If I didn’t know what I know, “Haughty Melodic” would seem to be a wonderful collection of tunes from a guy who clearly has relationship issues and a fixation with pop culture.
If I didn’t know what I know, I’d find Doughty’s pitch-perfect voice, his vocal timings and fuzzy timbre a change from the singer/songwriter norm.
If I didn’t know what I know, I’d say Mike Doughty has released an impressive major-label debut as an up-and-coming artist.
The fact is, I know that Mike Doughty was once the frontman of one of the most unique acts of the late 90s, the New York-based Soul Coughing. And while I’m sure that he is sick of hearing “This isn’t Soul Coughing!” the comparison has to be drawn.
In retrospect, it seems as though the members of Soul Coughing had a symbiotic relationship in which Doughty’s lyrics were enhanced by the crack jazz/hip-hop rhythm section and elaborate samples, and vice versa. That mix truly separated the band from the pack of post-grunge “alternatives.” His non-sequitur lyrics wove vibrant images with winks to hipsters while the band as an entity maintained an attitude, an ominousness and a funky-ness that contributed to the utter unclassifiable nature of Soul Coughing.
“Haughty Melodic,” with its cute anagram title (rearrange the letters, and you get….Michael Doughty!) is not Soul Coughing. But it is a solid album. This is his first outing with a new band (Semisonic’s Dan Wilson and ATO label founder/fellow acoustic guitarist Dave Matthews make guest appearances), and the arrangements are tight with the guitars high in the mix. Doughty has a knack for catchy melodies, and continues in his tradition of repeating the hooks of his equally catchy choruses ad nauseum, creating a vocal pattern that becomes an instrument unto itself.
There is an overall sadness that permeates “Haughty Melodic”, one that was largely missing from his work with Soul Coughing and is in line with his previous independent release, “Skittish”. From the opening track, “Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well” to “Sunken-Eyed Girl” (I’m no prize for you/ no trophy too/ keep walking through/ and I’m not worth a dime/ I’ll drag you down/ don’t waste your time) to “White Lexus” (Please show me how to live/ Please show me how to have a day/ I don’t want to wake up now/ Why do I have to wake up, anyway?), Doughty’s lyrics are well into the self-deprecating zone in which many singer/songwriters dwell.
A stand-out song that does not seem to be ‘looking at the world from the bottom of a well’ is “Busting Up a Starbucks,” with it’s catchy pre-chorus:
Does the man who makes the shoes own you, clown? You can’t
Even pry the name plate off, now can you? Fix it
With your tiny fist there
James Van Der Beek and them sisters from Sister, Sister
The only one that’s ever felt this is you
The force that’s forcing you
To feel like
Busting up a Starbucks
Perhaps it’s unfair to compare his solo work to that of his previous band. Yet it’s that attitude and lyrical irreverence that made Soul Coughing great. While as a frontman, Doughty frequently looked to the world as an observer, solo-artist Doughty looks inward, and as a result, “Haughty Melodic” is a much more insular work, finally allowing his fans a glimpse inside.
