Mark Sultan's plan was to release three albums this month: Whatever I Want, Whenever I Want, and a compilation of songs from each album, Whatever/Whenever. Apparently, the first two have been delayed, leaving us with this-- a handful of songs from each LP. But if the compilation is an indicator of the rest of the material, Sultan did an excellent job naming those records. These songs are exactly that-- whatever kind of track he wants to do, inspired by whichever era he chooses. Sultan-- who has pilfered from doo-wop, early-1960s rock and R&B, punk, garage, and plenty of other styles-- isn't a guy with a limited palate, so maybe he didn't want to be limited to one time period or sound or idea.
In this sense, and others, Whatever/Whenever is a grab bag. The final track, for example, is an experimental free jazz song that's over eight minutes long. Surprisingly, it's the best thing on the album. Two tracks earlier, by contrast, is the gratingly repetitive "Party Crasher". The positive part of putting out such an uninhibited range of work? By moving into territory not covered by him or one of his various bands (the King Khan & BBQ Show, the Spaceshits, the Ding-Dongs), he's managed to make something ethereal and oddly beautiful. The negative? Whatever/Whenever is all over the place.
There are quality moments, though, and songs that would fit well with the source material he's evoking. "Song in Grey" could stand next to an early-60s girl-group or rock song with its sunny delivery of a heartbreaking message and earworm vocal hook. But even when a song stands out, the next track cheapens it. "Just Like Before" follows "Song in Grey"-- it's a breezy ukulele-wielding ballad that would've fit tidily in the Mills Brothers' catalog. And after that, "Calloused Hands", a fuzzy pop rocker, jumps in. Just about every song presents a new disparity, and with each subsequent track, it's a new genre or time or attitude that jumps in. It's a crowded album layout that doesn't give the songs much room to breathe.
One saving grace is Sultan's croon, which is especially bold this time around. "If I Had a Polaroid" finds him belting out those dragging vowels he's done for a while ("daaaaaarling"). It's a great vocal performance-- he tempers the volume to sound vulnerable, and later he growls out lines for an extra emotional punch. Unfortunately, the song itself sounds like a balladized cousin of King Khan & BBQ's "I'll Be Loving You" and doesn't bring anything new to the table. The songs where he does kick up the tempo are a welcome addition: "Satisfied & Lazy" lights a rockabilly-paced fire with its heavy-handed drums and biting vocals, and "Let Me Freeze" is a lo-fi, minute-long song where he shouts and points back to the Circle Jerks. Songs like these deserve to shine, but Whatever/Whenever is too claustrophobic for that sort of possibility. Because Sultan casts such a wide net, it would probably be better if each song had its own 7"-- all together, it sounds like a poorly organized collection of demos and ideas.
