Review Text
This is a storytelling album. We meet twelve characters... The Makeup Company hires haunted telemarketers, kind of like Rime of the Ancient Mariner on the phone. Button For You's hero can't sleep; his mind is a fishook caught on the day. My Backstory waltzes around the garage in front of a webcam, singing I am he as you are he and you are me so we are all together. Blues For Werner rumbles down the highway on sixteen wheels. The Rug That Swore tells of a boy and his best friend, a carpet. Three Forms of Media watches teens at the mall hook up using an extremely convoluted note-passing scheme. Bound for Glory wonders if Woody Guthrie lives in the suburbs. The Armchair Warrior avoids birds and neighbors. Advice for Ladies: 'Ladies, value your humorous gay friends.' A Telephone can make you lonely, but at least you're connected to the wall. Wait, is that a cell? I'll Be There, so don't peek in the window. Pear Blossoms smell really bad and make you hallucinate about heaven. Recording sessions for The Reluctant Hook (and the day that caught it) were conducted in the summer of 2008 at Arbor Ridge Studios outside Chapel Hill, with Jeff Crawford at the boards (Roman Candle, Holsapple/Stamey, SpencerAcuff, Max Indian) and most of the basic tracks were cut live with Tad's backup band, composed of members of fellow NC Triangle bands Tripp and Luego, plus special guests on cello and electric guitar, with the latter provided by the lead guitarist of Who's Bad, the nation's premier Michael Jackson tribute band :) As on his previous three records, Tad played many of the instruments himself and sang all the harmony vocals.
