There is nothing artificial about the emotions expressed on Jonathan Coulton’s eighth studio album “Artificial Heart.” Coulton is currently on tour with the band They Might Be Giants, and this is his first album release since his 2006 “Thing a Week” project in which he created 52 musical pieces in 52 weeks.
The album delves into relationship issues, existential questions and even the benefits of growing a mustache. “Artificial Heart” is quite lengthy given its 18 tracks, but Coulton receives support from several guest artists who breathe extra life into what could otherwise have been a more mundane and repetitive album.
The first song, “Sticking it to Myself,” starts off with a sound that is reminiscent of the music played at stores like American Eagle Outfitters and features a strong electric guitar base, which is consistently present on the majority of the tracks. The lyrics reflect a certain angst and coming of age within Coulton as he sings “I’m a man now / and I’m sticking it to myself.”
The title track reveals a softer and slower beat and vocals that sound a lot like the more familiar tunes of someone like Jason Mraz. The metaphor of an artificial heart speaks to Coulton’s exploration of love and the nature of a relationship, in this case one that cannot be broken.
Many of the songs on “Artificial Heart” are fairly short (no longer than two and a half minutes), which can make the verses and choruses seem more repetitive than they would otherwise.
While this may serve to reinforce Coulton’s lyrics, it can feel as if the message is being hammered in a little too hard on the shortest tracks such as “Sucker Punch” and “Alone at Home.”
The collaborations on this album serve Coulton well. John Roderick, who has also been a guest musician on recordings for Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists, is effective in adding more powerful vocals to “Nemeses” without overpowering Coulton. Suzanne Vega’s voice smoothly complements Coulton’s on the softer track “Now I am an Arsonist” and Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara completely takes over “Still Alive,” a song in which Coulton’s voice is hardly even featured.
Coulton’s discussion of relationships comes up on “Alone at Home,” a sarcastic song about shopping and dealing with women, as well as “Dissolve” and “Want You Gone,” which bring up the more negative aspects of breaking up ““ and wanting to break up. Thankfully, “Nobody Loves You Like Me” provides some brief relief from the pessimistic vibes.
The more folksy “The World Belongs to You” can be interpreted as a banjo-driven conversation with a higher power, who Coulton addresses in the lines “there’ll be hell to pay / unless we all behave as you want us to.”
Relationships and religion aside, Coulton also takes the time to get creative on a few of the tracks with the most enjoyable lyrics. “Je Suis Rick Springfield,” an entirely French track, tells the story of a man in a bar trying to convince women that he is the man who sings “Jessie’s Girl.” “Good Morning Tucson” presents a satirical take on newscasters and “The Stache,” arguably the most humorous song on the album, encourages listeners to “celebrate the skin beneath your nose” because no one can ignore the stache.
Overall, “Artificial Heart” provides a mixture of angst, creativity and humor. Fans of Coulton’s other abums will be happy to hear familiar musical tendencies that have grown beyond the use of only a guitar, and those who have not experienced the quirkiness of Coulton’s songs will get a chance to discover about 50 minutes of his unconventional lyrics.