Making a Door Less Open＜Pink Vinyl/限定盤＞

まるでベックがプロデュースしたストロークス!?USロックシーン再燃の鍵を握る最重要バンド カー・シート・ヘッドレストによる最新作!!

若干17歳で曲作りをスタートさせるとbandcampで驚異のダウンロード数を記録し、一部メディアでは"bandcampで夢を叶えた少年"とまで讃えられた天才フロントマン、ウィル・トレド率いるUSロック・バンド、カー・シート・ヘッドレストが前作『Teens Of Denial』以来、オリジナル作としては実に4年ぶりとなるアルバム『Making A Door Less Open』を〈Matador〉よりリリース。

制作期間4年を費やして生まれた本作は、ウィル・トレドとドラマーのアンドリュー・カッツで活動しているもう1つのエレクトロニック・ミュージック寄りのプロジェクトである1トレイト・デンジャーとの創造力豊かなコラボレーションから誕生した。

制作過程でバンドはアルバムを2回録音しており、1回目はギター、ドラム、ベースをライブ・レコーディングし、2回目はMIDI環境でシンセサイザーだけを使ったサウンドを録音。ミキシングの過程では、その双方の要素を使いながら徐々に2つが組み合わされ、多重録音の手法であるオーバーダブを用いて制作された。

ザ・ストロークスのローファイ・ガレージ感とフェニックスのハイセンスなエレクトロニックなポップさが絶妙にブレンドされた先行シングル「Can't Cool Me Down」をはじめ、創造的なソングライティングやレコーティングの手法を開拓することで、それぞれの楽曲が特別なエネルギーを持った結果、今まで以上にダイナミックで自由な作品になっている。また、限定輸入盤LPはピンク・ヴァイナル仕様でのリリースとなる。

Over the course of a decade, Will Toledo has gone from making homemade albums with his vocals cut in his car to becoming a major force in indie rock with his group Car Seat Headrest, and that didnt happen without growth, change, and a willingness to evolve. So it comes as only so much of a surprise that 2020s Making a Door Less Open, his first album of new songs since 2016s breakthrough Teens of Denial, is a dramatic stylistic change-up from his last few releases, though some fans might still raise their eyebrows at how different this sounds. Much of Making a Door Less Open was recorded by Toledo and CSH drummer Andrew Katz, who have an electronic side project called 1 Trait Danger, and here the effectively sloppy indie rock of Teens of Denial gives way to a cleaner and more exacting soundscape dominated by keyboards and rhythm machines, with guitars still in the mix but not dominating as they once did. Unlike Teens of Denial and Twin Fantasy (the 2011 album he re-recorded in 2018), Making a Door Less Open lacks a narrative concept that links the songs; the tracks exist in a similar emotional space, but theres no through line to this album. If there is a theme to this set of songs, its that success hasnt been everything Toledo was hoping for. While angst has played a big role in his songs from the start, the adolescent anxieties and confusion of Teens of Denial have been replaced by the uncomfortable emotions of adulthood and a severe wariness of his place in the larger world and the circle where he has placed himself. Hes riddled with self-doubt on the opener Weightlifters, hes disgusted with the ugly and venal world of Hollywood, hes at odds with his creative process in Deadline, his fear and depression are vivid in Life Worth Missing, and the title of Famous speaks for itself. Toledo isnt the first artist to discover getting what you want isnt the same thing as getting what you were hoping for, and the cooler, more precise, and less cozy surfaces of Making a Door Less Open suit these songs well, the inorganic tone meshing with the alienation that permeates the album. Despite all that, the simple yet effective melodies that buoyed Car Seat Headrests earlier work are still recognizable, and the sincere, foggy tone of Toledos voice adds a humanity that makes his uncertainty cut even deeper. Making a Door Less Open does not sound like the work of a happy man, but he remains a remarkably talented one, and this music is tremendously powerful, a strong album about his own weaknesses. One hopes Will Toledo is more content when Car Seat Headrest next goes into the studio, but that hes also just as good and as honest as he is on Making a Door Less Open. ~ Mark Deming