Pete Droge – Spacey And Shakin
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Posted On May 1, 1998
In 1994, when Pete Droge released his debut, Necktie Second, the post-Petty roots-rock claim he staked was pretty much virgin real estate. Grunge was the rage, and Droge’s fresh-faced heartland pop and soulful roots ballads couldn’t have been further out of fashion.
In 1996, as faux-punk slumped and the alternative juggernaut began to sputter, Droge toughened up his sound with the less-roots, more-rock Find A Door. Though lacking the standout singles of Necktie, his sophomore effort’s muscular attack and spare tunefulness made a case for Droge as heir apparent to the classic-rock crown.
A funny thing happened on the way to succession. A young guy named Dylan (Jakob, that is) exercised his rights of primogeniture, hitting the motherlode with a classic-rock sound that drew by millions the very audience Droge had been seeking. I don’t know how this influenced Droge’s latest, Spacey And Shakin, but it’s very much a Big Rock record with huge guitars, huger drums and vocals flanged to infinity. It’s got hooks to land Moby Dick and a swirling, psychedelic vibe that’s as much Floyd as Beatles.
How fans will react to Droge’s latest is another question. Those who found “If You Don’t Love Me ( I’ll Kill Myself)” from Necktie a bit light will welcome the barbed-wire guitar and Stonesy hoodoo of “Please The Ghost”. But for those moved by the hushed confessionalism of “Sooner Or Later” from Find A Door, the coliseum crunch of “Miles Of Fence” and two-ton hook of “Motorkid” may seem out-of -scale.
Droge does show his more singer-songwriterly side on the new disc (“Blindly”, “Blink Of A Kiss”). Unfortunately, it comes dressed in saccharine arrangements and clunky wordplay that suggest Droge’s heart belongs to the rockers.
For my money, the driving, almost X-like “Evan’s Radio” does the best job on the new disc of synthesizing Droge’s estimable gifts. It rocks like a bomb as Peter Stroud’s “Kashmir”-styled guitar pulls you into the maelstrom. But instead of a hook, the chorus rides a rising melodic wave that lifts you up and carries you away, providing the song with transport rather than mere punctuation.
Commercial radio no longer grasps such distinctions. Fool’s gold or the real thing, it doesn’t matter as long as it shines. Pete Droge has been working his claim long enough to see the difference. On Spacey And Shakin, he gives us a bit of both.
