Friday, September 21, 2007

Whitley - The Submarine



As you would have noticed, most of the plugs in this blog are normally confined to our weekly gig preview, but every so often, something comes along that’s deserving of an extra special mention. So even though young singer-songwriter Whitley was previewed in yesterday's Bands ‘n Stuff, his debut record The Submarine deserves an extra plug here.

The Submarine effortlessly breezes through ten tracks of earthy and poignant folk. While it’s a relatively short record at just over half an hour, it’s such a smooth and comfortable listen that it feels much shorter than that as you become whisked away into Whitley’s intimate and presumably personal tales. I’m not too familiar with Conor Oberst’s extensive back catalogue, from what I have heard, with his bittersweet alt-folk, Whitley displays a maturity but modern pop sensibility that will no doubt prompt some inevitable Bright Eyes comparisons.

The simpler heartfelt finger-picked ballads such as I Remember and More Than Life are probably the sweetest and most memorable tracks on the record and, from what I understand, the former has (deservedly) got a fair bit of airplay on JJJ. But, it’s the arrangements on some of the other numbers that provide additional confirmation of Whitley's talent (and also suggest he has been provided with a helpful budget from Universal Music).

The folktronica elements of the record are most evident on first single Lost In Time, the airy title track, and trippy White Feather, Strange Sights. While the arrangements are soft and unabrasive, and thus unlikely to upset conservative 'alternative' tastes, they sound fresh enough and vary extensively enough to ensure The Submarine still sounds interesting with multiple plays, but maintains that high degree of intimacy and catchiness that is necessary for a gentle record to catch the attention of a national audience.

Other memorable injections of smart production arrangements (kudos to producer and engineer Nick Huggins) include the sparse plucky banjo that opens on Cheap Clothes, the wistful strings that float around at the end of Lost In Time, the deep soulful shots of ‘Hey-ya’ in A Shot To The Stars, and the pious choir in All is Whole. All weave, bind and deliver each of the tales in fresh textures that experiment and deliver beyond the beautiful yet relatively risk free steel stringed barnyard balladry of the songs in their rawest forms.

A slight downside to me though is the Jeff Buckley cover, Mojo Pin. While it’s a decent stripped back rendition, I just don’t see the point of it amongst the great original compositions. Perhaps, like Jose Gonzalez, it's there to draw in the listeners who wouldn't otherwise be buying his records.

But regardless of whether or not you averse to this cover version, it's still a fantastic debut. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a simple folk tune, but also wants to be taken into the exciting new territory that pop music occassionally offers. I think there seems little doubt that Whitley is destined for big things.

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