“It is in fact our tenth CD and you should turn it up to ten when you play it! So it was a natural really.”
Volume 10 is more evidence that music comes when it comes. A year in the planning which in Sorentino terms is at least 5 in dog years that boiled down to 12 tightly honed songs.
“This was always meant to be a Pop record. I was gonna record the whole album live to two track like an old Ricky Nelson record, but getting the band together on it proved impossible, so we recorded some in my home studio, some at Prairie Sun in Cotati and recorded some and mixed the whole thing at Dave’s Room in Hollywood.” muses Danny.
Proof that much more care and consideration than ever before was bestowed upon Volume 10 was by enlisting Grammy Award winner David Bianco (Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub, Ozzy) to mix the whole enchilada and being the inaugural project to come out of his newly christened Dave’s Room in North Hollywood which rose from the ashes of the legendary Mama Jo’s studio.
Songs songs it’s all about the songs….. Danny says ”On the whole I would say, this is probably our most accessible album yet, but still filled with all kinds of roots music, blues, country, jazz inflections ...we even have a song that has a cello section in it! Mix them all together and you get a real mess, which is what The Sorentinos have always been! I like to think we mix the mess our own way which gives us our own brand of Pop music.”
A fine mess indeed sprinkled with Danny’s astute talent for finding the humour and the heartache of everyday life through lyric and song. Who else would dare compare gloom and turn it into sunshine on “Ray Davies Day” Jangle all the way. Finding a humourous take on going broke “Money Goes” and grunging and grumbling of impending older age glory of “(It’s Too Late To) Die Young” and “Seventeen”. Angels and Hell remain major themes with “You’re Going Too” - Already called a tight little package, Volume 10 is a milestone for the band and yet another beginning just starting.
Back track:
2005’s “Way Out ‡” celebrated The Sorentinos long awaited return….of sorts. Four years has passed since The Major Label release “The End Of The Day” and much had happened in between.
While on tour in England and driving back from The North for the two last London shows, news of “9/11” was received. The TV monitoring began and perspective was emphatically put in place. The Borderline show on 9/12 was a good but emotionally tempered set. The 12 Bar Club finale on Friday the 13th rocked hard from frustration. The trip home to America was fraught with uncertainty even to get a flight as the US airspace was closed..
Time passed. Danny Sorentino in a blast of creativity released the internet only “So Low” solo album and recorded a couple Christmas singles. Long-time bass player Rob Ruiz’s announced band retirement which was responded quickly by Danny Sorentino recording and releasing “Four Chord Wonders” under his own name. New rhythm section team of bassist Kent Fossgreen and drummer Kenny Susan added to backbone guitarist Steve Lee’s and Danny’s unswerving commitment to the music. This time around focus centered around the more humorous as well as poignant side of life.
Not long after, Rob realised the error of his ways and resumed the position as it were. Rob’s fresh new contribution and energy was to instigate the 2003’s “Love And Haight” retrospective as he is always looking backwards anyway. Danny succumbed to the idea as he usually never looks back. So many songs and so little time.
Another London trip became the seeds for fresh new Sorentinos recordings there. 20 tracks were recorded in 2 days which many of which made the final cut on “Way Out ‡”. Certainly heroic in intent.
“Way Out ‡” turned into several pastiches that pay homage to the band’s numerous influences from British blues to New York angst to West Coast hippie-dom. You could probably call it from Coast to Coast to Coast and everything in between past present and future.
More punishment is expected as The Sorentinos please those who know and expect those who know….to grow.
Danny Sorentino’s observations of “life as it happens” through songwriting has continued to be the strength and dialogue which brings fans into “the world according to Sorentino”. A world which, remarkably mirrors everyone else’s - the same joys, hopes, frustrations and downright confusion we all go through; like it or not. But once you’re in….you’re in for good.
Danny adds, "I have always thought of myself as a writer first and a musician second. The music is the method I use to deliver the message and hopefully with ever year that goes by, I get a little better at delivering the message".
Current Sorentino members Rob Ruiz on bass, Kenny Susan on drums and background vocals and Russ Kerger on keyboards, the inimitable Howard Vatcher (currently unfired from fired many times) on guitar and longstanding AWOL in London Steve Lee on guitar.
