Labels: Cats? Aye! Records
Review by: Peter James Beswick
Singer songwriter is a genre, make no mistake about that. It is also the most overcrowded of the genres out there. I have to say post experimental electronica spoken-word fusion has to be the least crowded but that is a different debate for a different day. I feel that to stand out from this crowd you have to offer something special. Having great song titles does help. ‘This City And I Have A Lot In Common’ and ‘Summer In Scotland Is Just A Word’ are two fine examples of fantastic song titles. But then a title doesn’t a great song make.
The problem with Mr McCabe’s album is that every song sounds the same. Now that isn’t to say that is all bad news (see what I did there?). The song he has is decent and well worth a listen. It is just that nothing from the album jumps out as the song you must hear. If you head over to facebook, bandcamp or myspace (I think that still exists) and listen to any track of the album you are given a true example and taster of what to expect on all ten other songs the album offers. As I said, a blessing and a curse, it really does sound like one long song.
You could be a fan of The Mountain Goats or even a fan of Bright Eyes and really find something worth your time here. Or you could dust off your Iron and Wine and Frank Turner records and wonder what all the fuss is about. In short this is a decent album full of decent songs that a fan of the genre should have no trouble finding time to play. This is not a record you are going to be talking about this time next year or even debating buying if you only occasionally pick up the best the genre has to offer. That might sound harsh but that is simply the truth. This is a middle of the road record right in the middle of a genre that takes a little more than this to stand out from. I have been known to be wrong before and the fact I paid for Ian Love’s solo album proves it. Give this record a chance and let me be wrong…