Paul Westerberg - Suicaine Gratifaction

Following his time as leader of indie-rock icons The Replacements, Paul Westerberg took to releasing more radio-friendly pop hits as a solo artist, and his success was immediate. Before he could even compile an entire album, Westerberg found fame providing the score for the film Singles, for which he also contributed his most well-known-to-date singles "Dyslexic Heart" and "Waiting For Somebody". These songs would later also appear on his 1993 solo debut, 14 Songs, which bears little resemblance at all to what would be his third solo album, Suicaine Gratifaction. Released just six years after the success of Singles, the songs of Suicaine Gratifaction revealed a deeply personal glimpse of Westerberg's inner demons and insecurities. Widely known for his wry wit and self-deprecating humor, Westerberg went about the writing of this album by bearing whatever soul his pen could provide at the time, and the recordings capture every chord (and discord) his muse could muster. Truthfully, this is in fact the most personal album I've ever heard by any major artist. Toned-down productions that often seem to be secured from a single take, this album is full of emotional breakdowns beaten back by upbeat breathers that keep it from falling apart completely. While Westerberg sometimes seems like the kind of songwriter whose songs might fare better in a friendlier voice, there's no substitution for the real connection the artist shares with his work; someone else could sing the lyrics, but few could feel the weight of Westerberg's words. His first and only release under contract with Capitol Records, Suicaine Gratifaction received little (if any) marketing support, resulting in no single for the album and sales that slipped before they even started, which all contribute to making this one of the greatest diamond-in-the-rough finds of all time. The songs are beautiful (even in Westerberg's sometimes beastly bear-growls), and no matter how many times I listen to them, they always seem to find new ways for me to identify with them. As far as hearts on sleeves go, this is verbal voyeurism at its very best. Go get a copy.

Highlights: "Lookin' Out Forever" and "Tears Rolling Up Our Sleeves"