As I previously mentioned, The Game of Monogamy gave me numerous apprehensions. On one hand, Tim Kasher is a musical pillar in that temple of cherished albums of the past decade. On the other hand, that pillar has worn down with wind. Putting subjectivity aside, Kasher set out near Whitefish, Montana to start designing what became his debut solo album October 4th, 2010. Solo may be considered a misnomer, as he recorded and produced the entire piece as opposed to filling in those blanks. Nevertheless, what came out of that isolated location is an album more upbeat than The Good Life, quasi-soundtrack to a musical, and the light to a tunnel dominated by heavier material (e.g., Mama, I'm Swollen).
A massive orchestral overture is not what you would expect from self-induced seclusion, yet that is what greets the listener. It is an overture, a raising of the curtains belaying a Tim Kasher, solitary and in the spotlight as he states, "I am a grown man. How did this happen? People are gonna start expecting more from me" in "A Grown Man." Before you think this solo piece will regress into The Good Life territory, rest assured as he takes that scene and occupies it with bright gelled neon lights and busy Kasher-backed choruses. If art is hard, he does it effortlessly as he remarks, "I don't want a kid and I can't keep being one." Yet the music in the orchestra pit is too catchy to let these reflective musings pull the audience down.
"I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here" should weigh down like sandbags on a set piece, but pop-influenced frenetic handclaps and tambourines turn it into a twisted, alternate universe of conflicted happiness. In terms of production and recording, his talent behind the boards is on par with his peers in Omaha, a veritable protege. "Strays" pulls back the bombastic brass for soft, beautiful acoustic plucking. In fact, vocally those strings subtly tug back to Black Out's unconsciously embossing lyrics that stay with you.
Midway through Kasher seems to wander in a dimly lit forest all too close to those well-worn previously discographied paths; the colored leaves mostly fallen before the audience. And just when those stage lights have dimmed upon "There Must Be Something I've Lost", "Bad, Bad Dreams" reopens the album into its second act. Patrick Newbery's brass truly shines with this turning the corner with Minus the Bear's Erin Tate drumming act as the counterweight, raising Kasher above any malaise that may have entered from behind the masking scrim left over from the prior tracks.
What makes The Game Of Monogamy is clear on the closing "Monogamy." Kasher brought on members of the Glacier National Symphony to add a warmth unachieved. The harp, placed contrary to Tim Kasher's lone voice, is soon accompanied by strings stage (speaker) left. With an orchestral crescendo, the Monogamy overture spills into a synthed swagger producing the most interesting amalgamation Kasher's concocted. Personally, I would be all for him further juxtaposing these instruments and synths.
Leaving the theatre Tim Kasher has created, I'm left wondering if this may be a one-off show as, persay, how The Decemberists were accompanied by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra years ago. The orchestral elegance coincides tremendously with the grandiose stories Kasher directs through notes and clefs. Yet I am not so keen to let this be temporal and fleeting. Kasher is not done yet it seems.
For another RFC perspective, check out Katia's take on Kasher's newest over at Mezzic!
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