I have a feeling that Throw Me the Statue is going to suffer from some hefty comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel. But that's missing the point, isn't it? Okay, so Scott Reitherman has a fuzzy warble that might seem similar to Jeff Mangum's, and he has a tendency to write hazy, sunny psychedelic folk songs with all sorts of wonderful little surprises, but not everybody with an orchestra and a Sinatra-like singing voice is Sinatra, you know? About to Walk is their debut EP for Secretly Canadian, and it's a total keeper. The three songs found here are, in a word, magical; starting with the title track, it's extremely difficult not to be hypnotized by Reitherman and his hapless, carefree singing. He then hits you with a "if-you-liked-that-one-then-here's-another" attack of pure pop wonderfulness with "Lolita," a song so laden with handclaps, humming, and guitar strumming that makes you feel the pain and heart of his lovelorn lyrics. "The Old Believer" is pretty good, too; it's not quite as catchy as the other two songs, but the company it keeps certainly makes up for any lacking.
About to Walk is a wonderful year-end treat, a teaser for greatness yet to come when then band releases its debut album, Moonbeams. From these three little songs, I have a feeling 2008's going to be a great year for Mr. Reitherman.
Listen To: "About to Walk"Labels: Secretly Canadian, Throw Me the Statue |
