Desmond Reed
"10 Acoustic Demos" CDR
Series
Two Records
Genre: acoustic pop, singer /
songwriter, indie pop
Melrose, MA
Jan 20 2009 |
I realize the prospect of a collection of acoustic demos may make some
readers wary, as
using the "demo" label is often merely an excuse
for proliferating underdeveloped songs. But these
bare-boned melodic tidbits, all of which fall between two and three
minutes, are perfectly suited to DIY label Series Two, and Reed
carries them out with formidable consistency and
charm. The key to these tracks is their succinctness. Each song has a
catchy melody, and lasts just long enough to get the point across.
Highlights include sticky "No More Room," swooping "Neat," and
Joe
Jackson-esque "Summer Vacation." Though limited mostly to guitar and
vocals, the tracks are successful due to Reed's solid delivery - his
lush voice is perfectly suited to this context. He is also very easy
to understand and, as a result, enjoy; the cutesy lyrics of "Guinea Pigs," for example, would
make the perfect song for a coffeehouse performance.
One added bonus of such a bare approach is that
the listener is left to freely imagine the
fuller songs that could be designed based on these musical sketches.
It would be interesting to see what Desmond Reed could pull off
given a
full band and a professional production studio;
although, it is possible that such
resources might only undermine the quaint charm of his music. For now,
10 Acoustic Demos is an excellent glimpse at Reed's talent for writing
concise, infectious pop songs.
desmond
reed's myspace
80%
youuuuuuuutube!:
"neat" live
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, 300
copies, distributed by
the
label,
released Aug 26, 2008] |