The San Francisco Bay Area band has remained on a steady course -- a potent mixture of guitar based musical influences ranging from the Beatles and Rolling Stones to Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Neil Young to actually combine into something uniquely Danny’s own. Simple, straightforward lyrics relating universal feelings in a timeless manner. All the goodness without the fat - nothing wrong with that -- neatly wrapped in a tidy value-for-money package. For many it seems that classic rock songs are back.
“The End Of The Day” (2001) was a coming together of sorts and seventh album in a string of acclaimed releases by The Sorentinos on The Major Label as many Sorentino members from all the years participated in the making. The album was voted Top 10 Best Album from fans’ votes on Americana-uk.com, Netrhythms.co.uk Chief Editor Sue Cavendish’s Top Album Of The Year and heralded in many others throughout America and Europe distributed by Evangeline/Universal.
“All Good Things...” (1999) and “Family” (1997) were critically acclaimed and brought huge favor from both sides of the Atlantic. "Welcome To The Past," (1996), “What We Dream” (1995) and “Obviously Five Believers” (1994) add to the impressive CD catalogue. Dan’s prolific songwriting has never meant of shortage a material to record.
Staunch Tinomaniac's radio KRSH/Santa Rosa CA continues to air tracks matching most superstar acts including the awarding of the coveted “album of the week”. London's Time Out "Venue of the Year" winners the 12 Bar Club and The Borderline have all but adopted the band offering unprecedented support in the UK scene which also includes the BBC Radio’s “Whispering” Bob Harris (an English institution) among many others.
Sorentinos songs have so far graced no less than four "Melrose Place" episodes including the opening credits which are normally reserved for artists such as Sting or John Mellancamp. Other songs have been used in films "Lover's Knot" starring Tim Curry and Jennifer Grey, successful indie film fest movie "Follow The Bitch", and was solo-ed in CBS (US) Movie Of The Week "Co-ed Call Girl" starring Tory Spelling.
All this creates for a unique band calling America and the UK home and who continue to take on the world on their own terms.
A Sorentino favorite saying is “Life is what happens in the meantime….”. It continues for sure.
08-07
steve@worldlee.co.uk
Brave New World
The Sorentinos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Filled with remorse
By the choices he's made
All his life failure seems par for the course
But he didn't want to be
Just a cog in a wheel
A replaceable part that no one would touch
But times goes by and there you are
You make your wish on a falling star
But he's so confused, his mind's in a whirl
Is there a place for him?
In this brave new world
In this brave new world
He has a ciggy with his tea
And the smoke makes him cough
And every story that he reads in the morning paper
Just pisses him off
What's wrong with this world?
How much more can we take?
They don't want human beings anymore
Just machines with parts that don't break
And the promises he's made, he finds hard to keep
He's traded his dreams for a good night's sleep
Where he fits, he's never quite sure
Is there a place for him?
In this brave new world
In this brave new world
And if you should die
Before you should wake
All they really care is the loss to the products
You no longer make
So at the end of the day
When you turn out the lights
You know your only reward
Is the feeling you get from doing what's right
And it could be something that you'll never see
That makes it worth all the misery
Just a look of a boy and a girl
Who are trying to find themselves
In a brave new world
In a brave new world
In a brave new world
In a brave new world
So afraid to live in a brave new world
So afraid to live in a brave new world
So afraid to live in a brave new world
So afraid to live in a brave new world
In a brave new world
The opening verse of The Sorentinos’s “Brave New World” introduces a man who is struggling with the choices he has made throughout his life. He wakes up filled with remorse, as the idea of failure seems to be a common theme in his past. He is tired of being just another part of the machine and wants something more out of his life. He is confused and no longer sure where he fits into the world as it is now. He has a cigarette with his tea, but this simple pleasure causes him to cough. He reads the morning paper, only to be seemingly angered by the stories he reads. He realizes that the world has changed, and he no longer seems to fit in. He is afraid to live in this “brave new world” that has emerged.
