You can argue that the music output of Vinnie Caruana has been some of the most enigmatic over the course of the last 20 or so years. At the very least, within the genre of alternative-infused punk rock, his work in The Movielife was often 'cause célèbre' (at least early on in their Drive-Thru Records history). When The Movielife signed to Drive-Thru Records to release the glossy The Movielife has a Gambling Problem, it was a big deal. When they released Forty Hour Train Back to Penn, it was a big deal. Similarly, when Caruana formed I Am the Avalanche, it drew our attention as the next chapter of a respected songwriter. What is it about Caruana and the work that keeps attention drawn to him? The answer is often laid bare in his solo work; introspective, honest, soul-baring.
Aging Frontman, a new six-song EP, continues Caruana's impressive catalog of solo work and is the follow-up to 2016's full-length Survivor's Guilt. While it's easy to see the title "Aging Frontman" and think of it as a humorous look at Caruana today, it is much deeper than just being new music by someone who "been around for a while". Truth is, Aging Frontman is a deeply moving, succinct effort that not only questions Caruana's own musical mortality but those of his listeners as well. None of this is more evident than in the beautiful opening track "Better". The Americana-strewn melancholy underwrites the song's sometimes pained outlook that is both a little wistful but at the same time poignant. Caruana has said the song is about "speaking to my friends, my family, my wife, the people that come to see me sing." The song asks whether or not Caruana has "brought joy, made you proud"; wrapped in his effervescent and recognizable voice. It's a powerful song that examines a songwriter seeking answers to his influence both to those around him, and to himself.
Musically, the EP treads on similar ground his last full-length exhibited. Less frenetic than an I Am The Avalanche record, less rock-ready than a Movielife one, but capturing many of the same emotions and resonance of his other work. Like in "Dying in the Living Room", where the song plucks away on folk-strewn indie but showcases Caruana's distinct, gutwrenching vocal work. The distorted solo hum of "I Love You, Please Watch Over Us" is an example of Caruana painting a myriad of emotions in an interlude. It's just the strum of an electric guitar, but like the title, it can cover a host of ideas. Think of it as electric guitar meditation.
The EP's best moment is probably "Providence", where Caruana layers guitars over each other, over mid-tempo percussion work, while contemplating life and death and the meaning of everything in between. It's a beautiful track, and as it is cascading into its end, you are left with a certain peace from the record. Caruana articulates these familiar emotions with grace and poise. In the song, he sings "the beat of my heart tells me someday I'll be home", and in that same contemplative assuredness, the songs on Aging Frontman tell us the same.
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