Neva Dinova
“Self-Titled”
(Crank! A Record Company)
To describe this in a word: somber. This is the perfect music for when life has you down, especially if you’re down about relationships. Not unlike Mark Lanegan style dirges with Coldplay as a backing band, this wonderfully melancholic debut will soften even the hardest heart and conjure images of lonesome strolls reminiscing on the past. Thom Yorkiohead can be heard in Heath Koontz’ vocals every now and again, but this band maintains a unique personality throughout these ten songs.
A strange phenomenon contained on this album is the use of three guitars resulting in a light, almost folksy feel. That many strings usually add up to some psychedelic or fuzzed out heaviness, but here the result is a depth to acoustics. And the use of fan brushes on certain tracks really gives this a warm, jazzy drinks-on-the-couch sort of feel. Well-penned lyrics, which might dwell on the female of our species a bit too much, are engaging and eloquent nonetheless. Exceptional down tempo mope and roll built on mellow and contemplative sounds for those who enjoy songs as well as music.
