TWEAKER - 2 A.M. WAKEUP CALL

It’s been a few years since we heard from tweaker (a.k.a. Chris Vrenna), but it’s been worth the wait. While the first tweaker disc, The Attraction To All Things Uncertain, was an amazing collection of sounds and loops, the result was a little unfocused. Nothing could be farther from the truth on 2 a.m. wakeup call-- a tighter, more mature older brother, if you will, to the first disc. The songs all revolve around a common theme: What keeps you awake at night?
Once again, Vrenna has assembled a fine collection of singers to help him out, but he has truly outdone himself this time: David Sylvian and Robert Smith on the same disc? Damn! Will Oldham, Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen), and Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields) are also standouts on this CD. With everyone on the same page, tweaker delves deep into its subject matter, creating moody, middle-of-the-night tracks that make you take pause to look out the window, contemplating who else may be out there feeling just like you do at this very moment. There are still the loops and sounds that will make any headphone listenings an amazing experience, but they are just extra frosting to go along with the multilayered, swirling, well-crafted songwriting.
2 a.m. wakeup call is one of those rare discs that captures you at first listen, and doesn’t let you go. If you can even take this CD out of your player after one listen, I’d be surprised. But that’s good, because every new listen uncovers a buried nuance, a favorite moment or feeling, a favorite song. With 2 a.m. wakeup call, Vrenna proves that not only does he have the ability to produce immaculate sounding music with the coolest sounds you’ve ever heard, but that he knows how to write amazing, thoughtful songs as well.