Reviews:: Pierre de Reeder The Way That It Was

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I'm not sure if I can remember too many bands that consistently deliver better output as individuals than they do together, but Rilo Kiley is starting to fit the mold. Admittedly, I was pretty let down by their last record (and my negativity stems from that despite being a fan of most of their catalog), so when we received an email from bassist Pierre de Reeder about his solo project, I wasn't really expecting much.

The band had moved into a muddled hybrid of slinky, grimy, sex laced tracks and disco infused, sunshine heavy pop numbers and with Pierre being such a vital part of the equation, I assumed he was driving a lot of the sounds and textures.

Happily, I'm glad to say I was very wrong and think that de Reeder seems destined to find the success that Lewis and Sennett garnered with their solo projects. Unlike Under the Blacklight, he's completely sure of his sound and the result - The Way That It Was - is a collection of tracks that take on the breezy feel of a 60's pop record, but with some well placed, deft guitar work he manages to avoid the rehash that so often sinks a project like this. Instead of trying to write songs that fit into an audience, de Reeder prefers to write songs that inspire him and are completely accessible. Songs like the AM, Paul Simon jangle heavy Never Thought might not get you moving in your tight pants, but music lovers will fall for the lush harmonies and effortless pace his sounds travel at.

Unlike many side projects, the record is very cohesive. With short songs, you'd expect The Way That It Was to be a collection of exclusive thoughts he's worked on over the last few years, but adding elements like the unashamed horns that laced title track shows this effort is much more complete. Where I'm Coming From explodes into a big piano solo and shimmering guitar notes, but none of the sounds are really what you'd expect to surface in today's indie market and I think that's why this record works so well.

If you tried to make an obvious comparison, he is probably the Harrison of the group but the confidence he displays on his debut solo record is impressive, especially as he stands front and center on a McCartney-esque piano ballad (Sophia's Song) is staggering. The arrangement adds Beatle-ish strings, but Pierre's voice and piano receive the spotlight.

The album closes with probably the strongest song (Not how I believe), the taught drum and big acoustic sound mixes with de Reeder's vocals and some sexy jazz flute and distorted noise to craft a strangely modern throwback jam. By the time the choir comes in and sings us out of the record, you can't help but sway, sing along and think about being a better person. To a skeptic that might seem campy, but when it comes across with the sincerity de Reeder possesses, you kind of want to believe in what he's singing.