She went looking for a solution for a problem that did not exist
Ahhh, The Pursuit of Happiness. I remember as a teenager sitting in some dingy flat, just a stones throw from Henley Beach foreshore in Adelaide, glued to what ever music video was on at the time.
Lo and behold, “I’m an Adult Now” by “The Pursuit of Happiness” came on with its grungy guitars and power pop pretentions. It was one of those songs that I initially misheard the lyrics and assumed it was, “I’m on the dole now”. As my friends were mostly on the dole and I had been until recently it amused me greatly.
Shortly after this televisual experience , I went out and purchased their debut album entitled “Love Junk”. There are 12 tracks groooved into its black vinyl and there is not one dud. How many times can you say that about an album or cd? Even some of my favourite albums have a few songs that don’t warrant more then a couple of listens. With “Love Junk” I can distinctly being able to play it end to end and stopping only to change the disc over to the other side. Even now, the album jumps out of me when I flick through my vinyl collection with its massive TPOH emblazoned on the cover. It’s an easy one to pull out of it’s anti-static sleeve and give it another listen.
From the opening track, “Hard to Laugh”, the album has short, sharp and sweet tracks. Layers of guitars, smashing drums and the unusual vocals of Canadian, Moe Berg. And of course the lyrics pulled me in, as I was originally listening to it in my teenage state of mind.
“I’m an Adult Now” sounded it was singing for my generation of the time. For, example Moe sings,
“Gotta get up and take on the world. When you’re an adult. It’s no cliche. It’s the truth.”
How true that line still is!!!
I had no idea how he managed to work in the lyrics into the tune and still make it sound catchy. Consciousness Raising as a social tool is one of the song titles! The song and lyrics really do work a treat. Beautiful White, Looking for Girls, Ten Fingers. I’m sure Moe was fixated on women, but in a nice way of course. Check out She’s so young for a different side to the lyrics.
Listening to “Love Junk” even today some 20 years after it was released the album can still hold its own. Listen to it for the first time and it would be difficult to pick out this as a product of the late 80′s.
If you like Nada Surf , and I like them as well, then you would like the slightly less frantic, but still fantastic sounds of The Pursuit of Happiness and their debut album. Buy it and listen.
*As an historical aside I attempted to purchase the follow up album on vinyl. Shock, horror it was not available in vinyl format. I only managed to get it in cassette tape version. The vinyl run of my music buying was coming to an end. As a result of this vinyl interruption, my memory of the follow up is hazy. I no longer have the technology to play it still, but I’m pretty sure the follow up was not quite the same experience.