Minor Love
Lou Reed once quipped, “I do Lou Reed better than anybody,” but Adam Green comes in a close second on Minor Love. A step up from the stylistically conflicted Sixes & Sevens, Green’s sixth album finds the onetime Moldy Peaches member seguing into maturity, with an album that appropriates the baritone vocals and early-‘70s production style of Transformer (as well as Reed’s street hood image, for the cover). Talk-sung ditties are delivered with charming apathy and recorded as stripped-down but glossy arrangements -- much like Bowie and Ronson’s instrumentation on Transformer -- with seven accompanying musicians helping Green to create a smooth, snappy vibe. Considering that Green helped pen Juno's whimsical serenade “Anyone But You,” it’s only expected that there are some ridiculous lyrics thrown into the mix (“Mind your pubis” and “You were the flatulent one,” for instance) -- but even so, compared to his earlier releases, Minor Love is less likely to get filed away as a novelty. The fingerpicked minor-chord ballad “Boss Inside” shows a dark side of Green as he edges away from Jonathan Richman drollness and shows off a Leonard Cohen-esque earnestness in a morose tale of an abusive alcoholic. It's a harsh slice of life and a big turnabout from poop jokes, but honest-sounding stories provide a refreshing sense of balance. When he takes the other route as a smug wisecrackin' bad boy, with lines like "I've been too awful to ever be thoughtful" in the gentle opener, "Breaking Locks," he's in full swing. Likewise, “Give Them a Token,” “Buddy Bradley,” and “What Makes Him Act So Bad” rank among his best. These are the types of tunes that are simple, instant, and irresistible. Bonus points for keeping all 14 tracks under the three-minute mark. -Jason Lymangrover Allmusic.com 4/5
The former Moldy Peaches member eschews dick jokes and pop ditties for Downtown cool and minimalism.
By the time the songs of Adam Green’s filthy-minded, sweet-natured band Moldy Peaches appeared in Juno, he had long since struck out on his own, recording several albums that beefed up his lo-fi sound with gospel choirs, pan flutes, and swooning strings. Minor Love takes a step back toward Green’s folky roots,…
Lou Reed once quipped, “I do Lou Reed better than anybody,” but Adam Green comes in a close second on Minor Love.
Much like New York, the city that defines his sound, Adam Green is in a hurry. Maybe that's why all 13 songs on the former Moldy Peaches member's latest release, titled Minor Love, clock in at well under the three-minute mark.
Sometimes it’s almost hard to believe that Adam Green was once the doe-eyed, juvenile soul of American lo-fi folksters The Moldy Peaches.