The debut long-player from actor
James Franco and multi-instrumentalist Tim O'Keefe, the aptly named
Let Me Get What I Want finds the indie electronic/art rock duo delivering a set of
Smiths fan fiction under the guise of a song cycle that's looking to "push beyond the sonic space of music into the surrounding ecology." They managed to rope in
Smiths bassist
Andy Rourke to provide the low end, which makes the whole thing feel a little like
Creedence Clearwater Revisited, though it sounds nothing like
CCR, or the
Smiths, for that matter.
Franco handles the vocals and lyrics, the latter of which were inspired by his 2014 book of poems Directing Herbert White, while the former are deployed in classic bedroom-project monotone. At its best,
Let Me Get What I Want manages to evoke the elliptical nature of youthful angst, from breezy, late-summer infatuation ("Lime Green Dress") to the bloody game of musical chairs that is the search for social acceptance ("Car Ride Home"). There's an easy, West Coast timbre to O'Keefe's melodies that plays well with
Franco's nostalgic, beat-style ramblings, but atmosphere can only get you so far. There is nary a hook to be found anywhere in the ten-track set, let alone a glimmer of what made
the Smiths such a vital force.
Morrissey and
Marr could craft an earworm that, no matter how barbed, would slide effortlessly into the listener's head, and it was in that equilibrium between sweetness and danger that the group's most defining moments would hatch. With
Let Me Get What I Want,
Daddy cast their lines into the great pop ocean without any bait on the hook. It will likely be spoken of fondly amongst their families and friends.