Nepotistic Record Review #1

XYZR_KX Falls off the Curb, Chump Style.
“Actually, Records.”

“Full” disclosure: XYZR_KX is better known to me as Jon Monteverde, friend and musical partner/collaborator extraordinaire. The only other musician who appears on this album is my friend Pete Micek.

“Objective” opinion: Falls off the Curb, Chump Style. is a hard record to pigeonhole, because it merges several different musical styles without resorting to genre hopping. I think that the best compliment i can pay XYZR_KX on this CD is that, like many of my favorite albums it sounds like the realization of a personal musical vision more than an exercise within a particular tradition or school of music.

Which isn’t to say that Falls off the Curb invents a new genre outright. It’s more that it sounds like XYZR_KX is doing his own thing here, confidently and successfully. So what is his thing? The main elements are electronic sounds and freedom, a songwriterly sense of composition, and an early 90s indie rock feel for hazy distorted guitars.

I really like the way that these elements come together. Check out “LUV,” which features an extended introduction with cool crunchy beats and pretty synth tones. This instrumental part goes through several interesting developments and then merges seamlessly into the sound of an acoustic guitar that introduces a ballady vocal section, only to head back to a satisfying electro resolution.

In addition to the synthesis of directions on Falls off the Curb, the other striking characteristic is the vulnerability of the vocals. The singing is sincere, but not melodramatic, admirably able to emote without stage setting and grand gestures. The lack of affect does much for the honesty of the music and singing.

I guess this is the part of the reivew where i have to offer some criticism to maintain my credibility. Well, i suppose that the mix could have been a little crazier in a few parts. "I've Said this Before" has a good rocking beat and a really cool sheets-of-fuzz guitar sound, but i wish that the guitars or the vocals were a little higher to fill up the mix. There's also room for a little more craziness in general on the disc, but maybe i only say that because i've gotten a preview of some wilder XYZR_KX material still in the pipeline, and there's nothing wrong with laid back music.

“LUV” is emblematic of the album’s tendencies towards gentle ballads, epic instrumentals, and hard rockin’. Given the diversity of mood, Falls off the Curb feels like it always has a surprise waiting, and evolves nicely over the course of its eight songs, coming to a reflective close on “Symphoniphics.” This song contains one of my favorite moments on the album, a lonely voice singing, “we’re lost out here in the stars.” An appropriate closing to an album that takes you at least as far.