Bill Janovitz
Up Here
»
Bill Janovitz
Up Here
spinArt, 2001
RiYL: Buffalo Tom, Mark Eitzel, Howe Gelb |
Janovitz has a knack for delivering the solid pop song, but with his band's next studio album indefinitely on hold, he's turned his attention to his second solo effort. And unlike the electric guitar-driven pop of Buffalo Tom, Janovitz's Up Here focuses on the songwriter as storyteller by reducing the instrumentation to sparse acoustic guitar and vocal arrangements dotted with harmonies, bits of percussion and pensive piano lines.
On "Best Kept Secret," Janovitz contrasts a familiar country shuffle with a series of bleak images including deserted classic cars and empty property. As the ivories twinkle in the upper registers and the pedal steel adds its tones underneath, Janovitz uses the chorus to celebrate the odd beauty of the abandoned.
It is only when Janovitz deserts his genuine vocal style and opts for sappier fare that the songs prove less successful. The hard-to-swallow ode "Like I Do" lacks the important bit of humor in both delivery and content that makes many of Janovitz's songs captivating and sincere.
Even the seemingly sweet sentiments like "I can feel you warm my bones right through / No one understands me like you do," are delivered in such a way that they come across as more trite and pitiful than sentimental. However, on the following track "Like Shadows," Janovitz gets the lovesong right. Atop fervent guitar strumming he pleas "now I need you home / so please come back / my heart attacks me on my own." The syncopated delivery which makes the phrase "heart attacks" sound more like he is calling the lover who scorned him a "heart attack" adds the levity which "Like I Do" was lacking.
Similarly, the sparkling album closer "Long Island" tells the story of a kid's struggle over whether to leave his suburban existence or remain in the comfort of the familiar. Janovitz uses his warm voice to tell the tale with a quirky hopefulness that makes lyrics like "Long Island / let others berate you as I stand idle," sound sincere. And the acoustic/vocal combination even gives way to some catchy shakers and a rocking electric guitar solo.
All in all, Up Here is generally a toe-tap-worthy series of short stories and confessionals crafted by a man with a knack for the engaging pop song.
A.K. GOLD | A.K. Gold lives in Washington, D.C., where she slaves away for a non-profit organization and constantly compares everything to New York City or Chicago. She's earned her "cred" as a college radio and pre-1960 country music DJ, committed indie label street teamer, sporadic zinemaker/contributor, retired mail-order filler and occasional freelance writer. From time to time, she publishes Anecdotal Evidence, a per zine that will some day be considered for the National Book Award, or possibly not. If you want to buy a copy, or desire to write to her for some other reason, email criticgirl@hotmail.com.