Kyle AndrewsAmos in OhioGrade: B-
There’s nothing fancy about Kyle Andrews…well, except for the fact that he plays the majority of his own instruments and uses an acoustic guitar and a drum machine in the same song. This kind of genre-bending songwriting is a refreshing change from the typical songwriters who stick to the same shtick. Nowadays, it’s difficult to impress anyone by using the tired old approach of one person and one guitar. Luckily, Andrews is already on the right track with a techno eye for sensitive songwriting. He even flirts with folk on songs like “Tree Hugger” and “Penguin Suit.” The concept of trading genres is never more apparent than the album’s opening track “Amos in Ohio.”
The song opens with a memorable acoustic guitar line that sticks around for the rest of the song as the drums speedily kick in. Andrews describes his muse for the song as a “girl singin’ out of tune” and “disco dancing in the middle of the room.”
“All the boys wanna own her. I wish I could say that I’m not like that.”
Evidently, Andrews is torn between being a gentleman and getting drawn in by such an alluring woman. The artist makes his confession to the listener amid keyboard bleeps and a reverberating drum beat.
The rest of the album is just as enjoyable and refreshing. Andrews’ voice, casual and crisp, belts out what sound like journal entries on everyday ideas and observations. However, the most striking thing about the songs is how little Andrews relies on lyrics at all. He fills his songs with a great deal of silence almost as a way of letting his well-crafted arrangements do all the talking. In “Moon Tea,” the majority of the song consists of Andrews shouting the somewhat cryptic line “Give me the mumps, and I’ll give you the plague.” For the rest of the song, a prominent synthesizer does most of the work.
Andrews doesn’t always rely on his technological savvy. On “Your Tester Bunny,” he turns down the keyboard, though it’s still just as present and sweet, and let’s his singing and guitar playing take the spotlight.
“Angel, you got me high, and I don’t know why.”
Despite the simplicity, the delivery of the lyrics means a lot more.
Many of the songs on Amos in Ohio are somewhat reminiscent of The Cure even though the vibe contains more of The Postal Service. Regardless of the influence, Andrews knows how to utilize every whisper, every keyboard break, every drum fill, and every “la, la, la” to its fullest advantage.
However, with any young artist, something feels like it’s lacking from a reasonably decent release. Despite its relatively smooth transitions, the songs start blending together a little too well. In fact, aside from the impressive “Amos in Ohio,” the songs sound a little too much like Andrews knew he had a hit with it and didn’t how to access that inspiration again. But the great thing is that even with that idea as a possibility, the remainder of the album plays with dynamics and instruments in a way that assures the listener that there’s plenty more to hear from Kyle Andrews and that he’s fully capable of keeping the attention of a generation that makes ADD seem normal.