The novelty of the sensitive male alto wore off long ago; yes, the idea of the doe-eyed boy who sings of love in all its forms, when done well, can still certainly hold a great deal of appeal, but when it seems formulaic and forced, it's wholly forgettable. While Chris Garneau, the slight, piano-playing singer/songwriter with the high, breathy voice, is not an untalented musician, he unfortunately does little to set himself apart from the rest of the cadre. In fact, the most notable thing about him may be how relatively straightforward his music is. Produced by none other than Duncan Sheik, Garneau's debut, Music for Tourists, is composed of slow piano-and-string indie allads that, though they occasionally threaten to turn into something powerful, more often stay with the same barely breathing, minor-keyed, quarter-noted chord progressions that stick and falter in their own reflection like dull scissors cutting through contact paper. Garneau does periodically employ a kind of super-syncopated and super-enunciated wee phrasing, like in "Castle Time," when he sings, "My teacher died/Even the frying pan cried," that distinguishes him and his über-preciousness and gives him some individual character, but this is more bothersome and affected than endearing. The few moments where passion overtakes him and his voice drops and fills out, like in "Sad News" or "Relief," are more honest and bare than anytime Garneau sings sorrowfully "I'm sorry he brought us there/Me, crying in my underwear," and give a welcome glimpse of the person behind the sometimes-corny, sometimes-insightful lyrics (the rather inane "I love the way you dance.../Don't you miss your chance" coupled with the brilliant "I didn't go to see the city/I went to see it around you" in "Relief"). But too much of the album gets caught in the shallow grave of introspection, struggling half-heartedly to pull itself out, already resigned to unremarkable misery, just like everyone else. Perhaps the most telling moment of this in on the bonus track, a cover of Elliott Smith's "Behind the Bars." Where Smith was able to convey very real-sounding and often subtle layers of despair in his voice, Garneau just seems like he's trying to be fragile, barely reaching the high notes and affecting an almost-Irish accent on some of the vowels, simply because that's what he thinks he's supposed to do. He's suffering from a lack of presence, if anything, which makes Music for Tourists, with all its bright spots, a cumbersome affair.
what can i say? i like lists. here's numbers 11-20 of my top plays so far for 2008. Death Cab For Cutie - "Cath..." Rilo Kiley - "Go Ahead" Eleni Mandell - "Moonglow, Lamp Low" Delorentos - "Any Other Way" Kate Nash - "Foundations" Rilo Kiley - "Salute My Shorts!" Sufjan Stevens - "Ring Them Bells" The Dresden Dolls - "Missed Me" Chris Garneau - "Castle-Time"
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This is the only person i desperately want to see live, alive, just you know, in person. Chris Garneau - Saturday it made my heart skip a little
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I come across a lot of music in my day. A lot. And I'm often curious, but as it is, time is limited and I don't always get a chance to give something a real listen. So I see a lot familiar album covers but am ignorant to their contents. I've been seeing this one quite a bit, but didn't really do much about it. So I did what I normally do. I'll just listen to one song and usually, my curi...
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Went to high school with this guy... amazing live performer. amazing songwriter. amazing musician.
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Probably my favorite album of 2006. 14 solid tracks of heart tickling/arse kicking/mind exploding goodness and stuff. I mainly bought the cd after only hearing "castle time" but after every time i listened to the cd, every song got better and better. pretty soon i couldnt tell which song was my favorite. honestly i had a hard time figuring out which song to post!i was suppose to see him live in...
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what can i say? i like lists. here's numbers 11-20 of my top plays so far for 2008. Death Cab For Cutie - "Cath..." Rilo Kiley - "Go Ahead" Eleni Mandell - "Moonglow, Lamp Low" Delorentos - "Any Other Way" Kate Nash - "Foundations" Rilo Kiley - "Salute My Shorts!" Sufjan Stevens - "Ring Them Bells" The Dresden Dolls - "Missed Me" Chris Garneau - "Castle-Time"
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New vids on my Live Music Journal.Here's one of Chris, click over to see the other! Also, Frog Eyes! Chris is amazing, by the way. So beautiful! What songs! I hadn't heard of him before this show, but I totally dig his style.*update*: actually, I just realized I *have* heard Chris before... on none other than La Blogotheque!
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"baby's romance" from chris garneau's music for tourists The baby's sleeping in the crib up top And baby's sleeping above you You will lift him to the parking lot Your car is waiting there for you Your car is waiting there for you I would like to see a little more propriety, Cooperate with me and answer me Without a plea. I know now, I know now, I know now, I'm gonna tell on you. I know now, ...
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I come across a lot of music in my day. A lot. And I'm often curious, but as it is, time is limited and I don't always get a chance to give something a real listen. So I see a lot familiar album covers but am ignorant to their contents. I've been seeing this one quite a bit, but didn't really do much about it. So I did what I normally do. I'll just listen to one song and usually, my curi...
More >
This is the only person i desperately want to see live, alive, just you know, in person. Chris Garneau - Saturday it made my heart skip a little
More >
Went to high school with this guy... amazing live performer. amazing songwriter. amazing musician.
More >
It's Halloween, the day that men, women, and children all over the world reluctantly put on half-hearted costumes and wander through the night seeking some combination of candy, alcohol, and those orange sugar cookies. This time last year I was preparing to take in an excellent Menomena Halloween show , but sadly I find myself without plans of any sort this year. Luckily I have lots to keep ...
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Chris was at the Bell House in NY last night performing with Jennifer O'Connell
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Castle-Time |
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| 2 Relief |
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| 3 Black & Blue |
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| 4 Saturday |
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| 5 So Far |
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| 6 First Place!!! |
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| 7 Hymn |
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| 8 Baby's Romance |
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| 9 Not Nice |
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| 10 Blue Suede Shoes |
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| 11 We Don't Try |
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| 12 Sad News |
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| 13 Halloween |
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| 14 Between the Bars |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Music for Tourists")
