No other artist has juxtaposed the complexities of jazz with the accessibility of pop and rock as seamlessly as Donald Fagen.
40 years after teaming with Walter Becker to form Steely Dan, Fagen has maintained an irresistible line of form both within that sterling partnership and in his capacity as a solo artist.
Sunken Condo – his fourth studio album and the first to break away from his Nightfly trilogy – sees him still as meticulous as ever, whether it’s in his lyrical content, production values or even in the LP’s artwork.
Let’s not forget that this is the same guy who, in 1974, opted to stop touring because he didn’t think Steely Dan’s live shows could match the sheen of their recorded output.
Perhaps “meticulous” doesn’t quite do the man justice.
Thematically the album is heavily slanted on the troubles of growing old. Unlike other aging artists who tackle this issue with regret, Fagan uses his trademark humour and deadpan lisp to create a far more entertaining listen.
There’s the opener – ‘Slinky Thing’ – which hilariously tells of a sugar daddy’s efforts to hold onto his newly acquired bit of crumpet. ‘The New Breed’ and ‘Planet D’Rhonda’ tread similar themes with lyrics such; “I get it – you look at me and think / ‘he’s ready for Jurassic Park’”.
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Also evident is Fagan’s fondness for snide tales of gangsters and dysfunctional love. In many ways – and unlike his near-autobiographical solo discography – it is non-fictional territory he hasn’t covered since his Steely Dan days, especially the likes of Gaucho.
Most artists in the latter stages of their career are either peddling the oldies circuit to feed their superannuation or hopelessly attempting to recapture the spark that endeared them to so many in the first place.
Fagen, however, is one of the chosen few who can still light that spark at will and further enhance an already formidable catalogue.
