Whether you appreciate Peter Case as a founding member of The Nerves and The Plimsouls, or you dig the man for his numerous solo recordings, there’s really no argument the guy’s career has been lengthy and fruitful. Doctor Moan is Case’s most recent album, his 16th solo release overall, and it captures him mostly at the piano with minimal accompaniment. It is a powerful set that finds his skills as a songwriter and his strength as a singer undiminished. It’s out on CD March 31 (with vinyl to come, date TBA) via Sunset Blvd Records.
Formed in 1974 and featuring Peter Case on bass, Jack Lee on guitar, and Paul Collins on drums, The Nerves didn’t last long but they left behind a fine batch of recordings, including the original version of “Hanging on the Telephone” (covered more famously by Blondie). Those songs have endured as a wellspring of inspiration for scores of younger listeners and groups smitten by the power-pop impulse.
Upon breakup, Case formed The Plimsouls, a slightly more refined affair, but still quite hooky, as the band dented the lower end of the album charts with their self-titled 1981 debut and ’83 follow-up Everywhere at Once. Lasting until 1985 (though there have been Plimsouls and Nerves reunions), Case began a solo career that found him aging into the singer-songwriter zone and with an attention to roots that presaged what’s now known as the Americana shebang.
His new record is his first in seven years and finds him at the piano almost entirely (he also plays harmonica, mellotron, and guitar), as Jonny Flaugher helps out on electric and acoustic bass and Chris Joyner adds Hammond B-3 organ. The additional instrumentation brightens and broadens the record, but the focus, with one exception, is on Case, who recorded the album with Ryan McCaffrey at The Sun Machine in Novato, California and played a restored 1905 Steinway piano.
“Have You Ever Been in Trouble” opens Doctor Moan with an influx of tension and emotion, Case playing and singing dynamically but with a veteran musician’s sense of control as Joyner complements him with equal restraint. One of the opener’s best touches is the rumble from the piano’s lower register, a tactic sparingly employed but very welcome.
Exuding less desperation than the opener, “That Gang of Mine” is still imbued with feeling, even before Case’s voice enters nearly a minute into the tune. The overall mood isn’t far from reflective resignation, but with “Downtown Nowhere’s Blues,” Case kicks up the tempo a few notches and hits the keys extra hard, going it completely solo.
“Eyes of Love” slows the tempo but builds up the emotion once again, extending to nearly five and a half minutes and dishing a sweet blend of piano and churchy organ. What’s maybe most impressive is how Case dives so deeply into sentiment (here and throughout Doctor Moan) without teetering into the overwrought. And in “Give Me Five Minutes More,” Case rollicks into the ’70s singer-songwriter piano zone and gives it a bluesy harmonica spin.
From there, “Wandering Days” delivers Doctor Moan’s biggest twist as Case switches to guitar for a folky strummer (undergirded with some subtle mellotron); to call it a highlight shouldn’t be read as an undercut of the piano’s dominance, as “Ancient Sunrise” swaggers with a hint of Mose Allison in the keys, though the intensity of Case’s voice brings a distinct touch. “The Flying Crow” is even more bluesy, unsurprising as Case has recorded tributes to Mississippi John Hurt and Sleepy John Estes, but the combination of piano, organ, and harmonica helps to steer clear of cliché.
The meditative “Girl in Love With a Shadow” lands smackdab in singer-songwriter territory again, with the timbre of Case’s voice taking it over the top. It’s followed with the instrumental “4D,” a total treat in the penultimate spot, as closer “Brand New Book of Rules” sounds like it could’ve been cut for the Asylum label around ’76 or so but eventually transcends that comparison. Doctor Moan finds Peter Case in outstanding mature form, hitting the right notes and avoiding any missteps along the way.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
