Wiggle Your Fingers

by GospelbeacH

Overview

Prior to the release of 2024's Wiggle Your Fingers, Brent Rademaker, the leader and sole constant member of GospelbeacH, announced it would be the group's final album, and when an artist declares in advance that their next release is their swan song, it tends to invite questions from the listener. Is Wiggle Your Fingers going to be some grand summation of GospelbeacH's ten years of making music, or is this just going to be their (or his) last batch of tunes? Wiggle Your Fingers doesn't play like Rademaker's last word on his obsession with California's musical history from the late '60s onward, but the lyrics do reflect a certain world-weariness, as if he's had enough of writing in the present tense, even as he lives in the musical past. "York Blvd." is a cynical depiction of wealthy hipsters at play, "The Dropouts (Parts One and Two)" is a crunchy rocker about young people who seem to imagine themselves more rebellious than they truly are, and "It's Too Late (Kellie's Version)" is a sweetly rueful meditation on a failed relationship that seems to reflect an ennui about the larger world. If sixtysomething Rademaker isn't quite overjoyed with life in the 21st century, you can't blame him, and it hasn't adversely impacted his craft. Wiggle Your Fingers' ten songs are canny and beautifully executed pastiches of West Coast soft rock, sunshine pop, jangle pop, and polished psychedelia, and he's even moved forward enough to add a dash of new wave to the formula, as evidenced in the slightly angular keyboards on "Second Chance" and the power-pop crunch of "The Dropouts." If you fear Rademaker may be losing his sense of humor, the title "You're the Only One (Frozen Burrito #2)" should reassure you. Jon Niemann produced the album as well as playing keyboards, and he's given the material all the sheen it needs without going overboard, as well as rounding up an outstanding array of musicians to bring Rademaker's vision to life. (There are few other albums that would feature former Jackson Browne bassist Bob Glaub and former Generation X guitarist Derwood Andrews, and make savvy use of them both.) There's no telling if Wiggle Your Fingers will truly be the final GospelbeacH album or if Brent Rademaker was just feeling grumpy late in the production process. Either way, the man is a great songwriter with a rare gift for making his material work in the recording studio, and when he sings "There's nothing quite like a song/That makes you want to play it all night long" in "The End," well, he knows how to make songs that do just that, and there are a bunch of them on Wiggle Your Fingers. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	04/26/2024
Label:	Curation Records
UPC:	0850014131883

Tracks

1. Nothin' But a Fool
2. Losin' Patience
3. I'll Close My Eyes
4. Second Chance
5. Hang Thyme
6. You're the Only One (Frozen Burrito No. 2)
7. The Dropouts, Pts. 1-2
8. York Blvd.
9. The End
10. The It's Too Late [Kellie's Version]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

GospelbeacH   Primary Artist
Brent Rademaker   Vocals,String Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Bass
Will Scott   Drums
Pete Williams   Drums
Bob "Derwood" Andrews   Lap Steel Guitar
Eric "Dutch" Suoninen   Guitar (Acoustic)
Matt Hill   Guitar (Electric)
Bob Glaub   Bass
Mara Connor   Vocals (Background)
Jake DeJongh   Guitar (12 String),Pedal Steel
Alex Koford   Vocals (Background)
Jonny Niemann   Keyboards,Guitar (Electric)
Patrick Ralla   Guitar (Electric)
Joe Harvey-Whyte   Pedal Steel

Technical Credits

Brent Rademaker   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Michele Locatelli   Composer,Lyricist
Pete Williams   Group Member
Matt Hill   Group Member
J.J. Golden   Mastering
Christopher Appelgren   Design
Jake DeJongh   Group Member
Jonny Niemann   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Group Member