The Riot Act
The John Ross Blog for People Who Can't Spot Trends Good and Want to Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too
John Ross
John Ross covers music, arts, culture, food, sports, trends, news, politics and other cool stuff as a reporter for Alive!. During the past three years, his work has appeared in publications across the country.
When not in the office, he often can be found fishing, relaxing with a beer or arguing to friends that it?s perfectly fine to own debut records by Mandy Moore and Lothar & the Hand People.
e-mail jross@columbusalive.com
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CD Review: Alan Singley & Pants Machine6/20/06Alan Singley & Pants Machine On the first half of the newest release from the Oregon quintet, frontman Singley asks listeners to come along with him, hear the music everywhere, grab a cup of tea and do other things that imply he has nothing but time to waste and loving kindness in his heart. With lyrics that display nothing more than a simple fascination with the world and bouncy little tunes to accompany them, much of the first half sounds like the inventive 60s-era children's music prodcued by Bruce Haack for Dimension 5 records. Regarding tracks one through six, the album title is very appropriate. It's not until "Seahorse" that the fancy-free tea party ends and Singley begins to seep into a depressive counterpoint to the happy mania he exhibited earlier. On "Bruises," he sleeps to avoid the day and is unable to pinch himself awake. On "4 Dollahz," he speaks of being small and unimportant. Musically, the shift is less drastic. While the second half lacks some of the punch that makes "I Don't Know Where to Start" so enjoyable, even the darker songs have their clever touches. A synthesized background hiss on "Cruel, Cruel World" and the accomplished acoustic guitar on "Holyrollercoaster" both keep Singley's bi-polar musings interesting throughout. Grade: B- Web: www.slowjanuary.com Permalink | Post a comment |
