PREGNANT – Life Hard: I Try (Part 1)

Life Hard: I Try is the fourth LP from the Sacramento based artist and musician, Daniel Trudeau. It’s a true grower – an annoying colicky baby on first listen, a petulant brat the second time, but eventually revealing itself to be a complex Lothario  whispering sweet nothings into your ear. Or something like that. Brandon kicks it off in Part 1.

Because we’re still stuck on WordPress (Sincerest apologies. The path to excellence is indeed a slow one.) we cannot embed the album stream. However, you can click anywhere here to open the player in a new window and listen while you read!

Pregnant – “Letter to a Friend”

From: Brandon Hall
To: Sarah Braunstein

Hey, Sarah. So, Pregnant is the work of Sacramento based artist, Daniel Trudeau. His fourth album, Life Hard: I Try comes out on September 6th via Mush Records. It is equal parts experimental instrumental tracks and dreamy bedroom pop, which is to say, equal parts difficult and delightful.

Honestly, it took me a few times through to admit that I liked anything on this album, the beauty of his straightforward indie-pop songs so overshadowed by the glitchy sample-heavy instrumental beat experiments that had a tendency to drive me up a wall. But once I was able to move past them and focus on songs like opener “Life Hard: I Try” or “Dog” or “Letter to a Friend,” I began to really enjoy what he was doing. The composition of his songs reminds me a lot of The Books, another sample-heavy, casually experimental indie pop band. Another similar touchstone I can’t shake, especially given the similar textures in their voices, is Dan Snaith when Caribou was Manitoba.

Trudeau’s songs have a dexterity that allows them to be soft and understated while inexplicably complex in their structure and sound pallet. “Another Day,” for instance, is a pretty Neil Young inspired acoustic folk song embedded within an experimental bed of tape decay, electronic loops, and an industrial breakdown that sounds like a machine from a post-apocalyptic future on the fritz.

The first time I listened to this album, I figured I was going to have to write you about how much it annoyed me. How I hated the experimental tracks. I especially didn’t like “You Can Drink from Bellpeppers” which just drove me up a wall. But now, you know what? I kind of like “You Can Drink from Bellpeppers.” I don’t love it – especially the ending, which still kind of grates – but I don’t hate it, either. And that’s really the worst of the bunch. I said the experimental tracks were difficult, but that’s not to say they aren’t rewarding. You just have to let them grow on you.

What do you think? Do any songs stick out to you, in particular, good or bad? How has this album grown for you? Also, I’ve found myself growing increasingly intrigued by Trudeau’s lyrics, which are incredibly inviting, but occasionally oblique. And for that matter, I’m not an aural learner. If I can’t see the lyrics, I have trouble understanding what’s being said and what’s going on. Any chance you could enlighten me?

“What happens today is irrelevant,”

Brandon