When Jonah Hill tweeted how his ‘great friend Michael Cera is not only a brilliant actor, but he also makes great music,’ there was a degree of surprise in the reactions of many. Not so much in the fact that Cera had released music; he has played bass for the indie band Mister Heavenly on tour, as well as guitar and backing vocals on Weezer’s 2010 album Hurley. He has even picked up a guitar on screen, notably for his closing duet alongside Ellen Page at the end of Juno. No, the surprise was more due to the seemingly out-of-nowhere appearance of the record. As Cera would later explain, the album was uploaded to his Bandcamp following some ‘gentle criticism’ from his friend, who told him he was ‘being too careful with my music,’ and so he uploaded his Garage Band recordings. The whole process has been described as having ‘so little thought put into it.’ The lo-fi nature of the record does reflect these sort of sentiments, but it belies the care Cera has clearly taken, as well as his more than capable song writing, and detracts from the point that true that is an album full of charm, sincerity, and character.
At twenty-one tracks long, true that does give the impression that snippets of Cera’s music over the years have just been thrown together on record. Most of the songs are short instrumentals, and nearly all feature nothing other than piano and acoustic guitar. The confines of the recording space, otherwise known as Cera’s room, can be felt within the foggy recordings and limited instrumentation. The chaotic piano piece ‘’Moving In’’ could be a reference to the actual act of moving Cera’s piano into his room, as described in his Stereogum interview. Regardless, it feels DIY, chaotic, and reflects the environment the music was being created. The lo-fi approach taken can be risky, but endearing if executed correctly, as records such as Frankie Cosmos’ Zentropy of March this year has already proved. Cera’s folk-tinged take on it mounts the appeal, and although at times comes across slightly clumsy, true that never feels like a record with nothing to give.
With two covers on true that, namely Roderick Falconer’s ‘’Play It Again’’ and Blaze Foley’s ‘’Clay Pigeons,’’ Cera’s influences are clear. However, his success at not only covering the tracks beautifully, but writing his own sincere and profound folk tracks is a cause for serious celebration. The record’s undisputed highlight is the five-minute (a rarity for Cera) gem ‘’Ruth.’’ It’s poignant, it’s sad, and it’s totally engrossing. ‘She’d only just lost the baby, seven months and a week/Drank a month of Seagrams, kissed me on the cheek’ Cera sings, reflective but careful to maintain the tender charm he has built up elsewhere. It’s stunning in its simplicity, but overwhelming in its emotional depth, as every acoustic folk track should be. true that’s closer “silent struggle (I was blind)” maintains the same melancholy tone, but mingled with notions of moving on. Cera’s vocals here are granted a quality closer to psych than perhaps his more hushed singing elsewhere, but the execution is gorgeous, and prove that Cera is clearly more than an actor putting out music on a complete whim, but that there is a substance to his art, and it is certainly worth listening to.
There is an element of self-indulgence on Cera’s behalf, namely in the amount of tracks put on true that, and the nature of some of the songs. Admittedly, it isn’t a record which is meant to be assessed on the basis of individual tracks, firstly because many are instrumentals and act as segways, but also because it is not an album intending to spawn hits. However, there are a number of short instrumentals here which, for the sake of the listener’s overall experience, could have been left off. ‘’Brat’’ lacks the appeal of the majority of true that, sounding more like a scrapped Toy Story theme tune. ‘’Of A Thursday’’ similarly is melancholy without the charm, and becomes redundant after a few bars. Cera is not stupid; he doesn’t write (many) songs that are particularly long, making the initial concern over the amount of tracks arbitrary when listening to the record. There are some instrumental wonderful moments, such as the zany ‘’Cher holders,’’ which steps away from typical Cera ground and closer to a certain Morgan Delt track. true that did need a final edit however, and this does result in the album at times feeling slightly laborious.
For a man who is known for his roles in movies from Superbad to Youth In Revolt, it might seem a redundant point to note that true that is a record abound with character. For those who do decide to check out the album in full, as well as Cera’s Bandcamp, it is however the lift which makes the whole project so worthwhile. From Cera’s bio, which dictates ‘Michael Cera was born in Canada in 1988 at the tender age of zero,’ through to the vocals and instrumentals, the tone of the whole record is, despite the obvious melancholy, laced with humour and charm. The inclusion of a vocal snippet from the ‘reporter turns ghetto’ video at the beginning of ‘’Moving In’’ acts as a paradox not only in what the snippet contains, but also the ensuing chaotic instrumentation. It’s certainly chuckle-worthy, and is a nice touch from Cera, with a snippet from the same video opening the later track ‘’Sexy Danger.’’ The whistling on ‘‘ohNadine (you were in my dream’’ is exactly the sort of thing one would expect in a Michael Cera track, but it maintains the sort of indie-charm Cera not only possesses as an actor, but also clearly as a musician. There is also a background instrumental on ‘’Humdrummin’’ which sounds suspiciously like a purring cat. Whether intentional or not, and I’m sure it was, it’s indicative of the appeal which Michael Cera possesses and the endearing notions he can induce. It is no easy feat to be able to express a tone throughout a record, even in such a nuanced way, but Cera is successful, and within that lies the beating heart of true that.
The fact true that was released is, in reality, no surprise. It would be a shock if Cera was to form his own band, splash loads of money on a recording studio and become music’s next leading light. However, the fact he has released an album seems fitting considering his involvement with music alongside his acting roles. And even the style and tone of the music didn’t really take me as unexpected. Lo-fi bedroom pop with strong indie sensibilities seems like exactly the type of music Cera would have made. Where true that has pleasantly surprised me however, is in the nuanced charm as well as the depth to Cera’s writing. It isn’t limited by its confined sound and recording process, but revels in it, allowing itself to become an album of a totally endearing nature. And for this, all credit must go to Cera, for not only knowing his tone, but understanding how to fully implement it. The ‘’nine dollar room’’ might not be big enough for “Ruth,” but when records such as this are born from it, we would like Cera to keep it that much longer.
Rating; 3.5/5