Music Review - Jon McKiel

Jon McKiel “The Nature Of Things” (Wednesday)

From the start Jon McKiel’s The Nature Of Things sounds so incredibly familiar. And it’s not that annoying kind of familiarity either. The Nature Of Things is comfortable. There is a simple charm that emanates from the album. McKiel eschews the quiet singer/songwriter role for an album that is accompanied by a full band. The addition of horns on many of the songs adds a beautiful spark as well. McKiel stays on the accessible side of the track for the majority of the album. The slower, more atmospheric songs recall the moody strains of a band like Constantines. But the dynamics that make that particular band so special are lacking here. McKiel and company keep things straightforward as The Nature of Things never asks too much of the listener. Depending on your mood that can be an asset or the album’s downfall. McKiel pumps out ten songs of spiked indie pop that show subtle signs of brilliance. If he can dig a little deeper and get a little dirtier he might just find that buried treasure the next time around.

Genre: Indie/Pop/Rock

RIYL: Constantines, Ryan Adams, Paul Westerberg

War On You

[audio http://www.ezarchive.com/original/soundaslanguage/01WarOnYou.mp3]

www.myspace.com/jonmckiel