In 2005, a minor miracle happened: The Television Personalities were reborn. After years silence, lead singer/songwriter and only constant band member, Dan Treacy, turned up on a British prison boat where he said he was about to be released and planned to record a new album. That album, 2006’s My Dark Places, was surprisingly not just because it existed, but because it was so good. While 1998’s Don’t Cry Baby It’s Only a Movie wasn’t terrible, in retrospect it felt like a depressingly half-hearted swan song for one of the most interesting bands of the last few decades. With My Dark Places, The Television Personalities re-staked their claim to relevance.

Unfortunately though, Treacy has kept recording and releasing material. The horribleness of Are We Nearly There Yet was almost excusable because the album was basically outtakes and songs recorded prior to My Dark Places. Given the lack of effort put into it, the few pleasures it yielded should have been pleasant surprises. Unfortunately, A Memory Is Better Than Nothing is not so easily excused. This album feels completely devoid of energy and ideas. If Treacy continues to release albums like this, he can only expect to permanently tarnish the legacy of his once great band.

It actually shouldn’t have been such a surprise that this album could turn out so poorly. The warning signs were all over My Dark Places. For every gripping psych-pop masterpiece like “Special Chair” and “She Can Do Magic” there was an equally grating, terrible and half-assed track like “All the Young Children on Crack” and “Ex-Girlfriend Club.” Those latter tracks may have been attempts at confrontational songwriting in the vein of Xiu Xiu, but they brought band dangerously close to Wesley Willis territory. The lazy songwriting and performances have only gotten worse.

Right off the bat, the title track, “A Memory Is Better Than Nothing” feels slapped together. It’s a simple jangly pop song, the kind that Television Personalities know how to do, but for this one, it sounds like no one in the band could give a shit. The three minute listless instrumental coda doesn’t do the song any favors either. Things don’t get much better on “The Girl in the Hand Me Down Clothes” where replacing the drums with a drum machine only makes things sound more careless and uninspired. Both of these songs sound as if Treacy’s vocals were recorded after an all night bender.

Things begin to get a bit more interesting with “She’s My Yoko” which at least boasts an interesting title and chorus. Treacy’s vocal delivery finally perks up, and for once I’m interested. But interested is as far as it goes. The melody is strong, but musically everything still feels pretty empty. It’s still more interesting than the next three tracks “Walk Towards The Light,” “Funny He Never Married” and “Except for Jennifer.” There was a time when Treacy could write depressing songs like “Walk Towards The Light” that somehow managed to draw you in. This time, it just puts me to sleep. “People Think That We’re Strange” manages to pick the album up by virtue of being the first fun song on the album. Again, the production is flat, but at least this one has a fun melody and beat. It’s a sign of how weak this album is that this is one of the album’s strong moments.

And what to make of “My New Tattoo”? On the one hand, as a rule, I love any song with over seven minutes of sloppy guitar playing. On the other hand, this song really overstays its welcome. The song is about two minutes (if that) of actual song and more than five minutes of loose aimless jamming. Treacy just isn’t a good enough guitar player to make this work. And that would be fine, but he doesn’t even seem to remember how to make his guitar noisy enough for this kind of thing to be fun.

For the rest of the album, one just becomes tired of hearing Dan Treacy sound tired. “If You Don’t Want Me” would be a fine song if it came towards the end and the rest of the album had shown any life. But at only nine tracks into a thirteen track album, it’s just another tedious exercise in self pity. “Come Back to Bed” and “The Good Anarchist” manage to be even more listless. “All The Things You Are” is actually a good song and a great closing track. Unfortunately, it’s only the penultimate track. The album instead closes with “You Freed My Spirit.” It makes you wonder if there was any spirit to free.

From the first track of the Television Personalities first album, Treacy has been finding ways to kick us in the face with his lyrics. “This Angry Silence” tosses off the line, “My brother’s anorexic and no one seems to care about the state he’s in,” like it’s no big deal. The Painted Word pays almost exclusive attention to the most depressing subject matter imaginable: nuclear annihilation, drug overdoses, war, loneliness and laziness all get some degree of attention. Hell, the album Closer to God actually includes the singing of death row inmates. Treacy has always faced his demons with his music, and it always sounded like he was winning. But music this weak won’t conquer any demons.

Track List:
1. A Memory is Better Than Nothing
2. The Girl In the Hand Me Down Clothes
3. She’s My Yoko
4. Walk Towards the Light
5. Funny He Never Married
6. Except for Jennifer
7. People Think That We’re Strange
8. My New Tattoo
9. If You Don’t Want Me
10. Come Back to Bed
11. The Good Anarchist
12. All the Things You Are
13. You Freed My Spirit