steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

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]