Hollywood Park＜Grey & White Splatter Vinyl＞

The musical soundtrack to Airborne Toxic Event frontman Mikel Jolletts autobiography of the same name, Hollywood Park dials back the trashy glam rock of its predecessor in favor of big earnest indie rock with the occasional flourish of gothic folk and Americana-laced post-punk. The titular cut, which is named after the horse track where Jollett and his brother Tony would often go to spend time with their father, rolls in on a chassis of blazing, late-70s Springsteen bombast. The somber Brother, How Was the War? delivers a contrasting view of Jolletts complex youth, which was mired in the discord of having been raised in Synanon, an experimental community in Santa Monica that eventually morphed into a violent cult. Impressionistic renderings of the books often harrowing ruminations on family, addiction, poverty, and illness abound, with highlights arriving via the pulsing Come on Out and the early Arcade Fire-invoking Everything I Love Is Broken. The melodies are familiar, but Jolletts an ace storyteller with a keen sense of when to turn on the thrusters and when to hit the brakes. His expressive voice can go from hushed and brooding to outright explosive, and he applies the cracks in all the right places, which helps to elevate otherwise rote indie anthems like All These Engagements into fiery, fist-raising calls to action. Jollett has mellowed with age -- hes now a father himself -- as has ATEs nervy, classical-tinged post-punk approach to parsing lifes myriad woes, but Hollywood Parks particular brand of nostalgia is tempered with fire, as it was forged in a crucible of unimaginable discontent. ~ James Christopher Monger