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"HiGH ▀ iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS"
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a r t i s t : Summer At Shatter Creek
t i t l e : Sink Or Swim
d a t e : 2004
l a b e l : Redder Records 005
g e n r e : Indie
r l s. d a t e : July/2004
t r a c k s : 05
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 28,4 MB
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Delusions of Adequacy Review:
Craig Gurwich, the man behind Summer at Shatter Creek, is one
of those rare musicians who can do it all, turning out
primarily self-recorded albums that full bands should be
desperate for. Yet his musical ability, his placid yet pleasing
voice, and his ear for production can turn even this - a bare-
bones and stripped-down EP - into something remarkable in its
beauty and depth.
You might be surprised to hear that the only instruments on
Sink or Swim are Gurwich's piano and his voice. Yet through the
genius production qualities, the sound is incredibly deep, and
Gurwich's voice is more than strong enough to carry the songs,
often layered with haunting and powerful ghost-like backing
vocals. It simultaneously feels simple and extremely complex,
light and airy yet by no means sparse.
The EP's opener, "Something to Calm Me," is calming, like its
name, but also more classical in feel. The piano is rich and
vibrant, the vocals blending beautifully. The more dreamy
"Optimistic" flows sweetly, the backing vocals playing an
especially prominent role. The melancholy "Rebecca" is a soft
and sweet love song, while "Worlds Away" livens things up a bit
more, bringing a bit more bombast into the piano and lush
vocals - both lead and the atmospheric backing vocals. The
latter is undoubtedly my favorite song here, and probably the
one that would most benefit from a more fleshed-out performance
with added instrumentation. The piano on "Your Ever Changing
Moods" is even more impressive, working out a lilting yet
energetic piano line that mixes nicely with the rather dark
feel of the song itself.
The formula doesn't vary much on Sink or Swim, but neither do
these songs sound the same or get old too quick. Gurwich is
obviously talented, crafting wonderful piano-led pop songs in a
laid-back, melancholy manner. There's rumors that more fleshed
out versions of these songs will appear on a later Summer at
Shatter Creek album, but they're perfect as they are. --Jeff
Marsh
http://www.adequacy.net
http://www.summeratshattercreek.com
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01-Something To Calm Me [03:47]
02-Optimistic [03:47]
03-Rebecca [04:34]
04-Worlds Away [04:19]
05-Your Ever Changing Moods [04:09]
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20:36 min
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