The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites!

Butch Walker, I commented to a friend of mine the other day, is like a sleazy Paul McCartney: he writes these pop-rock songs that seem so effortless and easy, it almost makes you sick. He cranks out hooky songs like nobody's business, just like McCartney does.

Rise and Fall, Walker's third post-Marvelous 3 release, is easily the best album he's ever recorded. It's no accident that it's not credited as a Butch Walker solo release: the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites, his backing band, pushes Walker to produce his best work, and he doesn't disappoint. Rise and Fall is his strongest set of songs, and the band gives them a varied and invigorating read. Most of Walker's previous efforts, both as a solo artist and with the Marvelous 3, had a sameness to them: '70s-inspired arena rock with a hefty dose of sleazy glam and a little bit of punk energy. But Rise and Fall mixes things up: there's a bit of country swagger to a couple of tracks, a little bit of Ben Folds in the ballads, and a whole lot of just damn-good music.

All in all, Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites have crafted a fantastic album. They sound like they're having the time of their lives just playing music, and that sort of enthusiasm is almost guaranteed to give you a great record. It certainly does here. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites, "Hot Girls in Good Moods"