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Standish
Arms: Once Outlined in Blueprints EP
Long Island has a new songwriter on the pop by the name of Brad Caliman. His debut album, Once Outlined in Blueprints, brings us six concise songs for getting to know him. The first song, Judge by the Jacket, is vocally the best song of the bunch, though the interesting part about this track is that he sings with accompaniment throughout the entire song. The listener develops a false sense of Calimans vocal abilities from minute one. Musically the song is fine and follows the general guidelines of the standard pop song including a slightly annoying chorus that gets stuck in the head. Angel Light begins with a slow pace that begins to set a nice stage, which quickly comes crashing down once the vocals enter the scene. Not only does his voice waver in and out of tune, but it is too soft for the music. The whole song feels out of balance. In Pretty like Poison, Caliman sounds even less sure of himself, especially in the harmony parts. It feels like he has lost his confidence as a singer and is even a bit nervous. And then in Eliza, the vocal problems continue but the music is so annoying with its tripping manner that I have to hold my hand back from the skip button. The off-kilter feeling that introduced itself in the beginning of the album is becoming increasingly obvious. Religion displays the albums most intimate and promising track. With an appropriately soft set of vocals, Caliman sounds honest in his words. He is backed by a guitar and piano that create a tender mood that almost helps one to overlook the vocal inadequacies. Then 49 closes the album with an unremarkable, upbeat track that attempts to close on a high note but falls a bit flat. I would like to see Caliman get a dose of confidence so that he could belt it out; and then we could see what hes really made of. So far, he sounds more like a nervous boy hiding behind a guitar.
Check Amazon, Insound and CD Universe to purchase this album. Standish Arms Official Website
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