Near the halfway point of Bleachers' latest album, Everyone for Ten Minutes, is a track called "take you out tonight." At first it sounds relatively similar to what we've come to expect from Bleachers. There's the New Jersey sound, which is best described as channeling early Bruce Springsteen (think Born to Run / Darkness on the Edge of Town era), the lyrics are anthemic and there's some fun saxophone featured.
But, what really grabbed my attention was how weirdly similar this track sounded to the 1994 hit single "Run-Around" by Blues Traveler. I never in a million years would have thought that Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff would craft a song so reminiscent of Blues Traveler. Now, this could be a slightly out of pocket comparison, and maybe not everyone will hear it. But once I heard it I couldn't un-hear it. I started imagining Antonoff picking up harmonicas in the studio just to put them back down and replace them with saxophone. Did any of his bandmates hear the similarities? Is he a Blues Traveler fan? These were some of the thoughts that ran through my head.
After the initial surprise of "take you out tonight" wore off I focused on the record more as a whole. As a collection of songs on one single album, Everyone for Ten Minutes is a mixed bag. It's all over the place musically, but not with a clear sense of cohesion. Most songs left me feeling unfulfilled, which is not normally the case with this band.
As an example, take "dirty wedding dress." Now, personally, I've never been a fan of when musicians tell stories that are unrelatable. Antonoff does that with this track, in which he describes a time when a journalist approached him backstage and asked for stories and for Antonoff to read something they wrote. Most of us will never have that happen to us, and it sticks out for a musician who's been so relatable through his lyrics. However, the sax (supplied by Zem Audu) on this track rips, so positive marks there.
Don't get me wrong, Bleachers is a good band. I've seen them live a few times and every show the band pumps the energy up to 11. Antonoff usually jumps off a piano, there's plenty of crowd participation and synchronized band moves — it's a good time. That's why this record surprised me. It's missing the energy that previous Bleachers albums have had, and there's a strange absence of progression on a lot of the tracks. Minimalism can be cool, but it has to be done with finesse, and this didn't feel like that.
Lead single "you and forever" is an interesting case study within itself. The track starts off feeling reminiscent of James Blake, with a synth hit that I swear is a sample of Q. Lazarus' "Goodbye Horses" (which immediately made me think of Silence of the Lambs, which I'm not sure Antonoff would have wanted). This track takes a while to get going, but when it eventually finds its footing it's pretty much classic Bleachers vibes and a solid romantic song. If you can hang with it, it's worth your time.
There's no doubt in my mind at all that Jack Antonoff was born to do what he does. He's a phenomenal producer who's worked with everyone from Taylor Swift to Lana Del Rey, Lorde to Kendrick Lamar. He's created generation-defining work with these artists, and has cemented himself as one of the best producers of the last 20 years. Is Everyone for Ten Minutes going to be what he's remembered for? Probably not.
