No divine lights of inspiration. No crashing thunderbolts. No revelations on the road to Zelienople, or wherever one travels to for insight in Western Pennsylvania.
"Restless Days," The Clarks' new album -- arguably the quartet's best, and best-sounding, work -- will be released with a concert Saturday at the Amphitheatre at Station Square.
The new record came by way of the old-fashioned virtues of work and diligence. Even if much of the album was done in piecemeal fashion.
One day it was Scott Blasey laying down vocal tracks at Swissvale Music Studios with producer Sean McDonald. The next, drummer Dave Minarik or bassist Greg Joseph would provide bulwark and depth. Another day, Rob James added his impressive guitar work.
"We did this album in pieces because all of our schedules are different and tight," says bassist Greg Joseph. 'We set some dates for rehearsing, but we went into the studio (together) basically one day, we laid all the tracks down just to make sure we liked the tempo and the parts were in the right place, and that was the last we saw of each other in the same room at the same time."
McDonald, James says, was instrumental in stitching the various parts together into a cohesive structure. While that seems to go against the grain of what constitutes a good album, the laissez-faire attitude worked, partially because the band was comfortable with the arrangement, and partially because the quartet has been together long enough -- a little more than two decades, unbelievably -- to know what works and what doesn't in a Clarks song.
"In the past, when I was doing drum tracks, or trying to get a drum track and bass track down together, if we didn't get it these guys would sit around and wait and wait and wait," Minarik says. "A lot of times it's really boring during the recording process. This time, it was actually a lot of fun because we could focus on each part individually with just that person in the studio."
"Restless Days" crackles with energy and intensity; it's one of those rare releases on which every song seems familiar but new. While the music is carved from basic rock 'n' roll, there are some variations -- notably Blasey's acrobatic vocals in the choruses of "Soul & Skin," and "Midnight Rose," and James' typically understated-but-evocative work on "Sunshine" and "True Believer," both of which have country-flavored accents.
"We've always had that twang," James says. "It's always been there. It's a little more present on this disc with the addition of a nice atmosphere and a great pedal steel player (Gary W. Jacob). Gary's playing is just phenomenal."
Blasey's singing also has taken a step forward. On every song, he seems to find and convey a hidden nuance or emotion, and Blasey readily admits that "Restless Days" is the first album where "I've done all the things I wanted to do," noting that McDonald allowed him to find his own way.
"In the past, I've worked with producers who are very vocal-oriented and harmony-oriented, and they've kind of guided me down the road they wanted," Blasey says. "This is the first project I thought I could do it on my own."
Not to mention that "Restless Days" is the band's first new release since 2004's "Fast Moving Cars," and there's nothing quite like new material to re-energize a band.
"It's a lot of fun to play," Minarik says, "and there's a lot of diversity on the record, too, from 'Come 'Round Here' to 'Trampoline' and everything in between."
Clarks' CD release concert
With : Ari Hest
When : 7 p.m. Saturday
Admission : $25 general admission
Where : Amphitheatre at Station Square
Details : 412-434-7600
