Granddad Galaxy

構成数 : 1
合計収録時間 : 00:00:00
With an intriguing selection of samples, loops, and effects, one-man-band Rob Jones' second album, Granddad Galaxy, proves that his the Voluntary Butler Scheme moniker isn't a transparent effort to make him sound more interesting. Indeed, there's more eclecticism in the opening track, "Hiring a Car," alone; it's an oddball instrumental featuring chopped-up jewelry boxes, skittering percussion, and twinkling, spacy synths than most conventional troubadours use in their career. But it's this jumble sale approach to its 15 tracks that proves to be both its strength and its downfall. When Jones matches the gorgeous, dreamy harmonies of his debut At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea with his more experimental tendencies, he reaches the giddy cut-and-paste highs of the Avalanches and DJ Shadow, as on the woozy, Beach Boys-esque surf pop of "Astro," the swooning vintage rock & roll of "Don't Rely on It, Don't Count on It," and the vocodered psychedelic folk of "Stone." But occasionally, Jones seems all too eager to sacrifice anything resembling a memorable hook in a bid to cram in as much quirky instrumentation as possible, and never more so than on the improvisational jazz of "Empty Hand" and the trippy "Phosphor Burn-In," which smothers its delicate doo wop vocals with unnecessarily busy layers of clattering, echo-laden drums and oddball kids' TV theme-style loops., while the ambient "D.O.P.L.," the snake-charming hip-hop of "Satisfactory Substitute," and the shuffling ballroom number "Umbrella Fight" are all meandering instrumentals which fail to capture attention past the 30-second mark. In a male singer/songwriter scene littered with safe "will this do?" James Blunt knock-offs, Granddad Galaxy is a breath of fresh air, but if Jones could have slightly reigned in his need to hack everything to pieces, it could have been so much more than just a curious alternative. ~ Jon O'Brien|