Peer Review: Richard Album, Quiet

Chicago based Richard Album’s Bandcamp page opens up to kitschy 60’s album cover images of a pop star gamine. The track – “Quiet” offers a man-boy smirking, offering us a birthday cake. Richard Album (Shelby Turner) looks like Pee-Wee Herman and Andrew Bird’s love child. He’s in on the tongue in cheek pastel joke and the song lovingly follows suit. Offering deadpan yet cheerful lyrics that talk about not taking someone for granted thus not yourself too seriously. At first listen the mood feels like a Shins type breezy vibe, though Richard’s voice is much different than James Mercer. The ironic phrasing and lyrics offer introspection, whilst letting the air into your apartment windows during the first days of summer. The song starts off hooking you in with a growling bass and a charming syncopated guitar line.  Richard confronts us in rhyme with some really whimsical delayed yells –“and the stars are just really big giants.” Imploring us to change our way of communicating– with the mantra “quiet, quiet...” which sounds like “choir” maybe on purpose as a double entendre. The assonance translates cheerfully and is well crafted.  The recording quality is lo-fi fittingly to the style- all reverby vocals and live band takes. The rest of the album are equally endearingly poppy, hooky and sometimes groovy – sharing the theme of that sense of humor. I wouldn’t be surprised if Richard Album’s next effort will sound more like a Modern Lovers album or Taking Heads or Bryan Ferry. I want to keep listening if those at least are some of his influences.

By The Meaning of Life
(read their review)