Stephen Becker loves to find poetry and eloquence in the inane activities of everyday life. “Bad Idea”, the first song on his new album, Gravity Blanket, begins: “Had a bad idea again / So I remain uncertain for a while / Took some time to breathe again / And thrift a collared shirt to find my style.” In the lazy, midtempo “Emergency”, he asks a practical question: “Why’d you get a car in New York City? / The train goes far enough.” A fascinating bedroom-pop songwriter and musician, his musical approach may come off as occasionally naïve and “normcore”, but there is deep sophistication and unique textures in every song.
Becker is an in-demand New York sideman, working with artists as diverse as Rubblebucket, Vagabon, Katie Von Schleicher, Johanna Samuels, Landlady, Caroline Says, Katy Pinke, Lefty Parker, Devon Church and many more. Although he’s spent a fair amount of time as an engineer at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn, assisting producers like Shahzad Ismaily and Philip Weinrobe (who mixed Becker’s last album, Middle Child Syndrome), making his own records is really where Becker shines, offering oddball takes on pop music reminiscent of fellow Figure 8 engineer Nate Mendelsohn, whose quirky records under the moniker Market often come to mind while sampling Gravity Blanket.
Written, produced, and mixed by Becker, Gravity Blanket also features Joanna Schubert, Adam Hirsch, Nora Stanley, Michael Coleman, and Jason Burger, but Becker tends to take on the lion’s share of the instrumentation. There’s an often dreamy, hallucinatory feel to much of the music, particularly on ethereal gems like “Nerve”, which sounds like the Flaming Lips attempting a pop song, the psychedelic balladry of “Tongue-tied”, or the synth-stacked tone poem “Sinking”.
There’s also a crunchy power-pop vibe to songs like “Careless”, a caffeinated breakup song dotted with plenty of sonic delights alongside the tale of a toxic relationship: “It’s obvious that you care less,” Becker sings. “It’s obvious that you’re careless / But not obvious to me.” Becker also loves getting stuck in irresistible grooves, as he does in the easy, soulful bop of “Mt. Olive”, which rolls along in a carefree manner, marrying melodic pop with weird backwards guitar squalls that sound like Adrian Belew crashed the recording session. Becker’s gonzo guitar skills also bring a unique edge to songs like the insanely catchy “Bike”, among others.
It’s a testament to Becker’s wide imagination and sense of adventure that songs like the brief experimental interlude “[pogo stick]” live comfortably alongside sedate, jazzy ballads like “I’ll See You Around”, with its acoustic roots tempered with playful piano runs and dreamy woodwinds, like some kind of sincere pop standard that’s run through a mild psychedelic strainer. “I’ll see you around,” Becker croons, “I’ll say if I see you around / But only if you see me as well.”
Stephen Becker describes Gravity Blanket as “a living diary”. He explains, “I often learn from my songs after they’ve been written. I’ll look back years later and finally understand what I meant.” This can result in songs that are simultaneously quizzical and straightforward; a delightful combination for a songwriter who refuses to do anything in a traditional manner. Gravity Blanket is a twisted pop record that takes subtle cues from other artists but ends up sounding fresh and unique.