Yoshimi! – Milkshakes at the Pizzeria
This album was made by a gentleman called Niek from Holland, who I’ve exchanged emails with on a few occasions, who I’ve reviewed a couple of times and, after initial misgivings, whose music I have come to enjoy more and more. I like it when that kind of thing happens – when you can actually watch an artist develop like this. Much like the way I’ve been allowed to watch this album grow into being from a handful of demos about a year ago.
It’s pure bedroom recording, this whole thing, sounding like every last beep, scratch and piano chime was created on a laptop, resulting in a slightly tinny, wobbly album of DIY pop music which manages to shine by embracing its shortfalls, rather than by worrying about them unduly.
And as a pop album this works surprisingly well for something so obviously self-recorded. There’s an eccentricity to some of the tunes which really suits the recording style, but plenty of songs I could easily imagine being bigger and shinier and so becoming really rather radio friendly.
This is not to suggest that the album is sunshine itself, blanketed by a layer of fuzz, because it isn’t. It’s blanketed more by a layer of melancholy and uncertainty. There is plenty of pop here, but there is also a fair bit of tense, fuzzy unease, and there are times when I find myself slightly wishing there was a little more of the former than the latter, just to break the mood a little bit.
Still, that would be wishing for a rather different album, in a sense, which I would not do at all because I am really enjoying this one, despite its flaws.
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hmm not sure should like it
‘Should’ like it? Do you like it or not? It’s not that clear from your comment.
song for Suzy i like.
Well it’s a somewhat cautious album in some ways. It seems somewhat restrained somehow, bit I’m not sure why.
Just found his myspace. Broken Backs and Bad Balloons is great but funny you saying that, i was thinking perhaps it’s not quite nut’s enough.