The chorus of “Brave New World” speaks to this man’s fear and confusion. He makes a wish on a falling star, but realizes that he’s uncertain if there is a place for him in the world around him. He wonders what’s wrong with the world and how much more it can take. He feels like the world no longer wants human beings but machines that never break down, and he doesn’t want to be just another replaceable part. He knows that the promises he’s made are hard to keep and he’s traded his dreams for a good night’s sleep. He has no idea where he fits in and is uncertain that there is a place for him in this “brave new world.”
Line by Line Meaning
Well he woke up today
The singer wakes up feeling regretful for his life decisions.
Filled with remorse
He is overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow regarding his past choices.
By the choices he's made
He is feeling this way because of all the decisions he has made in his life.
All his life failure seems par for the course
His life has been a series of failures one after another.
But he didn't want to be
The artist has always wanted to avoid being just another replaceable cog in the system.
Just a cog in a wheel
He didn't want to be an insignificant, replaceable part of society.
A replaceable part that no one would touch
He did not want to be just another part of a machine that no one cared about.
No one could feel
His contribution to society would not be valued, and he would be overlooked or ignored entirely.
But times goes by and there you are
Over time, he has found himself in the same position he wanted to avoid.
You make your wish on a falling star
He has made wishes for a better life, but still finds himself struggling.
But he's so confused, his mind's in a whirl
The singer is feeling overwhelmed and confused by his life's circumstances.
Is there a place for him?
He is uncertain if there is a space for him to thrive in this world.
In this brave new world
He is lost in a society that is striving towards progress at the expense of individual identity.
He has a ciggy with his tea
The singer is relaxing with a cup of tea and a cigarette.
And the smoke makes him cough
He experiences physical discomfort from smoking.
And every story that he reads in the morning paper
He is upset by the news stories he reads in the newspaper every morning.
Just pisses him off
These news stories make him angry or frustrated about the state of the world.
What's wrong with this world?
He is questioning the morality and logic that allows such injustices to persist.
How much more can we take?
He is also questioning how much more people can handle under the current system.
They don't want human beings anymore
The society he lives in does not value individual human life anymore.
Just machines with parts that don't break
People are expected to conform like machines, with no deviation or weakness.
And the promises he's made, he finds hard to keep
The artist struggles to follow through with the promises he has made to himself.
He's traded his dreams for a good night's sleep
He has given up on his dreams in order to simplify his life and sleep better at night.
Where he fits, he's never quite sure
He is unsure where he belongs or contributes to society and life.
Is there a place for him?
He is still uncertain if he is valued or needed in society.
In this brave new world
He still struggles to find his place amidst the ongoing societal changes and challenges.
And if you should die
Even in the face of mortality, the society still values people for their productivity and contribution.
Before you should wake
This society only cares for what a person can produce while they are alive.
All they really care is the loss to the products
A person is only valued for the products they produce while they are alive.
You no longer make
They do not care for the person's needs or life once they stop producing products.
So at the end of the day
After all is said and done, when the day is over.
When you turn out the lights
When everything is quieter and still for the night.
You know your only reward
The artist's only reward in life has been doing what's morally right.
Is the feeling you get from doing what's right
He finds reward and satisfaction in being morally upright and doing the right thing.
And it could be something that you'll never see
The reward that one gets from doing the right thing may not even be visible or tangible.
That makes it worth all the misery
This intrinsic reward is so valuable that it makes up for all the difficulties and sadness that one experiences in life.
Just a look of a boy and a girl
Seeing the potential and growth of a young couple makes all of life's challenges worthwhile.
Who are trying to find themselves
The singers, like the young couple, are trying to make their way in this world and find their place.
In a brave new world
This song is about the challenges and difficulties of life when progress is prioritized over individuality and humanity.
So afraid to live in a brave new world
The artist is fearful of living in a society where individuality is being replaced by conformity and societal norms.
So afraid to live in a brave new world
The artist is still fearful of losing his identity and individuality in this new world.
So afraid to live in a brave new world
The singer is continuously fearful of the cost of society's new values on individuality.
So afraid to live in a brave new world
Even at the end of the song, the singer is still afraid of the societal change that he sees around him.
Contributed by Miles H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.