Frankly, Lullaby For The Working Class put me to sleep with its obtuse lyrics and dirge-like arrangements. It’s a treat to find that, perhaps partly owing to his continuing sojourn with the guitar-charging band Cursive, Lullaby’s chief lyricist, Ted Stevens, has a lot to say, and a bulging quiver of fine metaphors with which to say it. On Mayday’s second release, Stevens continues to play out of Lullaby’s oozing pace, but offers insights to chew over while awaiting the next beat. And that beat may come from anywhere — Memphis, London, Guadalajara, even Stevens’ hometown of Omaha.
I Know Your Troubles Been Long is a theme piece, centered at the precipice between the front porch and the freeway. “Running Away” opens with a militaresque drum tattoo and a mother’s gently poetic but clear-eyed advice, then breaks into chaotic rock with an inescapably propulsive rhythm over which the son responds. “Dyzfunctional Cuzin” is ’60s gutter soul with a three-note piano hook ensconced in “Heart And Soul” simplicity.
“Old Blood” is reprised here, representing an aging father whose perpetuation of a feud is indistinguishable from Alzheimer’s paranoia, until the punchline. With remarkable economy, “From The Trapeze” imparts the pain and confusion of returning home empty-hearted, for all the trappings of the journey. The closing track bears boy-girl advice for little sister in one of several song fragments and short, spoken-word pieces (from sources as diverse as Brian Wilson and Franz Kafka) that contribute to a feel of homey clutter throughout. This home, though, is northern gothic.
