| The
Review |
I know what you’re saying, “Ryan Parmenter, I know that
name. That’s the guy from Eyestrings, that progressive rock
band from Detroit.” And you would be right, although I’m not
sure you’d be prepared for the music created on Parmenter’s
latest solo release entitled The Noble Knave. This is actually
his second solo release away from the band Eyestrings and
as he says is a recording that allows him to take many of
his best pieces that have accumulated over the years since
his first release back in 1995 and “clean house” so to speak.
***
Here on The Nobel Knave, unlike his darker moody work
with Eyestrings, Parmenter acts as a one man band with layers
of synth sounds all triggered by MIDI with the music falling
more in the art pop side of things. Think of a blend of the
Beatles, Beach Boys, XTC, and so forth. That’s right. This
is not a progressive rock release. These are 13 well-crafted
arty songs that are upbeat and hummable all composed somewhere
between 1996 and 2006. Ten years of material that’s been honed
to musical completion. Each of the tracks carries a signature
sound or musical style and in each case there is a prevailing
quirky fun mood that easily gets your toe tappin’. The closest
we even get to a progressive rock influence are the last two
tracks, “The Noble Knave” and “Come Along”. But even here
it’s more of a feel than a specific effort to write that way.
So it’s worth repeating this is not a progressive rock CD
and it wasn’t intended to be. But there are many songs that
grow on you with repeated listening because of their catchy
hook lines such as “Diamond Eggshell”. I also liked “I Dig
Your Head” with its mix of Beatles styled keyboard and XTC
vocals. ***
If you’re a fan of Ryan’s work with Eyestrings or his
earlier solo effort you’ll probably want to pick up The Noble
Knave to complete the collection. The songs here show a completely
different side to Ryan Parmenter’s creative style and as such
we hear an artist whose writing ability continues to develop
on yet another level. The Noble Knave won’t appeal to everyone,
but those with an open ear and an appreciation for catchy
songs will certainly find much to enjoy with this release.
***
|
