From Sumi To Japan

Brian Bonz's voice is so angelic that it sounds perfectly acceptable when the NYC schoolteacher sings, "I'm just next in line with the sharpest knife and the desire to make these children die" ("Dee The Dinosaur"). A disciple of the celebrated circle of friends that includes Brand New and Kevin Devine, Bonz's singer/songwriter concepts are immersed in an entirely refreshing context, producing delicately experimental, ornate indie-pop with his newest effort. Claiming Björk and the Matthew Good Band as influences, Bonz's compositions consequently lean closer to (literal) bell-and-whistle acts like Belle & Sebastian and the New Pornographers. While From Sumi To Japan doesn't quite entrance the listener at every unexpected turn, there's a rewarding dynamism about it that's rather majestic.

Triple Crown http://www.triplecrownrecords.com