Posts Tagged ‘Crushes and Waves’
Review: Ethan Waters, “Crushes and Waves EP”
Ethan Waters: Crushes and Waves EP
A college pop audio film about fleeting short distance relationships. B+.
Up and coming singer-songwriter Ethan Waters, who also goes by the pseudonym of Dennis Liu, is onto something. His first EP, Crushes and Waves is a self-described concept album in true singer-songwriter vein providing a well-rounded mélange of college pop.
Centred on the ubiquitous “that girl” narrative, Waters (currently an Honours film student at Auckland Uni) sings earnestly. He dubs and redubs subtle-yet-significant layers of thoughtful guitar-based instrumentation through the songs. He plays it safe with pleasing acoustic riffs and a rather conservative range of keys, accompanied with smart lyrics that draw on frequent music and film references. His voice is mellow and the music is all him, down to the almost toy-like drum loops. But don’t be surprised to hear clarinets and strings mixed with victorious brass buildups when he sings about spaceships.
Crushes and Waves is an admirable achievement that explores love. He asks, “What do we have to lose anyway?” in Untitled, a mix of Bloc Party rhythm and Jay Chou-style sensitivity. He talks about what’s missing in life in Before we wake, in true never-been-jilted fashion. This is very much a collection of tracks with an underlying, infectious enthusiasm – One Day stands out with its optimism and fairground-fun beats.
Waters doesn’t shy from the soulful or the reflective however – with Where to go’s nostalgic echo drums underpinning heartfelt lyrics, he asks “Am I close to the place that everyone calls love?” The EP’s arc draws a journey of budding love, from the first “Let’s do this before we wake…” to the last “…you were part of every doubt” – almost a tear-jerking moment as the CD spins down.
Yes, there are concerns – Heart on my sleeve could have broken ranks from its Green Day-Time of my Life guitar strums and step towards a new and daring youth anthem (in the “Oo wo-oh, oo wo-oh”). There’s voice-range issues, just a bit too much of recitative-like lyrics in One of those girls, and some awkwardly sung meter (like when the girl has “absolutely no acting chops”). But maybe Waters’s bold musical enjambments are just what we need in among today’s recycle-pop and hollow top 40 tracks. And if his upcoming music and film works are any indication, this guy’s just getting started.
One Day Music Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbvw0q6h-1U
Website – http://www.ethanwaters.com/
Artist contact – waters dot ethan at gmail dot com
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This review was published in Issue #3 of Craccum magazine on 17 March 2008.
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