fans of
Soul Coughing’s hit, “Circles.” Like many of the tracks on here, the arrangement
of this track benefits from some edgy, screeching string work.

In a different life, one can imagine “(You Should Be) Doubly (Gratified)” on the
Soul Coughing album “El Oso.” There’s an almost grungy, knowing defiance in
Doughty’s delivery. If you are familiar with that record, this song s somehow
simultaneously reminiscent of both the second half of “Houston” and “$300.”

“Lorna Zauberberg” is another warm acoustic guitar exercise. The use of chopped
up and mangled vocal samples during the instrumental section brings to mind the
answering machine on “Janine.” The sound experimentation is a nice element to
hear back in Doughty’s work. It separates him from the pack of
singer-songwriters in the best way possible. Even at his most
commercial-sounding, Doughty has always added enough twists and turns to keep
his audience enthralled. In this context, despite being merely a man playing an
acoustic guitar, this is worlds away from coffee-house blandness, yet not so
strange and “artsy” that it smacks of pretentiousness. In this respect, Doughty
has found the perfect balance. He should still get the hipsters in his fan-base
but he should also appeal to the more open-minded older listeners brought up on
the acoustic music of the past.

Doughty’s apparent love of parenthesizing his song titles continues humorously
with”(I Want To) Burn You (Down)” The track is a concise two-minute reflection
in which he says, “Hey soothsayer, listen up / I don’t know who I am.” Even
when expressing feelings of self doubt, one thing’s clear. Mike Doughty is more
comfortable than ever in his skin as a songwriter. This track is on par with
the haunting closer of “Skittish,” “Rising Sign.” Perhaps this is over-thinking
it, but the two share a lyrical theme of fire and fire-causing agents when you
consider “Rising Sign”’s refrain, “I swear I’d like to drink the fuel straight
from your lighter.” (By the way, it goes without saying that you definitely
shouldn’t try that at home!!)

The “deep slacker jazz,” wordplay wizard side of Doughty returns in top form
with “Pleasure On Credit.” This has some of funniest most random couplets to
date including “Blast faster, plaster postmaster. / Go Bleecker, Union, Astor.”
Repeating the phrase “Chase the mermaid, / Chase, chase the mermaid” brings
forth some rather vivid imagery as well.

Next up is “Lord Lord Help Me Just To Rock Rock On.” In his solo career,
Doughty has often put religious references in his titles. It’s hard to tell
what this really means and whether it’s a statement of true religiosity or if it
is just there to be contrary. After all, a previous deity shout-out was called
“Thank You, Lord, For Sending Me The F Train.” (I’ve ridden the F train and in
Brooklyn, it goes local when it should be an express. If it were to magically
become an express, which it supposedly eventually will, then there might be some
reason to praise some outer force! But, I digress!) This track is driving and
one pictures that it would be a good soundtrack to a sporting event. (I somehow
always picture people playing basketball for unknown reasons whenever I hear
this song!)

The religious references continue with “(He’s Got The) Whole World (In His
Hands.)” Thankfully, it is not the campfire hymn. Rather, like “Pleasure On
Credit” it is a fantastic spoken-word piece. No, the title doesn’t refer to God;
it seems to refer to Doughty’s protagonist. His lyrics can be dense and hard to
decipher amidst the clever wordplay, so my reading might be wrong, but I picture
the protagonist as a young guy out on the town. The random lyrics might be what
he sees. He might have a Messiah-like complex of sorts. Then again, it could be
just a cool collection of words. (Either way, think of this as a companion piece
to the Soul Coughing classic, “Blue Eyed Devil” about a smiling door-to-door
salesman, “slugging down fruit juice. / Extra tall, extra wide.”) On this
track, Doughty equals the cleverness of “Pleasure On Credit” when he says lines
like, “Goth girls holler in the bright cafes. / I call it corn / You call it
maize.”

“(When I) Box The Days (Up)” is another winning acoustic number. Again, the
track is aided by what sounds like an unhinged cello.

“Year Of The Dog” finds Doughty in his most troubadour-esque state, but it
begins with a strange set of lines. “Time tells butter fat lies. / Sweet, lousy
cupcakes of lies.” My sweet-tooth asks why Doughty would equate something so
ugly with something so delicious, but my mind appreciates his adventurous use of
metaphors. (Haha!)

“Diane” is about a quest for a lost love. It’s one of Doughty’s most winning,
straight-ahead love songs to date.

Next is a song which is probably going to get some attention merely for its
title. “It’s called “How To F___ A Republican.” The title is not uttered at all
in the song but there are sexual references. In the song, Doughty picks up a
stock-broker business woman, decked out in pearls. The part of the song which
stands out the most is when Doughty says, “You may ask, ‘what are girls like?’/
Girls are soft and they smell nice. / Girls like flowers and they just might be
nice to you.” Why do these line stand out? Maybe because they are so
uncharacteristically basic coming from him. But in this case, they help the
song.

The album closes with a winning, appealing cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Casper
The Friendly Ghost.” This cover would have gone very well on the “The Late Great
Daniel Johnston” tribute album from a few years back because it captures
Johnston’s child-like wonderment. Doughty can be a very playful artist, so a
quirky song like this is a nice fit.

“Sad Man Happy Man” is stellar. Doughty has never released a bad album. All
three Soul Coughing records are winners. His solo career has been strong as
well, but here he seems to have a level of confidence not heard before. He’s
the most grounded and focused he’s ever been. Soul Coughing were one of the
most adventurous bands of the nineties and sadly they didn’t get the credit they
deserved. It’s nice to see Doughty is still making great records in his solo
career. Hopefully the public will catch on and he’ll finally get the amount of
respect he is due. “Sad Man Happy Man” is essential listening for anyone who
has ever liked anything Mike Doughty has ever touched. It’s a bold, stripped
down record exhibiting the best of the writer at his essence.
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