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27th & Vine * 55th & South * 17th & Washington
Game Theory’s new release
has more synthesis, less pop
By Mark Lage
Staff Reporter
Game Theory
Two Steps from the Middle Ages
Enigma Records
After last year’s inspired double
album titled “Lolita Nation,” one
might have expected a bit of a rest
from Southern California’s
thoughtful power pop outfit
But just about one year later,
Game Theory is back with its fourth
album, ‘Two Steps from the
Middle Ages.”
This new album is strikingly
different from “Lolita Nation” in
two main areas.
First, Scott Miller — singer,
songwriter and pre-eminent riff
maestro for the band—is much less
accustom to wander around the
fret-board than he’s ever been.
Although most rock V roll
guitarists would fare better with a
little of this kind of restraint,
Miller’s controlled, catchy style is
disappointing.
Second, conventional pop song
and album structure geta conspicu
ous rest from the fairly severe
beating they were dealt on “Lolita
Nation.”
That album was ii tiered with
song fragments, bits and pieces of
variously rearranged noise and
longer songs pul together in often
bizarre ways.
The only hints of this strange,
fragmentary nature on “Two Steps
from the Middle Ages”are the short
keyboard pulse and vocal song
“The Picture of Agreeability” and
the keyboard blurbs leading into
“Throwing the Election” near the
end of side two.
The individual structures of the
new songs are much more direct. In
fact, some of the structures are just
about as basic as they get
mnwumnim
Courtesy of Kimball Box Office
The stress is on combinations of
sounds.
Mitch Easter returns to produce
Game -Theory. This makes them
one of the few bands since The
Beatles to have enough sense to
stay with the same producer
throughout its career.
Instead of depending on a new
producer for an automatic new
sound, Game Theory relies on the
creative development of the band
and a single producer to vary the
sound.
The new album is consistent
with previous Game Theory re
leases. Scott Miller again demon
strates that he is one of the best
lyricists in rock ‘n’ roll today.
Whether he’s commenting on
relationships or the effect of the
Reagan Era on smart young
people, Miller’s lyrics are clever,
witty and thoroughly unique. At
the same time, they never smother
the emotional quality of the par
ticular scene.
While there are none of the lat
ter type of songs on the new album,
it does have songs which rank as
Miller’s best descriptions of per
sonal scenes, including “Amelia,
Have You Lost’’and “Wish I Could
Stand or Have.’’ The titles them
selves hin t at Miller’s often strange
use of words.
If a number of his lines are ini
tially difficult to decipher, it’s not
due to R.E.M./Church style obscu
rity for obscurity’s sake, but rather
results from lyrical sophistication
tending more towards Elvis Cos
tello.
In short, Game Theory contin
ues to be one of the best bands in
rock ‘n’ roll today, even if its not
one of the most popular.
The highly polished pop veneer
hasn’t gained them any kind of
commercial success, probably
because of Miller’s sophisticated
songwriting style. At the same
time, the band’s pop sound has
likely turned away many “alterna
tive” music fans who are accustom
to more organic-sounding bands.
Those few Gair.e Theory fans
out there will probably find ‘Two
Steps from the Middle Ages” not
quite as good as “Lolita Nation,”
yet it manages to be a step forward
for the band.
Those who have never been
struck by past Game Theory al
bums will probably not be struck
by this album.
And the huge n umbers of people
out there who have never heard a
Game Theory album, unfortu
nately, will probably never hear
this one.
— — — — — — — — —' — — — I
The good news is that the con
struction and composition of most
of the new songs are so strong that
the above criticisms are often ir
relevant
Game Theory’s focus merely
has shifted away from individual
instrumental moments to interest
ing combinations of instruments.
This process began on “Lolita
Nation,’’ but it is not nearly as
pronounced as it is on the new
album.
There are a number of factors
which have led to this shift. On
‘‘Two Steps from the Middle
Ages,” Scott Miller keeps the same
backing band as he had on ‘‘Lolita
Nation,” which is die first lime in
his career that this has happened.
Before “Lolita Nation,” Game
Theoiy consisted of Scott Miller
and a variety of temporary backing
musicians. The returning band on
the new album probably contrib
utes to its more group-oriented
sound.
The production of the album
also contributes to this new synthe
sis. The individual instruments are
not as easy to pick out as they are on
previous Game Theory albums.
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