Search - Dreadful Yawns :: Early

Early Has Lots to Offer

02/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With their first full-length Early, singer-songwriter Ben Gmetro and the Yawns remind us that while style and skill may not be what made indie an institution, they're certainly what make it memorable. The album is as eccentric as it is eclectic; opening with the cradle-rocking slow motion of "When We Were Young," the Yawns run a lazy zig-zag between country, folk, pop and Tama-driven art rock. Arrangements abound, electric and unplugged, from full band to Gmetro and his guitar. They even dug out an old Wurlitzer. Some of the album is danceable, some of it sedating; a few of the songs hint at the band's impressive technical talent and one of them is an absolute puzzler. Gmetro's lyrics are careful admissions of what we can only assume is his fantasy-animated life. His delivery - unsteady, missed notes here and there - fits perfectly, a convincing performance as the quiet kid nobody knows, who shuffles up to an open mic and recites his passion from looseleaf. At first glance naive, Gmetro's actually quite clever, giving us just enough to be curious. We're left with vivid, recurring images and themes but no less mystified as to where he really took us, or where in his figurative world he'll go next. Grab bags can be fun - and magnificently done. Standouts include the rollicking "Village Idiot," angelic "Highlighter" and the obsessive "Hazel Eyes.""