Buzzards Boy… Buzzed
Review: Sean Bones – Buzzards Boy
Published on March 5th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
Album… Sean Bones – Buzzards Boy
The buzz… Brooklyn singer-songwriter releases follow-up to his reggae-tinged 2009 debut Rings. To quote the biography on his Facebook…
“Traveling between rehearsal spaces, bedrooms and eventually to the West Coast, Sean Bones’ second record was built on the foundation of old musical friendships and new collaboration, notably with Shane Stoneback and Lewis Pesacov. Buzzards Boy transcends Bones’ varied stylistic past to reveal an intriguing songwriter capable of truth and sonic spells.”
Sounds like… A gorgeous, sun-kissed melting pot of influences and ideas. Opener “Here Now” is instantly loveable, like a mix of Badly Drawn Boy and latter day Supergrass (Sean even sounds a bit like Gaz Coombes), deploying in the chorus a momentary and very clever detuning of his two-part harmony vocals so as to put a nice, hazy shade on what is resoundingly a summer pop song
Another two-part harmony winner is the lead guitar lick of “Hit Me Up”, a track with a reggae-like sense of space to its verse, even going as far as to feature steel drums and a whooshing, splattering UFO sound; and the way in which its chorus storms suddenly into indie-pop territory is a trick repeated on the fantastically fuzzy, Olivia Tremor Control-evoking “Bermuda Nothin’”, the reggae-to-bouncy-psych-pop-and-back “Wondering”, and the groovily laid-back goodness of “Four Dub”.
“Gallon Jug” sounds a bit like an old Trojan ska classic intercepted by (a presumably time-travelling) Elliott Smith, “Tell Me Again” rather like a Europop “Dear Prudence” that somehow works, whereas “Voice Notes” brings to mind “We No Speak Americano” after a fat bong hit, and without the annoying noise of course. Suffice it to say this is eclectic on paper, but Bones’s gently rasping vocals and knack for killer pop hooks tie it all together in a neat, uniform bundle. Splendid stuff.
In a few words… Unassuming, diverse and downright catchy; a consummate presentation of sunny psych-pop.
Rocksucker says: Eight Quails out of Ten!
Buzzards Boy will be released on 8th May. You can listen to its tremendous opening track “Here Now” right here on Quit Mumbling.
For more information and a list of live dates, please visit seanbones.com or www.facebook.com/seanbonesmusic
Sean Bones will this month play the following dates at SXSW…
3/14 SXSW Austin, TX Ground Control Touring Party @ MI Annex 3/14 SXSW Official Showcase @ The HGTV Studio 3/15 SXSW Treehouse Diddly @ Cheers 3/15 SXSW Rachel Ray Party @ The Greenhouse 3/16 SXSW Solid Gold + Death And Taxes Party @ Cheer Up Charlies
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
