Just as his physical image would suggest, it's very ethereal and darkly romantic, especially when he puts on the lilting choirboy vocals similar to Tal Bachman, but unfortunately when Torontonian Stochansky (ex-Ani DiFranco) is not overdosing on this vocal style, his delivery takes on a whining Bono quality and redundancy to it that loses its charm rather rapidly. The absolute lack of anything resembling genuine passion (except on the opening track, "Stutter"), coupled with an overall sensibility of melancholia, makes it a very forgettable effort.
The lyrics are unpredictable and catchy enough to encourage a sustained interest in continuing on to the next track, and there is some unusual instrumentation, apart from the occasional churning guitar work and bang-your-head-against-the-wall drumming, but it's just not enough to produce a lasting positive impression.
If the image of an empty dinghy drifting aimlessly along in slow-moving water on a cloudy day or a feather falling endlessly from the sky but never landing appeals to you, you might find some merit in this body of work. Indeed, according to a press release from Maple Music, his music and live performances have garnered rave reviews. Unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The lyrics of "Wedding Song" pretty well sum it up for me with the lines "You feel like your [sic] drowning, Feel like you've gone too far." As Bill the Cat was fond of saying - "Blecch!!!" |
