Tommy Keene – Isolation Party

 

Tommy Keene – Isolation Party

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

Tommy Keene knew his way around a song. The late singer-songwriter’s approach was not entirely unique. But he knew what worked and what didn’t. What made a sharp melody, and what dragged an album down.

A contemporary of Mathew Sweet, he had been crafting power pop gems since the mid-80s. He had a college rock hit in 1986 with “Places That Are Gone.” And then, one thanksgiving, he was gone. Dead of a heart attack in his sleep. He was 59. 

In the middle of his story came Isolation Party. The 1998 album carried the jangly sound of earlier records forward, but with a harder edge to the guitars. Opener “Long Time Missing” perfectly exemplifies this transition. 

The guitars have a staccato crunch to them, with a slight gain. The tempo lurches forward and the song seems to jump out of the speakers before pulling back. When the drums crash in and Keene’s nasal tenor belts the opening line, you can hear the influence that touring with Paul Westerberg had on him.

The Replacements’ singer/guitarist tapped Keene to play lead guitar with him on tour in 1996. The shows were roaring, and showed a consummate professionalism not previously seen in Westerberg. But more importantly, they showed that Keene could rock on guitar.

“Long Time Missing” is a success not just because it faithfully captures a live sound on record, but because it also shows an artist breaking free from past expectations. He’s still a master craftsman, but he’s also a capital “R” Rocker.

Elsewhere, we hear Keene in familiar territory with the sweet, soft pop of “Never Really Been Gone.” Jeff Tweedy of Wilco provides beautiful harmony vocals, and the way their voices blend gives the track an ethereal quality.

Tweedy also shows up on “The World Outside,” which manages to combine the sound of The Raspberries with R.E.M. But it’s Tweedy’s partner in Wilco, the late Jay Bennett who brings the album to an even higher level of quality.

Like Keene, Bennett was a master craftsman with an untimely end. He could play nearly any instrument and transformed Wilco from roots rockers in pop perfectionists on Summerteeth. His contributions are all over Isolation Party, but they really stand out on “Happy When You’re Sad.”

A resigned melancholy hangs over the track both in the lyrics and Keene’s delivery. The lyrics describe a rainy autumn day using it as a metaphor for the dying days of a relationship. But Bennett’s bass and rhythm guitar parts paint in the extra details. His gentle stop-start strumming locking in with the jazz drum beat and Keene’s reverberated lead guitar.

The defeated, sepia toned sound is somewhat reminiscent of what The Jesus and Mary Chain did on Stoned and Dethroned. But Keene gives it his own spin, singing in a higher register than the Reid brothers.

Tommy Keene released his biggest hit in 1986 with “Places That Are Gone,” but there is much more to his story. Despite having made several great songs and records before, Tommy Keene shone the brightest on Isolation Party.

Matador/1998