Rivulets - Thank You Reykjavik EP
(Blue Sanct)
How should a person approach a good, yet unremarkable album? That is definitely the quandary that I face as I sit down to examine Rivulets' self-titled album as well as their EP, Thank You Reykjavik. Here's an idea, let's see what other reviewers have had to say about it. I mean, if all reviewers are honest people and not simply shills, then we should get a wealth of information, right? George Parsons of Dream Magazine writes, "He makes wonderfully evocative melancholic sound. His voice, guitar and songs radiate a potent poignancy that put him on a par with Tindersticks or Low at their most sorrowful and beautiful. This takes the listener to a twilight world of broken hearted mourning and loss, but it has you by the hand as you pass through the process." I wonder who has their unfinished memoir of their college relationship gone wrong gathering dust under their bed?
Well, first of all, the "he" Mr. Parsons refers to is Nathan Amundson, the Minneapolis singer-songwriter and brains behind Rivulets. Second of all, His entire quote, which to be fair is from the press sheet, is complete bullshit. It's a decent album. But it sounds exactly like a stripped down Low. Exactly. I mean, the guy even sounds like Alan Sparhawk. Ok, maybe with an edge of Nick Drake thrown in (I can hear it on the EP), but otherwise he might as well be his trachea twin. Finally, just to underscore the Low reference, Sparhawk and Mimi Parker both guest on the self-titled album, and it was also put out on Sparhawk's label.
Does the lack of originality make the album bad? No, but it makes it pretty boring. I guess I might have the itch to put it on once a year or so to fall asleep to or something like that. But otherwise this album doesn't really hold much for me and really shouldn't for anyone except people who's main deal is slowcore. If you're some Pavlovian Kranky-experiment who's eyes get anime-wide and who's mouth drops open at the mention of slowcore, pick this up and you'll probably dig it. And assuming that that's Admundson's audience, I suppose he succeeds in his aims. I just wish there was something more there than the appeasement of a small section of music purveyors.
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