Search - Paul Steel :: Moon Rock

Fun Fun Fun

Brian King | Boston, Ma | 12/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Paul Steel is the second coming of Brian Wilson. No, really. Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-arrangements? Check. Unpredictably saccharine melodies? Uh-huh. Wilson-esque harmonies and falsettos abound? You got it.



The twenty-year-old Steel's penchant for quirky pop melodies is astounding for a debut. The opener, "In A Coma," is a Phil Spector driven roller coaster of finding love in comatose. The single, "Your Loss," is a rocky romp combining the fast acerbic wit of Elvis Costello and the driving powerpop of Supergrass.



The ever-changing A.D.D style of Steel's songwriting shines through, "Oh No, Oh Yeah." A hyper ode to indecision, sounding like Freddy Mercury prancing with E.L.O.



Astoundingly well versed in combining catchy melodies and humorous lyrics, Steel has crafted a near perfect summer album.



The lushly orchestrated arrangements could be Beach Boys or XTC rip-offs, but they are truly sincere, not merely style exercises or obvious pastiches.



Moon Rock delivers what it implies, an insanely catchy and kitschy album, recorded in space (actually in Steel's bedroom). As he should be, Paul Steel is merrily skipping on his way to carry the torch o' Wilson. Fun, Fun, Fun, indeed."