Reviews_PlacesAndNumbers_Travels_220

Places And Numbers - Travels

Places And Numbers

Travels

 

Travelsis the full-length debut of the sprawling solo project from Bobby Darling, guitarist for the newly reactivated Gatsbys American Dream. It's a mixed bag, but within the near-half-hour of bouncing, poppy beats are some rewarding moments.

The whimsical introduction of opener “Places And Numbers”—which provides neither places nor numbers; discuss—will likely divide listeners and onlookers. It sounds like a near-show tunes moment the Dear Hunter might have discarded, but the subtler hooks and fuzz of “I Had A Dream About A Nuclear Attack” resonate more comfortably. Blown-out beats and Darling's uniquely buoyant voice help make “Waking The Dead” a standout, though his theatrical tendencies invade the last minute—to somewhat better effect, admittedly. His voice sounds best, however, when he ditches the flair and tests his range for more inviting, melodic introspection, like with “Notes From The Dead Zone.” Gatsbys' time-change fans should get pumped for the waltz/no waltz of “Like Lungs Love The Air,” too.

There's more of an acoustic base in the midsection, as “wtf” is a rare moment of clear-headedness that shows Darling remaining as calm as he can be amid a recession. The soft plaintiveness of “I Don't Know What I'm Doing In This City” borders on “Hey There Delilah” territory at points, but makes its own case through a tenser chorus and an undercurrent of pulsing drum machine. The title track is an acoustic-and-piano-driven interlude with friendly-ghost reverb before a mass of fuzz takes over for the last 30 seconds.

Travelsisn't rhythmically stable enough to be considered a dancefloor soundtrack, but Darling's always been smarter than mindless club fare, anyway. (Besides, where else are you going to hear a song incorporate a reference to Saves The Day’s “Freakish” as slyly “Black Friday” does?) While perhaps not as realized or invigorating as his other gigs,Darling's Places And Numbers project fares decently with seemingly just voice, laptop and guitar in hand.

Equal Vision http://www.equalvision.com

“Notes From The Dead Zone”