Evan Gold
"Apex Matter"
CDR EP
Self-Released
Genres: singer / songwriter, pop, folk-pop
May 19 - 25 2003 |
At
first Evan Gold's music didn't appeal to me. Or, rather,
it looked like it didn't appeal to me. The cover art, a goofy
cut-and-paste job, did nothing to entice me, and the shoddy CDR looked
like it was just made for the sake of... well, nothing. But, listening to
Apex Matter, I'm beginning to think that Evan is more of
a songwriter than I had expected. Evan's music is mainly focused on his vocals and his guitar
playing, although he also takes over keyboard, synthesizer, and
percussion duties on other songs. Occasionally he'll also get
help from some of his friends, who contribute bass, percussion, and
guitar accompaniment to the mix. When his songs succeed, it's
because of his songwriting; he has a natural talent for writing solid,
infectious melodies. A song like "Pirates," for
example, is enjoyably accessible, but could have been made better by
solider vocals; Evan's voice doesn't seem appropriate for the
breathless, emotional effect he's going for. Meanwhile,
"Silver" is another winner - it starts off calmly, but
eventually erupts into a climactic finale that is pulled off
surprisingly well.
So Evan's going to need some better cover art next time
around, and his vocals could use a bit of work. But, for the
most part, he's got a good formula going and he may want to continue in a
similar vein for his next release. If you're interested in
homemade singer / songwriter pop material, then Apex Matter
might be worth a try.
78%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
5 songs + 1 bonus track, distributed by the
artist, released 2001] |
