ost people are able to let go of the past. A few become absorbed by it. If the obsession is unhealthy, the mind becomes a black hole of thought, twisting logic and refusing to give up what it thinks it knows. If the obsession is “healthy”, the paradox created breeds humor in the form of the absurd. The more intriguing of these two scenarios is the first, since it offers the greatest chance of seeing another human being self-destruct - a guilty pleasure indeed – but also because it offers the best chance of experiencing moments of brilliance along the way.

Unfortunately for us, Kurt Hensley’s (a.k.a. Lily’s) obsession is a healthy one. Precollection, his latest effort to recreate the past, leaves me wondering what the man would sound like if every vocal wasn’t sung with a fake British accent and if every note didn’t pass through a 1960’s time warp. 1995’s eccsame the photon band gave a brief glimpse of what this could sound like, but it too falls victim to being overly derivative (just from a different source) and has not aged well. Their following records Better can’t make your life better and The 3 way regressed to the 60’s sound, and reaffirmed that the Lily’s are content to imitate rather than create. With such a track record one would be naïve to expect an original album, and in typical Lily’s fashion, we don’t get one.

This time around, things are a little different though. Just looking at the tongue in cheek title of the record, one can see that Kurt is in on the humor and embraces his fascination with the past instead of fighting it. In doing so he has given up his desire to create music that is better than its source, and is now content to create what he enjoys. This sense of relief is actually passed onto the listener, and while the album isn’t chock full of hooks like past records, it does make Precollection a very fun yet engaging listen.

The album kicks off with a disinterested snare drum and screeching guitars, before breaking into a Deram era David Bowie chord progression and vocal line (sans the dark subject matter). The song is nice enough, and the repetitive vocal message “become what you are” could only be Kurt talking to himself. Like most Lily’s songs this side of “Ginger”, the lyrical content is all over the place and it’s hard to get a sense of what the song is actually about. The song is effective in establishing the tone, mood, and style of the entire record, and the elaborate chord patterns and melodic vocals is pure Lily’s.

“Melusina” finds Lily’s in uncharted waters. It’s the most original tune on the record, and the most intimate song the Lily’s have ever recorded. The introspection and maturation is reminiscent of Stephen Malkmus’s “We Dance” and the lightly strummed acoustic guitar convinces the unemotional Heasley to let his guard down. It’s hard to say why Kurt chooses such thin production for the song. Perhaps it’s to enhance the delicate lyrics “god you must still must love to move/where did the nimble Melusina go to/everyone but I knew what you could do/spare me why…the young and dancing you”. Either way, the fragile nature of the song should be interesting to dedicated Lily’s fans who aren’t accustomed to seeing this side of the band.

Possibly feeling a bit vulnerable or possibly giving long time fans what they want, “Will my lord be gardening” sees the band returning to their comfort zone, at least on the surface. The song is bouncy, catchy, and easily the most accessible song on the record. Whether or not it has anything to do with religion is questionable. The lyrics are overly breathy, and most are not understandable. The ones that are audible suggest Kurt has found God (he he!) “fathers answer…please answer/still I think the best of you, then your worst will do/even when you do more than you should.” With the recent trend of independent bands (including their partners in theft, the apples in stereo) showing up in TV commercials, it’s not hard to picture this sexy tune playing in the background of a Suave or Rogaine ad as attractive men and women run fingers through their hair. Blasphemy indeed.

The album progresses with some solid songs, but more or less they just enforce the ideas that the first 3 tracks introduced. “Squares” and “Catherine” are both worth a listen, because they reference forgotten songs by Simon and Garfunkle and The Velvet Underground. The former featuring the line “I look around” and you swear “leaves are brown, and the sky is a hazy shade of winter” will be the next thing out of Kurt’s mouth. “Catherine” blatantly rips off the guitar line of the Velvet Undergrounds “Lady Godiva’s Operation”. I can’t honestly say there is enough originality to forgive either of these, but I can’t say the songs are bad either.

Which brings us to the entire crux of the matter. If these songs were released in 1965, the entire music community would be embracing the record as a classic today. But, as it stands, these songs offer nothing more than a glimpse into a time that once was…and depending what you find, possibly a good laugh while doing so. Someone who is just getting into music might find this record to be a good starting point to discover sounds of the past, but they will quickly learn something that Kurt Heasley has finally learned – the original is always better. What is interesting at this point is to see if Kurt can use that knowledge to his advantage, and after years of imitating his absurd obsession, can he finally find a muse within himself? I’m rooting for you bloke.