William Beckett: The Pioneer Sessions

     For his latest release, singer/songwriter and former front man for Chicago-based pop rock band The Academy Is, William Beckett decided to take a purely acoustic approach to his music. Over the course of the last year, Beckett released three EP’s on his own, without the help of a label. His newest production, The Pioneer Sessions, came out on January 30 and is a strictly acoustic composition of his past three releases.

     While this technically isn’t new material, it’s still always fun to hear a new twist on an old song (if you even want to call these songs old).  The track listing is arranged in order of their release date, with the first four tracks coming from his Walk The Talk EP and the last four coming from What Will Be.

     This album makes me think of Brandon Boyd’s solo acoustic album, The Wild Trapeze. While the music is certainly a step away from the sound associated with the previous full band arrangement, it doesn’t step so far away that I couldn’t imagine the band performing them. Where Beckett’s previous three releases instill images in my mind of a house party still in full-swing, Pioneer makes me think more of the after party scene; with the energy level more along the lines of watching the bonfire slowly burn out as people polish of the last remaining drops left in their bottles.

     Some of the songs have taken on a completely different vibe, now that they are absent of any effects or extra production. “Compromising Me,” originally from the Walk The Talk EP comes to mind. The original song puts off more of a beach-bound top-down Saturday afternoon kind of a vibe but the acoustic version leans much deeper into a country-folk sound. The next track, “Girl, You Shoulda Been A Drummer,” keeps your foot tapping throughout the entire song. From Beckett knocking on the hollow body of his acoustic guitar, to his snapping fingers and flawless vocals, this song is a head nodder for sure.

     “Great Night,” the first track from the Winds Will Change EP and fifth song on Pioneer, didn’t really change all that much, which isn’t a bad thing. Another song that helps keep up the up-tempo flow is “Scarlett (Tokyo),” which for one reason or another had me wanting to listen to BBMak’s “Back Here.” In addition to the catchiness of the guitar, the chorus is fun to sing too, especially with the way Beckett accents his vowels in the lyric, “I wanna go to Tokyo from the west-most coast…”

        The last four songs of the album, all coming from his What Will Be EP, perfectly escort listeners from the mostly upbeat song list into the soft and slow ending that almost leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth, not unlike a great summer fling that you knew was bound to come to an end. “Stuck In Love,” a song that originally featured guest vocals from Ryan Ross, of Panic! At The Disco, was just as catchy as the original. Beckett’s voice proves itself as more than sufficient in the absence of others’. If there is a song on here that actually sounds better performed acoustically, it’s without a doubt, “Slip Away.” Hearing Beckett sing, “Let’s slip away off to a place where everything you wish comes true. Let’s stand hand in hand, face to face. I’ll take your breath away from you,” it’s hard to imagine this song being done any other way.

     All-in-all, The Pioneer Sessions, is definitely something you want to hold in your possession as a fan of William Beckett and/or The Academy Is (RIP). I foresee many people learning these songs on guitar and showing them off at parties and on YouTube. Might as well go ahead and embrace it. It’s William Beckett for cryin’ out loud!

     Oh, by the way, he just so happens to be on tour right now, with Relient K and Jillette Johnson, in support of all this music he’s been putting out. Check out his Facebook page to find out if, and when, he’s playing near your town.