As much as I like Mark Vennis’s signature sound, one that blends punky attitudes with rock and roll finesse, a sound that builds a bridge between The Clash’s urgency and Springsteen’s cinematic, widescreen narratives, and another between The Boomtown Rats’ new wave vibes and low-slung post-punkery, it is great when they mix things up a bit.
With the band already seeming to cover a lot of tasteful musical territory, this time out, “Solid Ground,” in its original form, takes us down a new, understated route. It’s not exactly folky, but it certainly is a rootsy take on their usual bigger rock-infused sound.
And if that is a departure, the fact that it comes with two alternative versions underlies how happy Mark and the gang are to break new ground, test their own boundaries, and push out into new pastures.
The Escape remix was inspired by John Carpenter’s bleak, electronic scores for his films, particularly, as the title implies, Escape From New York. This is followed by an acoustic version, which feels like an apocalyptic folk-blues take on things.
Three different versions of the song, one poignant message – we are on the brink of environmental disaster – the world is burning, sinking, flooding, becoming polluted, animals are dying out, and the clock is ticking. And you know the worst part…it’s all humanity’s fault.
Damn, we’ve screwed things up…big time!
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