Music Review: Indie Round-Up for August 24 2006 - Bennett, Swann, Angelo - Page 2

Gregg Swann, Everybody's Got To Be Somewhere

Gregg Swann make delicious power-pop with a punk snarl swirled in. He records his raspy tenor low in the mix, but one quickly gets used to that, and it ends up actually making the melodies more powerful since you have to listen a little harder for them. Artful harmonies frequently sneak in to the clean, uncluttered arrangements. The songs are brief and to the point, and every single one has a real hook - I kept waiting for the filler, but there isn't any. Highlights include the mid-tempo "Let Me Get This Straight" with its piano and banjo; the two-minute kick in the butt "Darkness is Cheap" which opens the CD with a bang; the Kinks-like anthem "Hollywood"; and the Americana-leaning "Unremind Me." But you could sing along with all ten. Swann's lyrics are as straightforward and well-crafted as his tunes: "When the day is just a sigh/And you're cold, you don't know why/Don't be afraid 'cause when it's through/The truth hurts, but not as much as it used to." His meaty guitar work serves the songs well, and the always tasteful and solid drummer Ethan Hartshorn anchors a tight group of backing musicians. (Full disclosure: I've worked with Ethan.) This CD is a real find. But crank it up loud to get the full effect.

Available with extended clips at CD Baby.

Nathan Angelo, Through Playing Me

If you're a fan of blue-eyed soul, Atlanta's Nathan Angelo is well worth a listen. Hitting the piano like Randy Newman, working his smooth vocals and flowing melodies like Stevie Wonder, crafting dense arrangements like Don Henley, and wrapping emotions around emotions like Kevin So, Angelo has a timeless adult sound that could find a wide audience. As you move through this long CD, great songs like the wry, bouncy "Love Sucks" and the epic title track give way to some in which wall-of-sound bombast threatens to outweigh substance, but even the weaker material is interestingly complex and sweet to listen to. The dramatic "Leigh," for example, seems to owe something to Coldplay, and "Road Home" is pretty even if there isn't much to it. In songs like the romantic "Someday Soon" and the verging-on-prog-rock "Twilight" Angelo and his collaborators create entire little worlds.

Article Author: Jon Sobel

Jon Sobel is Co-Executive Editor of Blogcritics. As a writer he contributes most often to the Culture section, where he often reviews NYC theater; he also writes a semi-regular review round-up of independent music releases. …

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