By Ian Cory
In
all of the coverage I have read of Stop
Pretending, there are usually about three sentences about the music and
four paragraphs about the socio-political implications of the lyrics of “On
Fraternity.” As a politically minded person who tries daily to be a good male
feminist ally, this makes me very happy. It’s not often, in either the
mainstream or independent circles, that a song is able to spark such a massive
and extensive discussion of feminism that includes direct and transparent
communication between the artist and their critics. On the other hand, as a music critic, the lack of discourse
around the vehicle by which James Brooks’ occasionally great, occasionally well
meaning if somewhat poorly worded, political views are expressed, is a bit of a
disappointment for me. Especially since Brooks’ growth as a songwriter and
producer are part of the reason we’re able to dissect his lyrics so thoroughly.
Perhaps
it's for the best that Brooks didn’t heighten the drama any further given how
much controversy has sprung up around his attempts to convey his disgust with
patriarchy in the punk scene. For three out of four songs, Brooks conceptual
approach goes off without a hitch. By pushing his vocals to the forefront of
the mix and speaking plainly, Brooks makes it impossible to ignore his
accusations of hypocrisy and misogyny in punk music. Even on the EP’s
instrumental track, Brooks is able to comment on the way that silence and codes
of honor can prevent people from questioning or changing any of the problems in
their environment. For the other two songs that do have lyrics, what makes them
work is that they feel distinctly personal and tied to Brooks’ own experiences.
It shouldn’t be a surprise then
that his biggest misstep comes when he tries to describe the experiences of
others. Although the majority of “On Fraternity” is focused on the way that
Brooks feels about the way people treat survivors of assault, in the
opening line he describes precise physical symptoms that someone other than him
is feeling. While the intentions behind this song are pure, it's dangerous
territory to presume to relate to or understand how someone in such an extreme
position feels, and it was right for the multitude of people** who called
Brooks out to have done so. I can say from personal experience that few things
have helped me grow more as person than being called out for my shitty behavior
and emotional arrogance. As dudes trying to help challenge the patriarchal
structures of our surroundings, we’re inevitably going to slip up and say
things that we shouldn’t and we’re hopefully going to have those mistakes
shoved in our face for a long time. This is a good thing. This is a valuable
thing. In this sense, I’m actually glad that Brooks wrote “On Fraternity.” Not
only is it the most engaging song on Stop
Pretending on a musical level, balancing ear piercing harsh noise with an
infectious groove and vocal melody that actually benefits from its limited
range, but by fucking up, Brooks now has an opportunity to take in the
criticism and grow both as an artist and a human being. Silence can hurt, but
sometimes by shutting up and listening, we can make sure that when we do speak up, we
know what to say.
Grade: C+
*During the period of time I spent writing this review,
Brooks has already changed the name his new project from Dead Girlfriends to
Default Genders. With such a vast array of titles to go under, he’s a shoo-in
for this year’s Wu-Tang Clan auditions.
**There has been a lot written on both sides of the
conversation, but a good summary of a variety of the view points on this can be
found in Spin’s roundtable discussion.
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