Joey Cape - Doesn't Play Well With Others
When I beheld the album artwork for Joey Cape's new album Doesn't Play Well with Others and saw him sporting a pair of women's frilly knickers, the term 'average Joe' swam from my mind immediately. Joey Cape's last full-length solo project was Bridge all the way back in 2008, and his new release is another exquisite collection of solo tracks.
The album is chock-a-block with tuneful, mellow songs, each of which divulging a different tale; some of them more serious than the album cover suggests. Cape provides us with some personal and gut-wrenching tracks like the melancholy A Song for the Missing, and the rich and mournful Okay ("I'm alright, I'm okay, I can paraphrase an old cliché") which laments a close friend of his who passed away.
Meandering down a more light-hearted path are tracks such as the satirical The Greatest Generation, which further builds on the personal touch Cape has imprinted on each of the songs. The lyrics, "Today we celebrate the spoiled and great / no one is great in my generation", are amongst some of the most outspoken on the record and simply ooze with charisma. The crisp and melodic It's Always Sunny includes accompanying vocals from Cape's daughter, adding a very sweet touch to the already animated and radiant song. The Fish Rots from the Head-Case Down is also one of the more melodic and up-tempo songs that help spread a warm glow throughout the album.
The sumptuously layered numbers featured on Doesn't Play Well with Others like Montreal and Uniform offer us spine-tingling vocals and luxurious accompanying instruments which beautifully intertwine to create a grand effect.
The special thing about this album is that every song is lavishly embroidered with Cape's personality and opinions. From the mellifluous Going for the Bronze all the way to the stunning I Always Knew this was going to End Badly, there is never a boring moment. Cape has included an eclectic mix of songs on this album by writing about the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of life; the finished product is very beautiful indeed.