If you heard that a band is amateurish, then what do you think?
Don's Mobile Barbers are amateurish. It's just two blokes playing drums, keyboards, and guitars (not always one instrument at a time). It is raw — that is to say, there's no orchestration and no chorus of backing singers. All they can do is present their songs to you. And what songs this band have. Fronted by a singer who couches every note with a sadness and longing, they explore the emotional side of life.
Boom Times is a gentle reflection on disappointments in life and relationships. They find out that they "Can't Get Away With Anything" and "The Game Is Up". When someone finds the world a bit too much then "He's Heading Back To Town". The big secret is that Don's Mobile Barbers are well practiced at their art. There isn't a guitar note out of place, every hit on the keyboard just adds to the atmosphere. You get melodies to marvel at and music that calms you when you need calming.
Let's forget this critic business for a while, shall we? Sometimes music touches people in a special way. The last Don's Mobile Barbers album was carried around in my months without a home or a job. As I stayed in cheap hotels and in spare rooms with friends and family they allowed me to step inside of myself. The beautiful melancholy that pervades their work brought empathy and understanding.
This latest album, Boom Times, can get under anyone's skin if they are looking to explore their quieter side. We go through life finding love and sometimes losing love, and here's a soundtrack for it.
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