James Apollo – “Til Your Feet Bleed”

Album Reviews | Dec 14th, 2010

Record Label: S/R
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Band Link: www.jamesapollo.com
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Expect a lot of Tom Waits comparisons when hearing about this guy. Apollo doesn’t affect Waits’ impish weirdness or his guttural, strangled cat rasps, but he does croon a certain pessimistic pathos for the world.

The sound is very Tom Waits/Nick Cave – smoky, jazzy, darkly atmospheric, like a bubbling cauldron of thumping percussion, brush-on-cymbals, accordion, oboe… If you’re a boxcar hobo who is overdosing in a 1940s Shanghai opium den, this might be what’s pounding in your temples as the devil takes you.

It’s odd to say, but Apollo’s voice might be too normal, at least relative to the music. His voice is simple and hushed, and can sometimes be maudlin to the point of overdramatic when he’s right on top of the mic (groan). Yet his voice rarely conveys true pain, poignancy, or longing. (The last minute of “Paved Love” comes close.) An occasional agonized snarl or bloodcurdling yell or choked-back sob would have been welcome, but James Apollo plays it safe and takes no risks.

Bottom Line: Reminiscent of Waits’ early 70s balladry.
Notable Tracks: Oil on a Trashcan Fire; Happiness; No East, No West; The Bottom
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