Reviews:: The Weepies Hideaway

A few years ago, if you had told me I'd be excited about getting manila envelopes from Nettwerk Records, I would have laughed. Back in the day, I really only knew that Sarah McLachlan was on the label, and rumor was she dissed my old school and forgot her NS roots. Plus, she wrote songs I kind of hated. Well flash forward a few years, and the releases they ship me now are as consistent as a Steve Nash free throw.

One band lives up to that level of consistency is The Weepies. The Weepies are essentially the writing duo of Deb Talan and Steven Tannen and I have to say they are on the express train to success. A great performance got the ball rolling with Nettwerk and now they have artists like Gary Lightbody and Mandy Moore singing their praises. The songs are full of beautiful harmonies that really give the songs a lighter feel; one that bounces along happily. Musically, their new record, Hideaway, is a road trip just to get out of the city. It's like playing in the park on the first sunny day of the Spring. It's a sun kissed face after a day where you forgot the worries of the world and remembered what it felt like to be young and carefree.

Lyrically, the duo's thoughts are more storm clouds and rain. With their gloomy thoughts, Deb and Steve seem like the type of people who put on a brave face despite wrestling with inner turmoil and disappointment. How You Survived the War is as pleasant a track as you are going to hear, but Deb is pouring out her frustrations about a relationship that never changes. Little Bird sashays along nicely (Deb's voice really takes on an Alanis sound, but instead of rage filled, anti-Dave Coulier venom, she simply states her sadness matter-of-factly), but the song is about how alone she feels as she wonders where all her friends have gone. All Good Things is a bit of a tear jerking, soul number where Deb acknowledges that she just can't call it quits. It's the type of stuff we all deal with every day.

Hideaway isn't an escape from the sadder moments. It's more like putting your best foot forward in spite of the constant letdowns. It's getting older and realizing that your dreams and the perfect love of your high school sweetheart might be naive optimism. This is real life and even though every day isn't perfect, we just have to keep trying. It's not exactly a feel good perspective, but it gives the sunshiny songs that little bit of bite that makes them stick.


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