Mikey Erg - Waxbuilt Castles

I'm just gonna come out and say it: Waxbuilt Castles is Mikey Erg's best album yet! If we are limiting this discussion to solo Mikey Erg, that means I'm putting this release ahead of 2016's Tentative Decisions (which I also love). The "buzz" around Waxbuilt Castles is that it's a huge departure for this beloved figure of pop-punk. This, it's said, is his "'70s pop-rock album". Mikey has even stated he was going for his own version of Paul McCartney's first solo record. All of this is true. And as someone who's old enough to have experienced '70s pop-rock firsthand, I have to say Mikey has really hit the mark here. Yet I wouldn't describe this album as a departure so much as I would call it a logical progression from Tentative Decisions. Even in the heyday of The Ergs!, it was obvious that pop-punk was only a fractional component of Mikey's songwriting influence. I always thought of him as a guy who writes great pop songs, period. And Waxbuilt Castles is a great pop record, period. 

Recorded in collaboration with Mikey's band-mate from the LLC, Alex Clute, Waxbuilt Castles finds Mikey Erg doing what Mikey Erg does best: writing songs about heartbreak, loneliness, and regret. These types of songs have been his bread and butter since he wrote "Thinking With My Heart" nearly 20 years ago, and he's grown into a true master of the form. The entire first verse of "Clueless Or Cruel" is as devastatingly relatable as anything that Jim Ellison or Doug Hopkins ever wrote. Perhaps on this release, Mikey has softened his vocal approach a tad. And with the integration of piano, pedal steel, and acoustic guitar into his sound, he's a long way from punk rock here. Yet Waxbuilt Castles still sounds like classic Mikey Erg - which speaks to how his talents have always transcended genre. The upbeat, jangling pop of "Bad Decision Monday" would not have sounded out of place on Tentative Decisions. "& Nico" is just a more mellowed-out version of the kinds of songs he's been writing for two decades. And even when he's blatantly indulging his '70s fetish (the easy-going soft rock of "Kimberly Gofigure", the early Elvis Costello worship of "Little Crushes", the bittersweet country rock of "Why Was I Programmed To Feel Pain?"), he does so in a way that feels totally true to himself. Mikey's feel for what makes a great song has only grown stronger with age, and with this particular album there are so many tracks that will absolutely grab you. "Clueless or Cruel" boasts the sort of simple but indelible chorus that some songwriters spend their entire careers chasing. "Hopland Superette" comes on so unassumingly, yet you'll suddenly realize you've been singing that hook for a week. "Kimberly Gofigure" might be Mikey's own "Hold My Life" - a song that at first seems oddly laid-back for a lead-off track, but ultimately proves to be the perfect album opener.

While Waxbuilt Castles has Mikey Erg's name on it, it was by no means a one-man creation. Mikey found the ideal collaborator in Clute - whose instrumental prowess and creative input were integral to this release. But that's what great artists do: they find other great artists capable of pushing them to new heights. Don't let the "this isn't a pop-punk album" angle discourage you. Waxbuilt Castles is the best collection of songs Mikey Erg has ever written. Even without buzzing guitars and racing tempos, these songs will still punch you in the gut. If you've been a fan of this man's music through the years, there's almost no way you won't love this record. And if your parents like it too, how is that anything but a huge win?



-L.R.

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