Search - Peter Himmelman :: Pigeons Couldn't Sleep

Singer-songwriter rock w/fascinating DVD documentary

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 11/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Himmelman's tenth studio album offer the same sort of husky blues-tinged singer-songwriter rock of his last few releases. His vocals are a raspy sing-speak that's most immediately remindful of Dylan or the alleyway poetry of Tom Waits, but with snappy soul arrangements that take this towards East Coast purveyors like Southside Johnny. From the accompanying 64-minute DVD documentary (ironically titled "Rock God"), one quickly gets the sense that the reward of artistic accomplishment without commercial return has increasingly rung hollow. Himmelman says as much in the jumpy horn-lined reggae-soul of "Winning Team," on which he sings "just once I'd like to be on the winning team." Resignation sets in for "The Ship of Last Hope," to which "you can only wave goodbye."



It's not all doom and gloom, although even the hopeful moments of "Gratitude" have a bitter backbite, and the electric blues of "Killer" and "A Dog Can Drink Stagnant Water" are ambivalent about the possibility of victory. Himmelman's a polished writer who performs his songs with enough grit to keep them vital. But his music has settled into a divide between artists who gain recognition for their indie cred, and artists who gain commercial fortune by luck or industry plotting. For unknown reasons he's never been able to settle into the sweet spot where artists like Dave Alvin can apparently eke out a reasonable living as a recording and touring musician.



The accompanying DVD documentary is insightful and depressing as it follows Himmelman on a U.S. club tour. There's darkness of a different stripe than heard on the album, and it helps explain why Himmelman's audience (whose advancing years he disdains as an unpleasant reminder of his own mortality) hasn't expanded over the years. His sarcasm and irony often turn to bitterness. He's at odds with his longtime bandmates and unsatisfied with what he's been able to make of his talent. Though he seems unfilled as he ruminates on the slow death of his dream, one has to wonder whether being able to sustain a career across ten albums and over a dozen U.S. tours isn't, in fact, a large part of a musician's dream. The documentary demonstrates that staying true to a dream invented at the age of 19 can be the result of both resilience and obstinance.



On video Himmelman seems beaten by a career that didn't reach the level of success he anticipated. He really only seems joyous and animated in a few selected performance sequences, taking his audience outside for an impromptu sing-a-long, and acting out an alter ego lampooning more derivative songwriters. He struggles with mid-life crisis, balancing commercial work (which he clearly disdains) that will support his family with an adolescent dream of stardom that continues to stay out of reach. He's funny, but his sardonic humor ("what passes for rebellion in rock 'n' roll puts me to sleep") is rooted in the disappointment of someone who never fully readjusted his trajectory to account for what life has thrown his way.



One can certainly admire Himmelman's tenacity, but his stated lack of regret for following his dreams rings hollow when placed next to his expressed discontent. This is a bravely open look at an artist whose talent didn't seem to find the opportunity, manager, label, or other catalyzing agent that could bring him to a bigger stage. The trials and tribulations of a touring musician seem to dog him, but he still manages to come alive in stage performances and his studio recordings still feel more like art than work. CD 3-1/2 stars, DVD 4-1/2 stars. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"