BILL JANOVITZ
Up Here
spinART
TANYA DONELLY
Sleepwalk EP
4AD/ Beggars Banquet
· Indie rock pioneers Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz chart similar career paths.
Tanya Donelly was a founding member of Throwing Muses, the Breeders and Belly before she embarked on a solo career. Bill Janovitz founded Buffalo Tom and guided them on a decade-long career of micro-stardom. However, as is often the case, the true test of an artist’s mettle is when they venture forth on their own, leaving behind the safety net of established careers.
If there is one thing that Donelly’s solo offerings have proven, it is that she is more suited to a group dynamic. While in the past she has used her voice to powerful effect (yelping alongside Kristin Hersh or cascading over Belly’s shimmering guitars), her most recent efforts have seen her adopt a wounded-bird persona, pleading mournfully over light guitar rock. On Sleepwalk we are exposed to both sides of Donelly. The lead track ("The Storm") is positively woeful. "I’m not finished yet, I’m under construction" is only a sampling of the song's insipid lyrical content. The closing track ("Last Rain") is similarly uninspired, treading the waters of AM radio pap. There is hope in between, though – the two remaining tracks find Donelly venturing into alt-country territory, and doing so admirably well.
Janovitz is another story altogether. As the creative force behind Buffalo Tom, Janovitz’s strength has always been his songwriting, and the sparse instrumentation of Up Here shows why. By extricating himself from the noisiness of a band environment, Janovitz’s gravelly voice and carefully crafted lyrics are brought to the fore. Like most great singer-songwriters, Janovitz has a voice that, while far from technically perfect, is effortlessly capable of evoking heartfelt emotion. Passages such as "Abandoned cars spent like shotgun shells surround me again" (from "Best Kept Secret") perfectly demonstrate Janovitz’s ability to let his voice and his words shape a mood. From the spacey tremolo of the opener "Atlantic" to the uplifting closer "Long Island," Janovitz sets a comfortable pace and rarely falters. Whereas his previous solo effort focused on a more rootsy, countrified sound, Up Here is pure Americana folk. Astute listeners may draw comparisons to Scarecrow era Mellencamp, or a less lawless and more loveless take on Springsteen’s Nebraska.
Janovitz takes the opportunity to expand beyond the confines of a rock group – Up Here is an excellent album, abounding with sentiment and originality.
TANYA DONELLY 2/5
BILL JANOVITZ 4/5
RYAN ELLIS
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