Peasant
"On the Ground" CD
Paper
Garden Records
Genre: singer / songwriter, folk
pop
Michigan, USA
July 2009 |
Peasant's
Damien DeRose brings earnest charm and delightfully melodic
composition to the table, setting him gleefully apart from many
similar attempts at quaint, folky singer/songwriter fare. On the
Ground is a solid although admittedly non-groundbreaking record,
populated with sweet pop songs that will gradually get you humming
along.
Among this
record's hefty thirteen tracks one encounters several keepers. "Stop
For Her," for example, is a delightful summer evening stroll of a
pop song, serving up sweet love lyrics all wrapped up in joyful
guitar weaves. And "You Don't Know" is a subtle toe-tapper with one
of the disc's most infectious melodies. Also memorable are
the harpsichord strokes of "Birds" and the Damon Gough-like
"Exposure," both two of this record's more unconventional songs, as
well as delicate closer "Impeccable Manners." DeRose's voice
accomplishes Elliot Smith's lush tunefulness sans the haunted
vulnerability. At times, the similarities are almost entirely
absent, especially on the album's peppier portions ("The Wind,"
"We're Good"). Still, much of the record will remind you, at least
superficially, of Smith's signature sound.
Despite the fact
that much of On the Ground is little more than acoustic
guitar and vocals, it remains an assuredly delightful and
predominantly engaging folk record. Lovers of quaint pop songs will
likely be impressed.
peasant's
myspace
83%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 13 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released 2008] |