Brian
Michael Roff
"In The Analog Woods" CD
KEEP
Recordings
Genres: folk, acoustic, folk-rock
KEEP Recordings
PO Box 18972
Tucson AZ 85731
Jan 3 - 9 2005 |
KEEP's press sheet explains the rules Brian Michael Roff
abided by for In The Analog Woods - only 4-track recording was
to be employed, and banjo, guitar, accordion, and voice were the only
instruments allowed. This set-up worked perfectly for this six
song EP, giving us twenty minutes of pure, folk bliss not far off from
some Palace material. The key to Roff's music is
a distinct hopefulness that manifests itself both in the music's feel and the actual lyrics. Opener "The Never-Ending Cause of
Everything," for example, is a short and joyful song whose melody
is complemented by some excellent guitar/banjo interplay. Even
the more solemn songs have a sense of hope in them - the delicate
"Emergency" is personal and strangely optimistic, and
"Rocks and Minerals" is desperate but still sweet and
pretty. Every once in awhile, you hear a hint of Elliot Smith
or Nick Drake, but this is considerably more twangy, and far
less depressed. In The Analog Woods is another strong
release for KEEP, and another excellent introduction to a relatively
obscure musician.
85%
Fun Fact: In addition to being a very
beautiful, hand-made release, In The Analog Woods has been
released in an artist-signed and hand-numbered edition of 100 - so act
fast!
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
6 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |