“How to be Human” was well worth the wait
Five years is a long time, but the Classic Crime are back as good as ever
Back in 2012, the Classic Crime released an album that was funded entirely through Kickstarter. Sites like this one and its cousins — Indiegogo, GoFundMe—are extremely popular now, but I remember the band being one of the first to completely fund an album by crowdsourcing. It remains a brilliant idea, one of the most promising ways to survive in a music industry that is increasingly hostile to paying musicians.
Since then, the band has been relatively quiet. I don’t mean that nobody has heard from any of them — Matt MacDonald is prolific on twitter and throughout the podcasting world. But still quiet in the sense that the only music since then was an acoustic re-release of earlier songs and a live album. That’s actually not bad, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that the Classic Crime dropped another full-length studio album, the true follow-up to Phoenix.
With How to be Human, the Classic Crime are back, and are as good as ever. The time spent to make this album shines through on every track, and the vocals, lyrics, and instrumentals all combine to form the “signature” sound that has marked all of their albums so far. Beyond that, the project takes the maturity of Phoenix and expounds on it even further. Five years may be a long time in the course of a band’s career, but it’s also a long time in the lifespan of humans. And as the people in this band continue to age and mature, the music that they create follows with them.
I’ve written a lot recently about how the music that I loved as a teenager has stayed with me, and the Classic Crime fit that bill perfectly. I listened to this band as I grew up, and Phoenix came out during my sophomore year of college. Now, as I prepare to finish graduate school, How to be Human hits a new level of maturity. I’ve aged out of some bands as I grow older, but this band is one that has easily outpaced my own growth.
Take the third song on the album, “Not Done With You Yet.”
You always have the fall before the lift
Whether you drink to remember or drink to forget what you did
I am the closest thing to a modern day poet fraud
But I met God in a velvet Elvis painting that I painted myself
In a bar where I was pulling off the bottom shelf
When I had to quit before I killed myself
I met him there
And I was scared
And so I asked God if he could fix my flaws
And he said I gave them to you
I know they are killing you
But I’m not done with you yet
This song is an emotional journey, a concept that MacDonald alluded to on his podcast. Here, he comes to terms with his flaws, how they have shaped his life, and how they inform his understanding of God. He expresses self doubt “I am the closest thing to a modern day poet fraud,” and how this affects his understanding of God “and so I asked God if he could fix my flaws.” The ultimate message of this song, and the lyrics therein, is that these flaws are ok. God recognizes the flaws, and that no human is a finished project on earth.
There’s more than just introspection here, though. “Holy Water,” the song that immediately precedes this one, is full of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. These two songs encapsulate so much of this album, as well as the kinds of songs that this band writes as a whole. They’ve always mixed energy-filled anthems with introspective lyrics, often weaving the two together to provide thoughtful music that is also just a joy to listen to.
I briefly wondered if I’d ever hear a new album from the Classic Crime. I’ve gotten to the age where many of the bands that I listen to while growing up have retired, and the crop of albums from bands that I know and love each year is dwindling. Perhaps this is one of the cruelest ironies of music this good and this mature — bands that can write songs this deep and introspective often realize that there’s more to life than being in band.
Thankfully, the Classic Crime are still around. And thankfully, they’re still making some of the best music out there. Earlier, I wrote that the Menzingers had the album of the year so far. Now, it’s too close to call.
