Butch Walker – Leavin’ the Game on Luckie St
February 21, 2008
Track Listing:
Disc One:
- Intro
- Uncomfortably Numb **
- Alicia Amnesia
- Summer Jam
- Too Famous to Get Dressed
- Maybe It’s Just Me **
- Bethamphetamine **
- Ladies and Gentlemen, The Let’s Go Out Tonights
- Dont’ Move **
- Indie Queen **
- Far Away From Close
Disc Two:
- Over Your Head
- Race Cars & Goth Rock **
- Mixtape **
- Stateline **
- Sober **
- Joan **
- Cigarette Lighter Love Song **
- Best Thing You Never Had **
- Hot Girls in Good Moods
- Lights Out
- Canyons
**Clear Favorites
Now there are certain artists that sound good on albums but come up short in live shows. There are other artists that rock live performances like they were born to it, but fail to translate this to their recordings (Live ones aside, obviously). Then there are artists that do both exceptionally well. This is where Butch Walker falls. I have had the undeniable privilege to be literally two feet away from the man as he performed a live show at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto a while back. Until then I had only heard his albums (Letters, This Is Me… Justified and Stripped, Left of Self-Centered) and was already a big fan.
Then he started singing in that little Tavern. The true test of an artist really comes down to how close their live and recorded performances match up. Butch Walker sounds the same, other than changing it up a little in the live shows just because he can. Leavin’ the Game on Luckie Street is the second live album that I’ve heard by Mr. Walker and I can happily say that I am still in love with his work.
The album is actually split up between two discs (two discs for free, dear Lord) and have drastically different feels. I’ve decided to talk about them separately because of this.
Disc one is jumpy. I don’t mean in a spazzy sort of way, but in the “get the fuck up and dance” sort of jumpy. You listen to that first disc and you just want to get up and dance the hell out of your shoes, socks, or even your bare feet. This CD has many tracks from the Butch/LGOT album, yet also features some tracks from Marvelous 3 (a band he was formally a part of). The only slow track on the first half is Don’t Move, so time will fly as you bounce around listening to it. It’s solid and fun, though to be honest I was never as big a fan of the Butch/LGOT album in comparison to his solo work.
Enter disc two.
Disc two is easily one my favorite cds of all time, regardless of the fact that it. It features a lot more of his solo work though it also features tracks from the Butch/LGOT and Marvelous 3 albums. This half of the album is way more toned down, and features a lot of Butch’s piano workings. As a result there is a string of songs Mixtape to Best Think You Never Had that all feature Butch at the piano singing. Even after that there are a couple more tracks that are slower, and if I have to be honest, a tad depressing. This man does depressing songs in a fantastic way that don’t make you feel sad, but seem to offer a sense of closure or reflection that I cannot get enough of. This will probably become one of my staple ‘chill’ cds, and those are rare on my play list. Only high rollers make it to that list. What can I say? I’m picky.
Both cds make up the album in a rather Ying/Yang sort of feel, which can be jarring for someone who is switching between the two of them without knowing it. They also seem to suffer from a bit of variable audio. What I mean by this is that in certain parts, the audio is fantastic but suffers in others, coming in quiet or the singing being drowned out by other instruments at times. There are also points where he is obviously swinging to and from the mic, which can get annoying if you’re trying to enjoy the song.
A great album and worth getting. Six dollars is a fantastic price to pay for any album, and this one exceeds even that. It’s worth listening to, and though not the best album to introduce yourself to his work (I suggest Letters), for those who already know about him, this is a fantastic addition to the library.
8.5/10
Categories: Amazing! Music Reviews
Tagged under: 8.5/10, Armed to the Teeth, Butch Walker, Leavin' the Game on Luckie St, music, Music Reviews