The Society Islands
"Kiss & Tell" CD
The
Record Company
Genre: singer / songwriter, pop
August 2007 |
Hailing from the fine city of Cologne, Boris
Rogowski aka The Society Islands is a dedicated singer /
songwriter who composes light pop songs that are crisp and pleasant.
None of these songs caught my eye right away, though it is the nature
of Rogowski's songwriting that the melodies make themselves
apparent over a few listens. The disc is worth a look due to
highlights like catchy "Julia Peculiar" and Belle and Sebastian-ish
"Love Under Palms", though these aren't songs I'll be humming
religiously anytime soon. In fact, often the superficial sound of the
music is more appealing than the melodies themselves ("Hotdogs at
Sunset," "Back of the Land"). In terms of influences here, I'm
reminded significantly of The Beautiful South, though often
Rogowski tends to add a vaguely tropical element to the songs.
Some of the songs don't fly completely - (for example, "The Mill" is
considerably bland) though it's kind of difficult to pick on
particular tracks here. Of note are Kate Bush cover "Under the
Ivy" and a musical rendition of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee". This
disc has an appealing if light sound, though a few more hooks wouldn't
have hurt.
75%
Fun Fact: The Society
Islands actually exist! They are a group of islands located in the
South Pacific, under the control of French Polynesia. Among the most
prominent are Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Huahine - an island that becomes
two at high tide.
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 14 tracks,
48:19, distributed by
AL!VE,
released 2006] |