It was a long time coming but finally Ace Enders’ solo album, under the strange alias I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business, has seen the light of day. The Early November frontman is certainly a talented chap – for a young man the maturity his songwriting emphasises is quite astounding. Yet for me TEN has never managed to consistently wow me and their records so far are good without reaching greatness. This 15-track self-titled solo record sees Ace play pretty much everything except the drums and is a real musical feat if nothing else. It does make me wonder why this isn’t a TEN record – after all many of the songs are just slower, more tender versions – but either way, fans of the band will really enjoy this record.
And they have good reason to. This is an album of many good moments and is arguably more consistent than both TEN records so far. The vocals soar, the guitar parts are well thought out and the use of strings is never over-done. On ‘Whispering Actually’ there’s seemingly a sample in the background that gives things an electronic feel. It’s not different per se, but it’s refreshing. After all, every man and his dog is coming out with acoustic songs or re-workings of old tunes at the moment, yet Ace successfully makes this sound like a viable band as opposed to a stodgy side-project.
What Ace manages to do throughout is remind music fans he has a knack for writing catchy songs. They’re not necessarily punk or even emo, but there’s no doubting efforts such as ‘So I Finally Decided to Give Myself a Reason’ and ‘The Best Happiness Money Can Buy’ are great songs. The latter has a real singalong sound that will have your feet tapping and hands clapping before you know it. The untitled ‘Track 8′ throws in organs and a far more aggressive sound, with electric guitars plugged in to strip away the tender, more bare songs that are on offer earlier in the record, but this is followed up by ‘track 9′ which is far more positive and anthemic.
As Drive Thru don’t send us records to review (hint hint..ahem!) I was unsure whether or not to spend £10 on this album, but I really enjoyed it. It’s a little different to the cookie-cutter conveyor belt of bands currently doing the rounds and it’s something I’ve been able to relax to after a hard day’s work. Musically this is progression from ‘The Room’s Too Cold’ and shows a maturity that will certainly stand the ‘day job’ in good stead for the new album.
Drive Thru Records
Paul