Review Summary: A calm and charming release from Jonah Matranga's side project, Onelinedrawing.
Whatever happened to non-cheesy singer-songwriters? Apparently, you have to write about some b
itch that broke your heart or the one that got away to have a famous record. Well, the only true member of
Onelinedrawing, Jonah Matranga, will write whatever comes from his heart or mind. He rarely talks about hating someone, if ever, and just talks about interesting topics dealing with life and the people around him. He wrote a song about being happy, entitled “Smile,” because he felt like all the songs that sound happy, are mostly about depressing issues. While
Sketchy EP #1 is not exactly the happiest, it is surely breathtaking. Jonah’s lyrics are genius and genuine while maintaining no pretentiousness to his writing.
The album is laced with simple and moving guitar riffs. Whether drums are present or not, the feel for each song can easily hold its ground with or without it (since Onelinedrawing is no longer, Jonah plays the songs solo under his full name). During “15,000,” a song about winning the lottery, the beat is simply hands slapping and clapping with a unique sounding guitar to accompany it. On the other hand, “Better Than This” is a convention song with clever lyrics such as the following, ‘Honest husbands, cheating wives… generous buyers, greedy stores… peaceful people, violent guns… sober drivers, drunken cars.’ The short and effective EP also has what Jonah considers a campfire sing-along in, “14 to 41.” The song goes through the stages of life saying how birthdays are the worst and it is irrelevant because it is just the start of life.
Quote:
14 to 41, start blind, end up dumb
You're 16, you're 23, you're 32, you're 41
You're 32, you're 41
You're all those things and then you're none
You're through all that, you've just begun
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His voice is never overbearing and one of the more pleasant male vocalists I have had a chance to hear and “Aeroplanes” is the clearest example of appealing vocals. His voice can sometimes sound coarse if he attempts to shout, but overall he has an excellent tone. Jonah also flashes his emotional side with a somber voiced closer entitled “Tides.” A very ominous song for Onelinedrawing standards incorporates only simple guitar work moving the song along.
More than anything, Jonah just wants to have a conversation with people who are in similar situations. It is his way of reaching out to people and connecting with them through humor and heartbreak. If you ever get the chance to meet him, he is the nicest and least pompous musician you will ever meet. His brilliant and cozy “Sketchy EP #1” shows just a preview of his character. Finally, a breath of fresh air in an industry laced with jerk-offs.
