Brian Wilson’s new album, No Pier Pressure, has the sense of frustration visible in every groove, even as the former Beach Boy sings about escaping to tropical islands, quiet places and sailing away beyond the horizon. What should have been the follow-up to The Beach Boys’ outstanding 2012 album That’s Why God Made The Radio became a standard Brian Wilson solo album, with guests popping in to fill slots that should have been taken by other members of the Beach Boys.
That’s not to say that No Pier Pressure is bad or that that Mike Love and Bruce Johnston’s involvement would have made it any better. The songs are pleasant throughout and you’ll struggle to avoid smiling as you listen to the deluxe edition’s 16 tracks. However, knowing the “what ifs” behind the project will make you wish it was more.
Anyway, forget about the “what ifs.” So what if recordings with Jeff Beck, Lana Del Rey and (even) Frank Ocean didn’t make the final cut. No Pier Pressure as is features plenty of great examples of what makes Wilson’s solo work so enjoyable.
“Guess You Had To Be There” is a nice, jangly track with Kacey Musgraves, while “Our Special Love” with Peter Hollens proves that Wilson hasn’t lost an edge when it comes to arranging vocals. “One Kind Of Love” recalls “God Only Knows” with its inventive use of horns and “I’m Feeling Sad” shows that Wilson can still get us moving with sad songs. “Whatever Happened” and “The Right Time” feature wonderful guitar work from original Beach Boys guitarist David Marks.
But there are plenty of bizarre choices. “Runaway Dancer” will confound Wilson fans for years, as we try to figure out why he wanted to make an ‘80s dance track in 2015. “On The Island” is a puff piece with She & Him and “Saturday Night” with fun.’s Nate Ruess feels like it should be the title track to children’s movie. Again, none of this is particularly bad and they might even grow on you after repeated listens, but they just feel like missed opportunities for something better.
The blame for some of the lesser material and odd production could be put on Joe Thomas, a regular Wilson collaborator since the mid-'90s. Thomas is responsible for production on 1995’s mediocre Imagination, but he did work on some of the better material on That’s Why God Made The Radio.
No Pier Pressure ends with “The Last Song,” a mournful piece that still looks to the future with some optimism. It’s Wilson at his best, using simple orchestration matched with fantastic vocal arrangements. The song is a nice end to the record, but it does remind us of what was missing from some of the other songs on the album. There’s an adventurous streak in Wilson, so whenever it doesn’t come out so well, it’s a disappointment. Still, I won’t have a problem with listening to No Pier Pressure again.