Some people just manage to get things done, and some manage to sit around a lot. Mike Park falls into the former category, since when he’s not running the prestigious Asian Man record label and being both the founder and president of the Plea For Peace organisation he’s somehow found the time to record this collection of solo acoustic songs. The set up is deliberately stripped down, with Mike providing the acoustic guitar and vocals and a cast of assorted friends playing the other instruments, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that this is just an indulgent collection of songs from a guy who wants some attention; that simply could not be further from the truth. Each one of the songs on For The Love Of Music deals with issues that Park finds important, such as casual racism and social behaviour – much like the bands on Asian Man.
But however good his intentions are, this collection would be simply a footnote in punk rock if the songs sucked, right? I’m happy to say that they don’t – take the opener ‘Supposed To Be There Too.’ A simple ballad augmented by the presence of a cello line, Park conjures up melodies and images reminiscent of Bright Eyes, but with an eye for detail that characterises the whole album. Park‘s greatest talent in songwriting is taking the microcosmic event and showing its relevance in the macro world – the simple line “And the fighting on the dance floor makes things hard tonight†can be applied to the vast majority of punk rock shows around the world, and on the baleful ‘Counting Sheep’ the slowly exultant lead guitar suggests hope where “I’m losing but I don’t expect to win†implies otherwise. On paper it might seem self-indulgent and pretentious, but when you consider Park‘s achievements it gives the song a different colouring. Would the owner of, say, Victory Records write a song to his mother detailing his plight?
As I mentioned earlier, this album takes the minor event and applies it to the universal, like on ‘From Korea’, with the delightful “My eyes are small, but your eyes are closed†underpinning the chorus. It’s just Park and his guitar, but it’s a fantastic song with the simple melodies and catchy hooks. ‘Present Day Memories’ takes the same approach, yet even the most naked of songs sit next to the rockabilly jig of ‘Southbound 260′ or the poppy ‘Hey You’ comfortably. The curious thing is that even when Park uses the light strings on ‘Thankful All The Same’ or sings with a full band on ‘Train Maps’ his songs retain their quiet power as when he removes all embellishments and pours himself into his lyrics.
At the end of the day, when you remove all agendas from ‘For The Love Of Music’ it remains a collection of very good quality acoustic songs. It doesn’t quite have the emotional steam-roller effect of the gorgeous Bright Eyes, but it is as catchy as any Dashboard album and can appeal to fans that wouldn’t normally touch this stuff with a barge pole seeing as its vehemently unpretentious and relevant. It’s an impressive achievement, and one that should be enjoyed by all.
Ben
www.pleaforpeace.com
www.asianmanrecords.com