Rogue Motel
"Daylight Breaking" CD
self-released
Genre: pop, alt country
Sep 2 2008 |
Countrified pop music is what the five members of Rogue Motel
are made of, and Daylight Breaking is the first the world will
hear from them. And that's good news for the world, because this is
really good.
The first thing that strikes you when listening to Rogue Motel
for the first time are the vocals - lead singer Matthew Kendall's
voice has a vaguely androgynous quality, strangely reminiscent of
Tracy Chapman's femi-masculine timbre. This was a little surprising at
first, but after a little adjustment its compatibility with the other
instruments becomes evident. But the key to
Daylight Breaking's success is rather simple: the songs. These
are hideously well-written pop tunes - the sort of gems that are
virtually unheard of on a self-released title such as this,
and indeed the type of stuff that
gives even the most hardened critics a woody.
Let's take a look at an obvious best-of-album candidate, the
sterling "Smoke and Vines." A crisp but not unruffled piece of pop
noir, it drenches a wonderfully infectious melody in moody organ keys,
the result boasting a significant Woodface-era Crowded House
influence. Also impressive are peppy opener "Hurry Up" and sublimely
twangy "The Front."
Meanwhile, insanely infectious "Tired and Wasted" is a pop gem
that really juices the Crowded House vibe, circa both
Woodface and Temple of Low Men. Remarkably
for a debut album, none of these songs lets up on the gas - even some
of the less immediately memorable tracks ("Fault," strong-chorused
"Long Enough") combine a cinematic, country-flecked atmosphere with
well-executed songwriting.
And with that, Daylight Breaking is the best self-released
debut I've heard in a long time.
rogue
motel's myspace
88%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks,
41:10, distributed by
the band,
released Sep. 23, 2008] |