(RCA)
When David Gray entered the mainstream with 2000's White Ladder and its radio hit \Babylon,"" he established himself as a 10-years-overnight sensation and a premiere singer-songwriter. Named by Entertainment Weekly's 2001 It List as the It Gen-X Gordon Lightfoot, Gray's gentle sound, solid lyrics and subtle musical arrangements endeared him to an audience tired of belters and meaningless odes to booty.??With his fifth album, , he continues to showcase his talent for understated folk rock.
The first two tracks, arguably the strongest ones, set the tone for what feels like an innovative and thoughtful album.??""Dead In the Water"" is the moodier and starker of the two.??The lyrics are ambiguous enough to rival even the densest poetry, but even so manage to paint a painful and beautiful portrait of regret.??""Caroline"" is an upbeat, clever, and playful love song, and its quirky lyrics are perfect for Gray's earthy vocals.??Later tracks like ""Be Mine"" and ""Knowhere"" benefit from the same poetic spirit, as well as Gray's straightforward delivery.
Unfortunately, Gray loses some momentum in the middle of the album with songs like ""Freedom"" (thankfully not a remake of the Sept. 11 Paul McCartney sing-along), ""Kangaroo"" and ""Real Love.""?? They are mellowness in the extreme, so much so that they seem to be bored, running together and losing their meaning and individual nuances.??The words themselves are strong, but they lack the necessary musical and vocal support to differentiate them.
Musically, Gray relies on sparse musical arrangements throughout the album, preferring a stark synth-pop background and a single acoustic guitar over, well, everything. It's a tactic that works to his advantage for the most part, since it gives more focus to the messages he wants to convey.??Regrettably, the other tracks aren't strong enough to carry the simpler compositions, and disappear in a wash of flimsy techno beats.
Perhaps what is most surprising, however, is how little David Gray's sound seems to have grown.?? does little to expand his fan base, which may be frustrating to die-hard fans who want to get beyond White Ladder. Then again, there is something to be said for the solidarity found in Gray's work, which, when not too subtle for its own good, sets the standard that much higher for his fellow balladeers.
(Lookout Records)
As a touchstone, it's become clich?? to compare the Strokes to the Velvet Underground and the Hives to the Stooges, but the comparisons go a long way in describing their sound. In that vein, the Pattern qualifies as the modern-day MC5'minus the politics'and they kick out the jams capably enough on their sophomore release, Real Feelness, but cover no real new ground.
This Oakland-based quintet was formed in 2000 as a diversion, with no higher aspirations than playing parties and bars. Their commitment to having a good time, though, is also belied by the fact that no real innovation takes place on any of the 12 tracks on .
The album is not all bad, but adds up to much less than the sum of its parts. Each track, on its own, stands as charmingly retro and engaging. Guitarist Jeff Rosenberg packs each song with poppy riffs, and the rhythm section is energetic and tight. The album, though, sounds too much like its predecessors in rock 'n' roll'as well as too similar from track to track'to make any longstanding impact with the listener.
Taken one song at a time or in a live setting, the Pattern seems catchy and intriguing. On , however, they only give the listener more of the same.
