Jonathan Hape
"Letters To India" CDR
Self-released
Genre: alt rock, rock/pop
May 2006 |
I'm not really much of a fan of self-produced angsty alt rock, but
there sure is a lot of it, and Jonathan Hape is the latest to
try his hand in the genre. I'm not particularly taken by Letters to
India - there's nothing inherently wrong or flawed with the music,
only that it's uninteresting. The songs all sound very similar, giving
the album a sense of homogeneity, and they don't break any new ground
- preferring to stick to themes already common in today's music. The
album's most edgy element is its embracing of electronics, with synths
and beats often programmed into the mix. Take angsty opener "Write
Brothers" for example - it's a moody, spacey rock song with a somewhat
enjoyable melody, but it just doesn't beg to be listened to more than
once. A few of the songs break out from the doldrums a bit ("Picturebox
(Apartment Scene)", for example) but fail to rescue the album from
obscurity. Once again, I don't mind listening to this - I certainly
can - but I'm not tempted to pull it out when there are so many better
offerings available.
65%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by
CD
Baby, released 2005] |