 Meeting
Lions
"A Fog Made of Ghosts" CDR
Umbrella
Records
Genres: adult alternative, pop
Feb 14 - 20 2005 |
Meeting Lions is mostly the work of Josh Dubbert, a
passionate singer/songwriter who has quietly released this full-length
album. He has a unique, elegant style, using emotional vocals
and creating lots of piano-based compositions. This makes for
successful listening, but things aren't entirely peachy. These
songs don't really leave a lasting impression, and Dubbert's
singing takes a bit of getting used to. He has a very high,
breathy style that will likely be off-putting to many listeners.
His songs, meanwhile, are very similar to one another, and this
prevents the listener from picking out favourites and remembering
individual tunes. I appreciate the songwriting skill on this
record, but I can't seem to completely get into Dubbert's
style. The dramatic guitar strokes of "Child" appeal
to me (think of relaxed Sparklehorse material for a point of
comparison), as does the Silver Mt. Zion/GYBE! tendencies
of "Millions of Ones and Zeroes." However,
the majority of this album seems a bit bland for my tastes - perhaps a
few more climaxes and a bit less wandering would have improved matters. Still, this is a relaxing, mature album that will
need to find its niche in the more subdued music crowd. 73%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
14 tracks, distributed by the
band, released 2004] |
