No Pier Pressure
Capitol/EMI
The songs for No Pier Pressure were originally bouncing around Brian Wilson’s head as a collection that would form the next Beach Boys record. As he is prone to do, Wilson changed his mind and pushed forward with a solo record, although he has brought Al Jardine and David marks along for the ride.
No Pier Pressure is full of Wilson joining forces with other contemporary musicians to share to spotlight. Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities chimes in early in the piece for Runaway Dancer, a tune that differs vastly from Wilson’s bread and butter in that it is better suited to a pumping nightclub and is so sugary it could be his Kokomo. It is probably the only misfire on the latest Wilson exploration of pop.
There are times when it works better than expected, like the chirpy country toned I Guess You Had To Be There with the current ‘it girl’ of country, Kacey Musgraves, and on the power pop of Saturday Night with Fun’s Nate Ruess. Wilson has said publicly that he has every intention of retiring from music in the near future, with speculation rife that No Pier Pressure could be his last release. Adding credence to this notion is the final track on the album titled The Last Song (which was said to be recorded with Lana Del Ray, but her vocals didn’t make the final cut).
The ear for harmony is still well intact for one of music’s most influential. No Pier Pressure is nautical but nice.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
