Lackluster

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:55:39
Personnel: Aaron Sprinkle (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, programming); Blake Wescott (slide guitar, piano, bass); Joey Sanchez, Paul Mumaw, Aaron Malasko (drums). Personnel: Aaron Sprinkle (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming); Blake Wescott (slide guitar, piano); Aaron Mlasko, Joey Sanchez, Paul Mumaw (drums). Audio Mixers: J.R. McNeely ; Aaron Sprinkle; Blake Wescott. Amidst Poor Old Lu's brief 2002 reunion and his duties as a go-to producer and mixer for the Tooth & Nail collective, Aaron Sprinkle was also issuing solo albums. Unfortunately, they were usually on tiny labels with crap distribution. Sprinkle and Tooth & Nail have remedied that problem with Lackluster, wrapping 13 previously released tracks and one new song into a polite indie pop bundle that's both an introduction for the curious and a boon to longtime fans tired of tracking Sprinkle's elusive back catalog. Considering its hodgepodge status, Lackluster works pretty well as a cohesive album. Elliott Smith's touch for syrupy, sometimes dirgelike pop is a big touchstone here, but Sprinkle's literate little songs are much more hopeful, rarely losing their grip on bright sunshine. Even the lilting, harmonica-led "Colorblind" is relentlessly cheery. "You are leaving me and taking everything," he sings, but you get the impression the song's subjects will come to their senses and live happily ever after. Actually, with his classicist songwriting style (check the warm organ breaks and pretty chorus of "Really Something") and consistently tasteful production, Sprinkle's work seems most reminiscent of a guy like Michael Penn. Their personal feelings and relations are put faithfully into the music. But they each let the song -- not the emotion -- be the guide. This isn't self-loathing music -- even if there's some soul-searching, in the end it's just made to feel good. Highlights include "Not About To," the introspective acoustic number "Boy Who Stopped the World," and the new track "Pillbox," with its dreamy organ and rousing chorus. ~ Johnny Loftus
録音 : ステレオ (Studio)