Tom Ciurczak: "Yorick" (2025) CD Review

Yes, I admit it: what initially drew me to Tom Ciurczak's new album Yorick was its title. An album, or at least a song, about a character from Shakespeare's Hamlet?  Yes, that is enough to intrigue me. Yorick was King Hamlet's jester, a character that Hamlet remembers fondly from his childhood, but who now is only bones, appearing in the play as simply a skull (check out the cool album cover art here, which was done by Camille Woods). My two biggest passions are music and Shakespeare, and it's wonderful when they overlap, as they do here. Tom Ciurczak is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. He released his first album, Call Me Ishmael (yes, another literary reference, which I appreciate), in 2020, and followed that with two volumes of I Ain't Ever Growing Up, the first released in 2023, the second last summer. This new album contains all original material, written by Tom Ciurczak. As with his earlier releases, some certain 1970s rock influences can be heard here. Backing him are Matt Hornbeck on electric guitar, Travis Carlton on bass, and Stephen Haaker on drums and percussion, along with several guests on various tracks.

The album opens with an unusual song titled "The Watcher." It has a solid rock sound, feeling like it takes place somewhere in the middle of this country, but the lyrics indicate that the song's central character is an alien, and a rather old one at that. Here are the first lines: "A couple thousand years ago/I came down here to carve the Nazca lines/They said they're coming back for me/They planned to get me home by supper time."  I'm reading a book of early 1950s short science fiction stories, and this song reminds me of at least one of those stories, of an alien left behind. The song is directed at the human race as much as at his own people, as he has watched the species progress. We get the feeling that perhaps the song has this particular sound because he's become so acclimated. This is now his home, whether he likes it or not. But he has a warning for people: "I've seen lots of planets born and die/Better fasten your seat belt/It's gonna be a bumpy ride when the ice caps melt." And yet he still, after all this time, claims to feel a distance from the events taking place here. "But watching it all going to hell just ain't my concern," he sings. Does he mean it? And we can't help but think those words could be spoken by many people of our own race, particularly those in charge at the moment. What will happen to this character? What will happen to us? As the song reaches its conclusion, it seems that life as we know it does too. Unless that sound is him finally leaving. Billy Diisko plays bass on this track, and Valerie Chaikin is on keyboards. Tita Hutchison provides backing vocals.

"Wild One" is a song of youthful outlaw activity, with a driving beat. There is an innocent, harmless feel to much of what is described early on, but it's also nothing to be proud of, and we get the sense things are not going to turn out well for this character. "Your favorite film was Rebel Without A Cause/Living on the edge, ignoring all the laws/Leaving everybody else back in your dust/You always sang along with 'Thunder Road'/Said everyone buckle up and better grab hold." It's interesting that Tom mentions a Bruce Springsteen song here, because the Boss clearly has influenced his sound. This track also features some really good stuff on electric guitar. Jimena Fosado and Oscar Jesus Bugarin play guitar on this track, and Sean Sobash is on bass. Melissa Robin provides backing vocals. "Yorick," the title track, has quite a different sound, a different vibe from the start. Its first lines are delivered by Yorick after he's been decapitated: "I'm coming down/From the steeple 'til I hit the ground/'Cause I'm the guillotined jester's head." What an unusual opening. Also, it's interesting that he indicates Yorick was executed, for there is nothing in Shakespeare's text to suggest that. This song also mentions Shakespeare by name: "The king and queen are mesmerized/By the poet Shakespeare plays." This track features a strong vocal performance, along with some pretty backing vocal work by Tita Hutchison and Eli Arnold. Dylan Tirapelli-Jamail plays electric guitar, and Angela Petrilli plays acoustic guitar. Neara Russell is on keyboards. The song ends as it began, with those first few lines repeated.

"You're Next" is a good rock song, its guitar work especially reminding me of some of that stuff I grew up with in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The lyrics come at us in quick succession: "But democracy is in bigger trouble/There are no winners, just survivors/Governments are bigger liars." His vocal delivery at times makes me think of John Mellencamp, even before he sings the line, "Stand for nothing, fall for anything" (remember that song, "You've Got To Stand For Something"?). The chorus has a different feel, with something of a late 1980s rock feel. Possibly the coolest thing is that delicious bass work in the second half. Holy moly! That's Brandon Washington. Then "Where Do I Belong" addresses the homeless problem from the perspective of someone on the street, yet has a strangely positive vibe to it, with lines like "I know it's going to be all right" and "But it's okay, I'm tired of the non-stop/If things go my way, I'll be back on top" as he tries to talk himself into believing those things. I suppose we all tell ourselves things in order to keep going, and so this is a song everyone can relate to in some way. I love the energy and vibe of this song. This track contains some good hard rock guitar at key moments. Rob Reischak plays electric guitar on this one, and Bobby "Bundst" Victor is on keyboards.

"Chameleon" is about another character on the street, someone else you might not notice, but for a different reason. "I'm watching everything you do/You won't see me, but I'll see you." Yes, this character is a private eye who brags about being the best at what he does. This song also contains this scary line: "I know everything about your private life." That line stands out for me perhaps because of the attacks on privacy happening all the time these days, attacks which many people don't even seem to care about. Jimena Fosado plays electric guitar, and Oscar Jesus Bugarin plays acoustic guitar on this one, and Sean Sobash is on bass. That's followed by "Top Of The Rainbow," which has a cool vibe right from the start, in part because of the presence of a horn section. Jon Manness is on trumpet, and Lasim Richards is on trombone. This one has more of a laid back feel, with a gentler, soulful vocal approach, which helps it stand out. "And after you left, I had a hard time accepting that you'd gone/I wondered if I let you down." There is an unmistakable 1970s influence heard on this track.

Then Matt Lomeo joins Tom Ciurczak on harmonica on "A.L.T.O.W.D.," delivering some wonderful work (as he always does). The song's title stands for "Another Long Typical Ordinary Working Day," and this a song of international intrigue. In addition to the harmonica, this track features some nice work on keys. That's Bobby "Bundst" Victor on keyboards. "Malleus Maleficarum" also deals with international troubles, this time about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Grab what you can/Head on out 'cause the city's on fire/Tanks keep rolling in/Ain't sticking around to greet some new messiah." This track packs a punch and features a passionate vocal performance and some really good work on drums. The album then concludes with "Am I MIA," this one more in the folk and country rock vein, featuring some wonderful vocal work, particularly the blending of voices. Tita Hutchinson is on backing vocals. I also appreciate the play on words and sounds in its title line, "Am I MIA or am I in Miami?" There is also some excellent stuff on guitar. Dylan Tirapelli-Jamail is on electric guitar, and Angela Petrilli is on acoustic guitar.

CD Track List

1. The Watcher
2. Wild One
3. Yorick
4. You're Next
5. Where Do I Belong
6. Chameleon
7. Top Of The Rainbow
8. A.L.T.O.W.D.
9. Malleus Maleficarum
10. Am I MIA

Yorick is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2025, and will be available on both CD and vinyl (and I hear the vinyl is going to be clear blue, so, yes, I want to get a copy of this album on vinyl too).