Harvey Gold's "It's Messy, Vol. 1"

Harvey Gold was the ebullient voice on Ohio progsters-in-new-wave-clothing Tin Huey's 1979 tracks "The Revelations of Doctor Modesto" and "New York's Finest Dining Experience" (from their long out of print and reissue-overdue Warner Bros. LP, Contents Dislodged During Shipment). More composition-focused than Akron homeboys Devo, the Hueys were role models and exemplars for Cleveland neighbors Pere Ubu in their early stages. In a lineup rife with talent, Gold wrote, sang, and was a triple threat on keyboards, guitar, and bass. Tin Huey fragmented after an early '80s move to Woodstock, New York, with Gold moving on to a successful career as a TV producer while his bandmates Chris Butler and Ralph Carney went on to respectively helm the Waitresses of "Christmas Wrapping" fame, and serve as saxman of choice for the likes of Tom Waits and Elvis Costello.

Finding themselves back in Northern Ohio in the 'Teens, Gold and Butler regrouped under the rubric Half Cleveland. Gold also made recordings as Harvey In the Hall (with former Chi-Pig bassist Deborah Smith Cahan and Half Cleveland drummer Bob Ethington) and Mr. Ray Violet (with drummer David Stephenson and ex-Tin Huey mates Michael Aylward and Stuart Austin). It's Messy, Vol. 1 compiles work with all three units, beautifully sequenced so the songs flow seamlessly and sound all of a piece.

Gold's medium is finely wrought pop-rock songcraft with tinges of psychedelia -- if you dig classic Beatles, Who, and Todd Rundgren, you'll find much to appreciate here. In his maturity, he's adopted the voice of a decent man who experiences ambivalence, loving his comfortable life but feeling overwhelmed by a world careening wildly out of control -- imagine the Jack Lemmon character from Save the Tiger, transplanted to TrumpAmerica and played by late period Lou Reed, and you'll have some idea of what's going on here. Or just listen to "The Fence," which encapsulates everything I just described, plus what a lot of us have been living the past three years and change.

"Eidola (Inadvertently for Ralph)" explores the chronic state of grief that is the human condition, if one is fortunate to stick around long enough. (Besides being memorialized there, Carney provided the "horn orchestra" that shuts the gate to "The Fence.") "Allegheny Lode" is a country rock stomper with guest appearances by Black Key Dan Auerbach (whose bandmate Patrick Carney is Ralph's nephew) and high-flying Byrd Chris Hillman. "Lazy Boy" vividly depicts the way internalized messages from childhood write the scripts for our lives (not to get too pop psychological), before Gold and Auerbach's dueling, Neil Young-esque rave-up guitars provide release. "In Consideration of Joe Strummer" is a horn-driven R&B groover, propelled by a Bo Diddley beat, leading into a slowcore cover of McCartney's "I've Just Seen A Face." "In A Very Good Place" is the album's climactic moment, but there are still a couple of surprises to come. No spoilers here.

It's Messy, Vol. 1 drops on all digital platforms July 24th, with CDs to follow via Smog Veil on September 25th. This, dare I say, Gold-standard material is too damn fine to go unheard.