Kimchee
Aubrey Anderson takes things back to basics on his latest album for anew label, after some critical upset following his sophomore LP. Sadly,even though the methods are the same as his debut, the disappointmentcontinues on par with its follow-up, as the songs and vocalperformances rarely escape radio-friendly safe pop territory. Andersonis no doubt a talented musician, arranger, and producer, exhibiting agreat deal of self-motivation and a strong work ethic. He's even shownsparks of breaking out with a massive and timeless record, either inDifference Engine or on his own. The sparks have never caught into theraging inferno and they merely pop and fizzle on these songs. Maybeit's the Jack Johnson-like photos that make up the digipak packaging,but there's a general feeling of "check out this new artist who has alot of emotional things to say" that seeps out of every pore. It's likethe anxiety to try out some bold flavors in a cereal, only to open thebox and find that nearly half is air. The opening track starts thistrend: following two verses and roughly three minutes of music, "TheLong Hot July" continues for another minute and a half of the samerefrain and gentle almost-moan. It's unneeded, as though Andersonthought the track wasn't long enough, so just dragged it out to filltime. His vocal delivery is very much that of the sensitivesinger-songwriter mold, and the melodies are all bittersweet happiness,as though it didn't work out as planned but a certain rolling with thepunches will be a growth experience. Not that it's all a waste, ascertain songs — "San Francisco" or "Panic and Doubt" — have moments ofgrand adventure, like chilling harmonies and squelched guitars or oddinstrumentation. For the most part, though, the lyrics are pedestrianand to be avoided (talks of Tarantino matinees and being around afriend's house at sixteen are not terribly interesting); and the songsveer into the bland and formulaic, like the title track, or even worse"Summer Time." This is touted as the "true voice" of Aubrey Anderson,but I doubt that's true. With the hints he's provided in the past, I'dthink his true voice would be far more sensational. If the best momentsof this CD were expounded upon, perhaps that's what will come out.
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