Album review: Loner
Western Sci-Fi
Album review: Loner
Facts about this album:
* Loner is the stage name of Geoff Smith.
* Smith has been playing piano since he was eight.
* His music was featured the penultimate episode of Sex And The City.
Album review:
A Loner he may be, but Geoff Smith lacks a singular vision. Initially, this second album comes on like a slick pastiche of Spiritualized – all mournful strings and repetitious fire-based metaphors. However, ‘I’m Not Sorry’ is a detour into saccharine electro-soul while ‘When The Party’s Over’ is grimly reminiscent of ’90s chill-out bores The Beloved. Everything points to an identity crisis, which is unsurprising given that Smith
is both a virtuoso pianist and The Rakes’ touring keyboardist. As he continues his doomed search for a midpoint between space-rock and The Script, questions arise. Why does he deliver rhyming-dictionary lyrics in such earnest tones? Why does he purge songs of character? And could it be that Loner is best left alone?
Niall O’Keeffe
More on this artist:
Loner NME Artist Page
Loner MySpace
5 out of 10
* Loner is the stage name of Geoff Smith.
* Smith has been playing piano since he was eight.
* His music was featured the penultimate episode of Sex And The City.
Album review:
A Loner he may be, but Geoff Smith lacks a singular vision. Initially, this second album comes on like a slick pastiche of Spiritualized – all mournful strings and repetitious fire-based metaphors. However, ‘I’m Not Sorry’ is a detour into saccharine electro-soul while ‘When The Party’s Over’ is grimly reminiscent of ’90s chill-out bores The Beloved. Everything points to an identity crisis, which is unsurprising given that Smith
is both a virtuoso pianist and The Rakes’ touring keyboardist. As he continues his doomed search for a midpoint between space-rock and The Script, questions arise. Why does he deliver rhyming-dictionary lyrics in such earnest tones? Why does he purge songs of character? And could it be that Loner is best left alone?
Niall O’Keeffe
Loner NME Artist Page
Loner MySpace
5 out of 10
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