Still, Center'sbiggest selling point is the febrile wall of guitar and taut blasts of Solomon's pipes -- two elements that will grab listeners ears and then proceed to smack them upside the head.
"That's the secret: the energy of rock 'n' roll," says Solomon. "That's why that whole Replacements, Soul Asylum, Minneapolis thing was so special -- it was the energy of those bands."
Clumsy (with Marc Solomon, center) delivers the record Replacements fans have been waiting for.
Tommy said so . . . : Solomon (far left) and Stinson (center) guided Perfect through a Puff Daddy remix, a Spike Jonze video and a great unreleased record.
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The album takes a reflective turn midway with the arching, straining notes of "Sick of it All" a hard-living hellion's rumination on growing old, or at least growing older.
Solomon's opening salvo, "Where were you when we didn't need a Peter Pan or panacea . . . /Where were you when we thought freedom was cigarettes and shots of tequila" turns into a distant memory with the realization that "We've given up the drugs and alcohol/ For tissues and Tylenol."
"I am 33 years old," offers Solomon emphatically. "And 'Sick of it All' is a song about being in your thirties. You know, I'm all for people of the ages of 13 to 23 buying this record. But I don't write stuff that's geared toward anyone. I write about stuff that I know or that I feel. And a lot of time I do feel like I'm talking directly to people [my] age."
While many of the themes on Center have a sort of autumnal glow about them, the sound of the record is firmly rooted in the din and clatter of youth.
"Even though I've gotten to play on a lot of records and stuff like that, in some ways this is the record I've been waiting my whole life to make," says Solomon.
It's exactly that sense of fulfillment which colors every inch of the album's boozy, blustery and emotionally bruised landscape. A lifetime's worth of passions, perversions and pain captured in the space of 44 minutes. And like the Mats' best work, there is an underlying melodic foundation to every song. A steady stream of poppy, almost sugary melodies buried beneath cascade of Les Pauls and howled, soul searing vocals.
Aiding in Solomon's effort are Patalan's pronounced production touches, which reinforce both the power and nuance of the material while making all the right sonic connections to the band's touchstones.
"I wanted it to sound the way records used to be made," says Solomon. "One guitar in that speaker. Another guitar in that speaker. Drums, loud as shit. Huge vocals and let's really get those melodies out there. The whole idea of how the Faces made records, how Rod Stewart made his early records -- that's what I really wanted it be like."
True to Solomon's word, tracks like "Prayer" and "In Between" do sound like the Faces -- as interpreted by the Replacements and played by the Afghan Whigs. That sometimes jittery, sometimes bouncy sense of post-punk euphoria is a major appeal of Clumsy's live sets as well.
After a couple of early lineup shifts, the band's membership seems to have solidified. Currently keeping Solomon company is his old mate from the Clowns, Michael Brien on drums, Lasonic vet Corey Rozzoni on guitar and the group's newest addition, bassist Joseph Nedwed -- who was asked to join when Solomon saw him in a Laundromat wearing the same Samiam tee shirt that gave Clumsy its name.
For his part Solomon is eager to begin work with his cast on a sophomore album. "We've got the whole next record ready to go in and record. We're playing about half of it in our sets now." But for the time being, Solomon can rest comfortably in the knowledge that's he crafted a worthy heir to his favorite records. While not an earth-shattering landmark like Tim or Let It Be, Clumsy's debut carries on the sprit and tradition of those albums admirably.
"When we were making the record I was joking with Tim [Patalan] that I wanted to try and save rock," he says accenting the last word in his own inimitable fashion. "I don't know if we did it, but we'll keep trying."
