In 2022 Car Seat Headrest was on the road touring — as one does in a band. Frontman Will Toledo came down with COVID and it morphed into long COVID. The band canceled the remainder of the tour and it was unclear if they would even continue as a group. Toledo was bedridden and developed a histamine intolerance. While dealing with all this he started work on what has become the band's latest release, The Scholars.
Unlike 2020's Making A Door Less Open, The Scholars is much more analogue, with less focus on electronics. The writing for the record was collaborative and included extended jam sessions. The record wears it's influences on its sleeve, with nods to David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and The Who’s Tommy.
Rock operas can be hit or miss (see Greendale by Neil Young), but Car Seat Headrest has a solid offering here. It's not at the same level as Ziggy Stardust or Tommy, but it’s pretty cool that the band went down this road. The story here focuses on a group of university students who may or may not have special gifts, with each track taking on the viewpoint of a different narrator.
Deep analyzing and understanding this album's story is a task beyond what I can do here, but I can imagine fans will be crafting their own ideas for years to come. Only Toledo knows the exact backstory, and that’s the way it should be. Part of the fun with albums like this is figuring out the story and coming to your own conclusions.
Most songs on the album are north of five minutes. While fitting for its rock opera design, it doesn't make this the most easily-accessible Car Seat Headrest record, and I would not recommend this album to you if you're unfamiliar with the band. (It's 2016's Teens Of Denial by the way). But if you're like me and have been into the band for a long time, this is one of their most eclectic offerings yet. Personally, I’m enjoying it more than Making A Door Less Open, and in a day and age where rock seems less and less prevalent, it's a fun listen that reminded me of the more fantastical aspects of the genre. I'm sure the band has something impressive up their sleeve for the upcoming tour.
Some standouts for me were “The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That, Man),” “Gethsemane” and “Reality.” The later is almost like a time machine back to the days of Bowie and T.Rex, but with a modern spin.
At the end of the day, Car Seat Headrest is a great rock band and this album rocks. Yeah, it probably gets a little pretentious, but don’t let that turn you off. Embrace the 18-minute trip that track “Planet Desperation” offers and have a weird rocking time.
