Review Summary: This will raise some eyebrows....
From my very first look at the Christopher Gould two song single EP that fell out of the envelope in front of me, I could tell it was going to be interesting. Upon first listen it became clear that Christopher Gould certainly does have a knack for writing something out of the ordinary. The first cut off the single EP is titled ‘At Your Service (In Zis Restaurant)’ and that alone immediately raises some eyebrows. The song quickly shows its off its unique blend of reggae, pop and indie rock which comes encased in a layer of French lyrics. The weird blend of genres seemingly meshed together creates a catchy number that has promise, but tends to meander and never reach any great heights. I can see this song appealing to a laid back crowd of summer listeners, but it also might turn some away instantly. The French wordplay used in the chorus certainly makes the song catchier and leaves a lasting impression, but upon its conclusion I still just don’t know whether to take the song seriously or not. The lyrics revolve around a bizarre restaurant conversation where sentences tend to sway from the waiter to the customer, a tale i doubt has ever been told before and maybe never again.
The other track on this Christopher Gould demo has got a more mature vibe and features an electric guitar that provides the main hook for the entire song. It again follows a slower pace that again fails to gain momentum, but hooky guitar riff and another catchy chorus saves it from being anything regrettable. From listening to these two tracks however I can’t gain an overall sense of what the album is like as a whole and after repeated listens these songs did manage to grow on me from their first impressions. I won’t judge a book by its cover in this case because I haven’t heard the whole debut album ‘Till Party Do Us Deaf’, but will say Gould does have a knack for writing a catchy song, I just think these need to build up to something more and once he gets that extra spice in their who knows what might lie in the future.
