Moderation is anathema to Liam Hayes. Under the guise of Plush, Hayes has vacillated from ascetic sparseness (relying almost exclusively on piano for his debut More You Becomes You) to brimming excess (for the densely-populated follow-up Fed). The apparent disdain for temperance has served him well artistically, though it has also resulted in numerous financial setbacks and caused lengthy delays between albums. Hayes reportedly racked up a near-hundred-grand debt financing the Steve Albini-engineered Fed; to make matters worse, he was ultimately unable to secure it a domestic release. Not counting 2004's stripped-down version of Fed, titled Underfed, Hayes has managed to release only three albums in total since his debut single in 1994, only one of which (the debut) received distribution in the States.
Hayes' new album, Bright Penny, follows last year's excellent single, "Take a Chance", a breezily nostalgic slice of blue-eyed soul. The euphoric lightness of "Chance" suggested that Hayes had a dramatic shift in store for album #3. As different as both More You and Fed are, they remain united by Hayes' meticulous approach to songwriting and recording. The seriousness and naked ambition of both clearly mark them as products of Hayes, despite being on opposite ends of the stylistic spectrum. Even More You, which, according to Hayes, had been constructed to sound like it was recorded in a single take, could never be mistaken for effortless.
Hayes has indeed lightened up with Bright Penny, making it arguably his most significant departure to date. As if to underscore, Bright Penny is credited to "Liam Hayes and Plush." That's apt: As upbeat as Penny is, Hayes still has trouble making a clean break from the past. Many of the songs bear the weight of over-studied arrangements typical of Plush. Hayes' fussy, exacting touch in the studio tended to work with the somber, downbeat tone of his prior albums, lending them the feel of hard-won victories. But the tack routinely clashes with effervescent Bright Penny, making the album's cheeriness sound oddly labored.
The album gets off to an auspicious start with the aforementioned "Take a Chance", the blaring horns announcing Hayes's sunny disposition in no uncertain terms. Longtime Plush listeners are also likely to notice the smoother vocals, immediately evident from the first track. Suiting the airy, lighter touch of the songs, Hayes' cracked warble now seems more deliberately on pitch. It fits particularly well on stately ballads like "If I Could" and "We Made It", both of which manage to convey a sunny, albeit measured, optimism without sounding forced. Unfortunately, Hayes is less convincing when playing it loose: "Look Up, Look Down" calls for freewheeling barroom stomp, but everything from the backing singers to the shattered-glass sound effect sounds carefully, persistently arranged.
Ultimately, so much thorough plotting begins to darken the mood of Bright Penny. Even the more sprightly tracks, "So Much Music" and "White Telescope" chief among them, are stifled by structure, a sense that their paths are both predestined and predictable. Toward the album's end, on a song entitled "Getaway", Hayes arguably concedes the point, imploring for someone, perhaps himself, to "let me out of the past." He doesn't exactly break free on Bright Penny, but typical of Hayes, it's not for lack of trying.
