Stephen Clair: “Transmissions” (2024) CD Review

A couple of years ago, singer and songwriter Stephen Clair released To The Trees, an excellent album on which he was backed by the band The Restless Age (a group that had also backed both Donald Fagen and Kate Pierson). Will Bryant of that band joins Stephen Clair again on keyboards and backing vocals on his new album, Transmissions, and co-produced the album with Stephen Clair. And Brandon Morrison, The Restless Age’s bass player, mixed and mastered the album. Stephen Clair is also joined by Daria Grace on bass and backing vocals, and Aaron Latos on drums. The album features all original material, all of it seriously good, songs worth paying attention to.

“Everybody here is waiting for something,” Stephen Clair sings at the beginning of the album’s opening track, “Waiting Around,” which quickly takes on a delicious rock sound. A bit later in the song he sings “Waiting around is a terrible business/When you don’t know what you’re waiting for.” Oh yes. Just after that line, the song takes a cool turn, a bit toward punk, the rhythm then driving the song, including the rhythm of the vocal line. I especially love that bass line. He sings, “T-t-t-t-t tired of waiting around,” that playful stutter reminding me of Bowie’s “Changes.” There is ultimately a kind of joy to this song’s sound, which is what we grab onto. Then “Vegas Sunrise” begins with a beat, with a raw, low-fi sound that feels like someone practicing drums. It soon kicks in, and that low-fi sound disappears. This song has plenty of attitude, with great lines like “I sure didn’t come here for the elegance or atmosphere/All I ever wanted was to disappear/Never look back, and get the hell out of here.” I love this song. “I think I know what I need to do/‘Cause only a fool would try to prove something to you.” The keyboard part reminds me a bit of The Cars.

There is a more cheerful vibe to the rhythm of “Blue And Red Lines” at the beginning, and a sweet aspect to the vocal delivery. “Out here on the beach/The setting sun plays tricks on me/On me.” That repetition of “On me” is interesting, because that additional emphasis gives the impression that the sunset has that effect only on him, that only he is experiencing it that way. This song’s lyrics mention Patti Smith and “Coney Island Baby.” That insistent, consistent rhythm gives the tune a catchy aspect. Then “Cigarette! Cigarette!” has more of a rockabilly vibe. This is playful and fun, and it had me smiling pretty quickly, even laughing for the joy of it, in both the vocal delivery and the music. I especially love the work on keys. “We never even thought we would live this long/To sing this song,” Stephen sings here, with the backing vocals urging, “Smoke that cigarette, smoke that cigarette.” Terrible advice, of course, but everything about this song is wonderful.

“It’s So Strange” has a peculiar and delightful opening section, and there is a hint of mystery. It’s great that this section is allowed to go on for forty seconds or so before the vocals come in. Here there is a bit of a Kinks vibe to Stephen Clair’s vocal approach, which I can’t help but love. This is one of my personal favorites on this album. Each element is interesting on its own, and they all work together to create something special and compelling. Stephen Clair goes in a different, but equally enjoyable direction on “Fritz,” with something of a western vibe, particularly in that rhythm. “It’s not working, man/Your little experiment/Point your finger all you want/But, captain, you’re not alone.” This track also features some playful backing vocal work in the second half, and is another of the disc’s highlights.

“Naomi’s Phone Is Dead” contains a delicious punk bass line, and the lyrics are delivered sort of as spoken word. Oh man, the energy is great, like it is ready to strike at any moment. There is a Lou Reed quality to this one, with a touch of Jim Carroll. The song kicks in for its chorus, which is a repetition of the song’s title. A song of the city, of a night in the city. And it’s fucking great. “It’s a big city/And they find themselves wishing the night was big enough to embrace even them.” I love how it pokes at our ridiculous habit of taking photographs of every damn moment of our lives: “Brand new friends/They only just met/But they’re immortalized/Hugging on Instagram.” I fucking love this song. Somehow this album just gets better and better. “Did I love you too much/Set myself up/Show me one good thing/That simply goes on,” Stephen Clair sings in “Swept Away,” a really good rock song, somewhere between The Kinks and Elvis Costello, but its own thing, with some delightful touches. I am particularly fond of the drumming in the second half (pay attention to that work even as the song is fading out).

The album concludes with “Take This Walk With Me.” Its opening lines made me laugh out loud the first time I listened to this track: “A broken tooth/What can you do?/A lazy eye/Love handles too.” Those lines describe someone’s lesser attributes, but are delivered with some affection. And soon we begin to identify with this person being described. We are all collections of physical imperfections, aren’t we? And we have to laugh at that, at ourselves. And more importantly, we should take that walk, which feels like a dance, like we’re being invited to a dance. And isn’t that what this ridiculous life is all about? This track features some really nice work on guitar. “Yellow teeth/Chronic fatigue/Ringing ears.”

CD Track List

1. Waiting Around
2. Vegas Sunrise
3. Blue And Red Lines
4. Cigarette! Cigarette!
5. It’s So Strange
6. Fritz
7. Naomi’s Phone Is Dead
8. Swept Away
9. Take This Walk With Me

Transmissions was released on October 11, 2024.