"I'm better off alone," sings Brian Wilson toward the end of That's Why God Made the Radio, as if yearning to be understood and conveying the unvarnished honesty that marked his best work as the creative force of the Beach Boys.
It's an arresting statement to hear within the context of Wilson's re-integration into a band he helped rise to some of the highest peaks in pop music. Would his return lead the Beach Boys back to some semblance of past glory? Despite public assurances by band members that the reunion would herald a return to the sonics of Pet Sounds, the overall impression TWGMTR makes is more "Do It Again" than "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times," more commerce than art. However sweet the sentiments, however much we may be rooting for them, this is the Beach Boys in kitsch mode, hoping to "find a place in the sun, where everyone can have fun."
Lyrics acknowledge their advanced ages but mainly from the perspective of looking back and reliving the glory days – which is fine for a song, but wears thin as a conceit over the course of an album. Too much of TWGMTR is calculated in its easy nostalgia, blandly delivered, and self-congratulatory. Lines like "all we can say is we’re still having a blast" reveal the album for what it is: a celebration of the band's legacy that overwhelms any attempts to appreciate the songs as pure pop pleasures. When the Boys combine the topical and tropical on "The Private Life of Bill and Sue," they offer mundane, forgettable commentary about the absurdity of reality show obsession, and for the most part, the album's lyrics are a string of clichés (producer Joe Thomas is credited as co-writer on most of the songs). In theme and production value, TWGMTR sounds like it could double as the soundtrack to a revue at a WASP-y beach resort, like the Mike Love-penned "Daybreak Over the Ocean," which is closer to "Kokomo" than anything you'd associate with the band's 1960s and early '70s output.
Despite the weak material, the vocal harmonies and Wilson's knack for melody and arrangement prove rewarding stand-outs. And it is nice to have the Boys back to harmonizing (sans the deceased Wilsons, Dennis and Carl). The first single, "That's Why God Made the Radio," is a catchy meringue with wispy lyrics that ride a strong hook and admirably layered vocals. "From There to Back Again" comes closest to capturing the Beach Boys' mid- to late-60s sound. Of the uptempo numbers, "Isn't It Time" shines brightest, featuring handclapping and warm lead vocal trade-offs between Wilson, Love and Al Jardine.
Some of the best — and certainly the most interesting — Beach Boys records sound like Brian Wilson confessionals. Here, album closers "Pacific Coast Highway" and "Summer's Gone" surpass all the tracks that come before because they're the most heartfelt, poignant acknowledgements of the passing of time and feelings of alienation. "Sometimes I realize the days are getting long / sometimes I realize it's time to move along," Wilson sings with resignation over a familiar but bracing melody. Later, he adds finality to the sentiment: "Summer's gone / it's finally sinking in." Here, the words are delivered as a rueful but clear-eyed answer to every other song on the album and serve as a fitting coda to the Beach Boys' long career.
This article appears in May 31 – Jun 6, 2012.