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Huh...re-watching Buffy and with a quick google I find out that not only does Tony Head star in REPO, but put out an album and it's supposed to be good. Excellent.
It will come as no surprise to fans of either London's West End theatre scene or TV's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER that Head has a beautiful, assured tenor singing voice, but it turns out he's a talented songwriter as well. In addition to performing lead vocals here, he penned the lyrics for the majority of the songs on the album, also playing piano, casio, sitar, guitar, bass, beats, organ and Wurlitzer on various tracks. Album producer Sarah plays synth, piano, beats, Wurlitzer, analogues, bass guitar, strings, bells and analogs and collaborates with Head on much of the music-writing (although each man has one or two solo compositions).
The first song, "What Can You Tell Me," with lyrics by Head and music by Head and Sarah, introduces itself with a rumbling, mournful piano and menacing vocal respiration that is eventually joined by Head's melodic tenor, singing of betrayal, confusion and hope. The tune and arrangement are reminiscent of David Bowie, elegiac and dreamy. Famed acting coach Milton Katselas contributes a spoken-word riff.
"Babies (The In-Between)" is Head's composition all the way, a frank, emotional confession of a father missing his children: "Feel guilty for not being there for you." Sigmund's (no last name) guitar strums urgently over a bed of synth, piano and beats, all played by Sarah. While there are no specific comments on the mix in the liner notes, a 5.1 sound system puts the vocals in the center and mains, while sending the accompaniment throughout mains and rears alike.
"Owning My Mistakes" veers toward soul territory, with the music by Sarah and Head relying largely on a throbbing synthesizer (the performance on synths is credited by both men) as Head's lyrics mull over what happens when you dwell on guilt. One instrument in the mix sounds a bit shrill, but there's some lovely guitar finger-picking, especially at the end. Head's BUFFY colleague James Marsters contributes some backup vocals.
"We Can Work It Out" is a near-reimagining of the Beatles classic, with Head sharing vocal duties with the sultry/vulnerable Holly Palmer. Turning the song into a duet makes the familiar lyrics seem much more a plea for common sense in a generally loving relationship, with both singers sounding as though they are really weary from fighting, in contrast to the Beatles original, where Paul McCartney sounds as if he's got energy enough to argue his case all day. Palmer gets a gently playful refrain at the end, turning it into a pure love song.
"Qu-est ce que j'ai fait" continues the Beatles theme in spirit if not in material, with Sarah's twinkly music recalling "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." A Francophone may be able to interpret Head's French-language lyrics, but the song is appealing even to the uncomprehending.
"All the Fun of the Fair" starts off with a menacing, driving synthesizer that goes into a rhythm-heavy tune by Sarah and Head that sounds rather like something from a rock opera. Head's lyrics deal with depression that is apparently brought on by depression the singers are getting the blues simply from dealing with emotional ups and downs (sample: "I'm finding it hard to feel good/'Cuz each time I'm up there, I know I'm gonna fall... And this constant change of feelings is making me reel"). Smoky-voiced Justina Machado carries the lead vocals for awhile before being joined/counterpointed by Head, backed by Suzy Prudden and BUFFY's Amber Benson. The end of the number, with a clicking telephone, suggests that perhaps it's meant to be seen as someone talking to a psychotherapy help line.
"This Town in the Rain" is a heartfelt gripe about Los Angeles when it's wet. Anybody who lives in the city will agree with the observations about everything from motorists ("Didn't anybody tell them you can't drive the same drive insane in the rain?") to the lack of decent storm drains, while at the same time feeling that perhaps it's not quite as universally depressing as Head's lyrics would have it. The music by Head and Sarah has a slightly '50s-beat-by-way-of-Kurt Weill quality, while Head sings in a more clipped, higher voice than he employs elsewhere on the album.
"Talk to You" has a lovely string arrangement by Sarah, incorporating finger-picking guitar, violin, viola and cello, highlighting Head's brief but ardent composition about the joys of speaking to a loved one on the phone. Head's vocals are surpassingly tender and the song is sweet without being cloying.
Helen Shingler provides a brief instrumental entitled "Mum's Song," which compares agreeably to some of Elton John's wordless piano riffs.
"Last Time" is a "guest" contribution, with words and music by BUFFY creator Joss Whedon. The number sounds as though it might have been written for the BUFFY musical, not for the character of Head's resolute librarian Giles, but rather for Marsters' lovelorn vampire Spike (as noted, Marsters appears elsewhere on the album). The BUFFY connection is further strengthened here by the presence of Benson on backup vocals, along with Machado. Head emotes affectingly as the anguished narrator, contemplating an affair he can't bear to leave, no matter how badly the woman treats him.
"One Man's Rain" has a bit of Peter Gabriel-esque ululation in the vocal arrangement. The music by Sarah and Head is anchored by a rumbling bass piano, adding extra gravity to the plea, both ecological and sociological, in Head's lyrics. Head's vocals, backed by Colleen Fitzpatrick, Justina Machado and Camille Saviola (Kai Opaka on DEEP SPACE NINE), have a tinge of gospel fervor as he urges listeners to give balance a chance.
"Change," words by Head and music by Sarah and Head, returns to the Bowie sound that begins the album, in a contemplative but ultimately optimistic number extolling the virtues of self-knowledge and moving along in life ("It's all too easy to say, 'I am who I am' to allow yourself to/Shrug your shoulders and say, 'Accept me, I accept myself'/Change").
Although the track lists provides only 14 titles, both your CD player and the sleeve insert booklet, which considerately provides not only complete lyrics but also credits on every song, acknowledge that there are actually 16 tracks. There's a long pause after the end of "Change," but if you allow the CD to proceed (or just hit the "skip forward"), "Staring at the Sun" rises with dreamy synthesizer effects and a gently rolling piano accompanying Head's echoing, near-whispered vocals.
Track 16, "End Game," is a song full of aching regret, conveyed by Head in both his vocals and lyrics as he mourns not having enough time with a now-deceased loved one ("I'm not ready to think these thoughts in the middle of the night"). The music by Sarah and Head, with its deliberate chord progressions, has delicacy, yet suggests a stage musical ballad. Alyson Hannigan, yet another BUFFY mainstay, provides the spoken-word background voice of memory.
For those who let the last track continue in silence for about another six minutes, there's an additional hidden bit, as Marsters (rather than Head) delivers a section of the "Owning My Mistakes" lyrics as spoken-word poetry.
MUSIC FOR ELEVATORS would seem to be something of a necessity for fans of Head (and completionist fans of Whedon, Marsters, Benson and Hannigan, for that matter). The good news is, Head and Sarah's work stands on its own musically and lyrically as affecting, gentle rock. Title aside, this album is nobody's idea of background music it elicits listener involvement. If you want to hear the survival of Beatles and Bowie influences with enticing vocals and strongly-felt lyrics, this is music to own.
