Rich album of melodic pop

The Internet has given public voice to thousands of musicians whose work would otherwise be heard only in live performance or on spottily self-distributed CDs. The downside is that the lowered barrier leaves consumers and reviewers besieged by a multitude of voices that often drown one another out. The artist’s problem has shifted from breaking through the record labels’ distribution monopoly to standing out in a very large crowd. The upside is that some of this DIY music is as good or better than that being pushed by commercial record labels (both majors and indies), and there are bloggers and reviewers who will help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Goh Nakamura is a San Francisco pop musician who’s garnered visibility with a series of videos on YouTube, and through the self-release of this second album in both free download and commercial CD formats. His videos range from charmingly low-key solo-guitar performances to surprisingly sophisticated productions. He sings originals and covers, and often improvises silly songs, such as one anticipating a tour and another singing its itinerary. He writes on this album of metaphorical journeys couched as distances marking time, floating balloons and readied suitcases. His memories are charted in personal and celestial geographies, prismatic fragments of experience and sing-songs of love.

Nakamura’s guitars (both acoustic and electric) ring with strummed chords and cleanly picked melodies, his songs are heavy with delicious hooks that bring to mind the Beatles, Badfinger, Rubinoos, Raspberries, Posies, E and Matthew Sweet, and his melancholy harmonizing is accomplished, sincere and moving. His production hangs tantalizingly between homemade and polished, retaining the earnestness of the former while attracting the shine of the latter. Hear for yourself: the initial investment is but the time to download. The reward is much higher. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

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