Labels: New Granada
Review by: Thomas Strawbridge
Bob Nanna has never released a record as Bob Nanna before … there are probably easier and certainly more direct ways to say ‘its personal’. Which, recorded on ‘what would have been’ a wedding anniversary, is exactly what this is.
With the obvious potential to head to loud, angsty, reactive songs this is the opposite. Quiet, mature, considered. Perfectly captured, this is Bob on vocals and guitar, minimal overdubs, and only a hint of other noise on middle track ‘In Reverse’.
The perfect indie-pop of Do You Want to Buy a Guitar sets the tone; 10 tracks of exposed introspection, of growth when you already thought you were grown up. The next couple of tracks are more melancholy, without being miserable, but that’s not to say this is all serious all the time … there are playful moments that remind me of Jeffrey Brown’s Be A Man spread throughout. Wry humour and self-deprecation.
Overall I reckon the second half/side of this a slightly stronger set of songs than the first (individual tracks notwithstanding), finishing musically, narratively, and entirely aptly with the 2 minutes of Denouement. But its close, this is near perfect … individual tracks and song writing, and collective dynamic and progression. I’m hooked, I paid money to own this after.