Muruch

Just as I felt myself falling into a writing slump brought on by overwhelming piles of formulaic “indie” promos (an illness that infects many a music blogger), Easy Tiger comes to my rescue. The latest release from Ryan Adams isn’t exactly innovative for him, but good singer-songwriters don’t necessarily need to stray far from their trodden paths. The new disc isn’t Gold, or the hip-hop album I’ve been hoping for ever since Adams posted that rap song on his website, but it is great for what it is. I actually breathed a sigh of relief as I listened to it for the first time, because it was so refreshingly good in comparison to everything else I’ve heard lately.

Many of Easy Tiger’s tracks, such as “Goodnight Rose” and “Halloweenhead”, are buoyed by strong guitar work. “Off Broadway” has a very interesting retro Neil Young kind of vibe to it. While “Tears Of Gold” tries a little too hard to be country, “Pearls On A String” gets it right with what sounds like a banjo and mandolin slipping into the acoustic ambiance.

The stand out tracks for me are “Two”, “Everybody Knows”, “Oh My God, Whatever, etc.”, and “The Sun Also Sets”. The lyrics and melodies are complimentary to Ryan’s voice and the mood of the songs – that mellow dusky road sincerity – is where his strength lies. And the closing track “I Taught Myself To Grow Old” is simple, haunting, and beautiful.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3 from the album, but you can hear samples at the links below.

Ryan Adams Official Site
Ryan on MySpace
Buy the CD