Chris Garneau
C-Sides EP
Absolutely Kosher Records (www.absolutelykosher.com)
One of the interesting byproducts of the rise of digital downloading is the renewed vitality of the single in pop music. This has reverberated back to the physical world of music distribution as well. While full length CDs were the favored means of presenting an artist, EPs are regaining respectability. Joseph Arthur has released 2 EPs in the last year (another is on the way this month); both of them are more musically satisfying, and better cohere as units, than his last, too-wide-ranging, full length CD.
The EP, whether physically sold as a CD or distributed in the digital domain, has a certain logic in the “99 ¢ per song” era. Instead of waiting until an artist can put together a respectable full length recording or, worse, fill out a CD with a few good songs and many mediocre ones, the EP collects a small group of excellent songs and gets them, and the artist, out into the world.
Chris Garneau’s C-Sides EP is a compelling example of this new practice. Particularly affecting is “Black Out,” on which Garneau is joined by Jenny Owen Young in a sumptuous duet. “The Runt” is a lilting ballad which manages to evoke an alt-folk ambience despite the prevalence of a Wurlitzer electric piano in the arrangement! While we’re out of season as of this writing, I’m planning to remember “It’s Almost Christmas” when making mix-tapes for holiday parties – it’s a charming ballad;’ heartfelt but never sappy. While the press has compared Garneau to Rufus Wainwright, one can hear a key difference right off the bat: Garneau’s voice is a far sweeter instrument. Keep an ear to the ground for his next recording, be it CD, EP, or a 99 ¢ digital download.
-Christian Carey
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