Anthony Green

Avalon

Anthony Green, contrary to what many message-board dwellers may type otherwise, is only mortal. Sure, his esoteric lyrics, stratospheric vocal range and androgynous tone have won him a legion of fans the world over thanks to his work in Saosin and Circa Survive. And yeah, he's seemingly been the premiere go-to guy for a guest appearance on your favorite band's new album (just ask Say Anything, the Spill Canvas or Envy On The Coast). But one listen to Avalon, his proper solo debut, will reveal some chinks in Green's armor. Of course, those chinks are being exposed deliberately by Green himself; it can be easily argued that acknowledgment of one's faults and weaknesses actually makes one stronger.

Avalon is mostly a somber, acoustic affair, with the main exception being lead-off single “Dear Child (I've Been Dying To Reach You).” It’s the most straightforward pop song Green's ever written, covered in a high-gloss sheen with just enough grit; it sounds like it could've come from the Used's most recent album. What's really exciting about the song, though, is Green's vocal delivery: He sounds focused and deliberate with each word, with a bite not heard since recording Saosin’s Translating The Name. The remainder of the record-minus the Album Leaf-esque electronic instrumental “Springtime Out The Van Window”-is generally more folksy and stripped-down thanks to Green's backing band, Good Old War.

As for those lyrical chinks? The biggest themes running through Green's lyrics on Avalon are love, forgiveness and redemption (three emotions not exactly considered “manly”), whether it's the knock-you-on-your-ass brilliance and honesty of “She Loves Me So”; the re-recorded (and vastly improved) versions of “Babygirl” and “The First Day Of Work At The Microscope Store” from Green's old band, High And Driving; or the significant-other-as-a-gaseous-star metaphor “Miracle Sun,” where he pleads with his unnamed love, “Will you wake me up?/Or I'll sleep all day/And miss everything.”

The most lyrically candid track, though, is the disc's shortest, at under two minutes. “Slowing Down (Long Time Coming)” finds Green openly admitting his relationship with someone is falling apart (“I never wanted it to feel like this, to be this way/I'm just afraid that if you stay, we'll never change… I'm just afraid that if you stay, you'll hate me”). Given that by the time you read this, Green will be happily married to his longtime girlfriend, it makes you respect his openness and candor even more. It takes a certain kind of man to be as emotionally strong and mentally grounded as he is musically gifted; Anthony Green is definitely that man.

ROCKS LIKE:

Dustin Kensrue's Please Come Home
High And Driving's High And Driving EP
Jeremy Enigk’s The Missing Link

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