Labels: Deep Elm
Review by: Mike Whelan
Less, it seems, is more for former Pop Unknown guitarist/keyboardist Francis Garcia these days. After earning his stripes in punk, and moving through the power-pop sound of Pop Unknown, it wouldn’t have been easy to guess that his solo sound would be so minimalist.
Apparently his debut solo album (recorded under the moniker Drive Til Morning) was created with the backdrop of New York’s Hells Kitchen as a canvas, but this is a record about as far from the Strokes infused New York the NME tells us about every week. With an influence coming more from rootsy Americana and country and western it doesn’t exactly conjure up images of busy streets and smog filled skies.
In fact, songs like “Palm Trees Sway’ and “Orange and Tweed,’ our introduction to Garcia’s new sound, are more catchy and light than heavy and meaningful. This is an album for lazy sunny days rather than hectic cross-city drives.
Occasionally, the feeling creeps in that some of the tracks could do with a little more tempo, perhaps only to break up the slow, mellow atmosphere, but Garcia rescues proceedings with his spot-on song writing and great melodies.
Garcia spent a long time preparing this album, and every track has a “finished’ quality to it. Although the release doesn’t stand out compared to some of Deep Elm’s stronger recent releases, it certainly bobs its head up enough to ensure you won’t forget it. In a word, heartfelt.