Music DVD Review: Ramones - It's Alive 1974 - 1996 Music Review: Eric Marienthal - Just Around The Corner Music Review: Tony Bennett - Sings the Ultimate American Song Book, Vol. 1 It suddenly occurred to me the other day that a new wave of supposed folk music has hit the mainstream once again. But this time it s not saturated with nearly as many musicians concerned with the state of the world; instead, most of these acoustic guitar heavy one-man-bands sing about lost love and the state of their hearts.
Hailing from Portland, Ore., musician Chris Robley is another one of these pseudo-Folk Rock crooners churning out eclectic instrumental styles over self-conscious lyrics. Robley s sophomore release, The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love , certainly follows that same vein, but does so with a lyrical style leaning on nuance and social awareness.
At first listen, he sounds like another Elliott Smith clone-- Culture Jammer kicks the album off with a vocal style with an uncanny resemblance to Smith s later career--but underneath the surface, Robley shows a multi-layered arsenal of musical influences and and stylistic techniques. Unlike some of his counterparts, Robley knows how to write great songs that are both musically well-written and lyrically intelligent. Robley s not afraid to use his full set of tricks, mixing horns, banjo, strings and anything else he can get his hands on.
In songs like Prelude/Primer, Gaslight Girl, and 388 Hate House, Robley uses beautiful onstrumental tracks to transition the album from one part to the next, showing the focus is primarily on the music. From the intro of The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love , it s clear that Robley s not going to be just another acoustic rocker ( la James Blunt). His mature sound brings in so many different musical influences; it s hard to summarize them all.
The upbeat Culture Jammer certainly takes from Elliott Smith, but also shows influences such as Nick Drake and John Lennon. It seems it s the latter that has a large influence on Robley; songs like Centaurea, Centaurea conjure the musical and lyrical spirits of Lennon as Robley sings about war: Darkness spreads over the land..
.nature means nothing to man. In fact, Robley relies on more than the music itself since The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love is also a lyrically strong album.
In Faulkner s South, Robley shows the state of the literary icon s Southern world of slow decay through the eyes of an abused daughter watching her father slowly die: How sorry are you now old man? / How sorry are you now? The song is blunt in its approach, yet shows the ambiguity of the narrator s feelings.
Robley shows that he has mastered the narrative approach to song writing, and in The Love I Fake and Centaurea, Centaurea, Robley s narratives are convincing without being didactic. Another strength of The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love is the way the album progresses with musical variation. Instead of sounding dry and used by the end, Robley ends the album with some great songs.
Aubade has a musical simplicity that is incredibly catchy, and the last song, Archipelago No. 12, kicks off with a synthesizer playing quietly in the background. It s an interesting sound to hear in an album that primarily uses acoustic instruments, but it works well.
The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love is an album that can work in almost any setting, and no matter your musical tastes, there s something for everyone here. Although he s primarily a local act, Robley shows that he has the chops for the national stage as well. Mixing the best elements of folk, rock, and blues, The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love is a maturely executed collection of tunes that shows an artistry not often found in modern music.
Kevin Eagan currently writes reviews and feature articles for The Alestle and is a student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He also writes on his own site kevineagan.blogspot.
com . Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
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