by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
“Too many notes,” went the Salieri line meant to denigrate Mozart’s music in Milos Forman’s Amadeus. Many current reviewers modify that line to “too many singer songwriters” these days. Sure, fine, but what if any of those artists actually come up with some interesting, engaging music? Actually, we’ve got one such artist right here, Brooklyn’s Mike Etten and his excellent debut solo album Love Wash. So what elements make Etten’s music so interesting?
It could be that Etten has been around for a while as one of the founders of the Brooklyn DIY venue and collective Le Wallet, or that he recorded and played in various experimental, chamber, punk and country projects throughout the last decade, including PC Worship, Ashcan Orchestra and Dougie Poole.
Or it could be the fact that he just has the knack for coming up with good songs one after other, combining his obvious love for sixties pop, particularly the late Beatles records (and early solo efforts) like on “Saints” or his more psych punk inclinations akin to The Dream Syndicate, as on “Drive,” or the deep rooted Americana sounds like on “December Sun”.
Just these brief descriptions might indicate that Etten is all over the place, which for many artists could cause some serious inconsistency problems. Yet, throughout the album there is a certain unifying thread that spells personal touch, something many singer songwriters lack these days, hence some derogatory remarks they get. Mike Etten certainly deserves only praise for both his musical diversity and the consistency he presents so well on Love Wash.