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Whilst wandering all across the musical landscape, or at least the corner that is home to the likes of folk, country and americana sounds, but also making an effort to bring pop accessibility into the mix, Itamar Fainer pretty much boils those styles down to their very essence. By that, I mean that there is nothing here that doesn’t need to be, musically speaking; the instrumentation and even the vocals, are just what is required to make each song do its job, no showboating or overplaying, no looking cool just for the sake of it.
Even when employing more incendiary sounds and bigger rock vibes, such as the choruses and closing crescendos of “Into the Storm,” he calls on just enough electric guitars and sonic engine room drive to get the job done—and done brilliantly.
But, for the most part, it is the rootsier sounds that form Itamar Fainer’s musical palette. “Zoe,” the current single, is almost Dylan-esque in nature, had Mr Zimmerman opted for a more cosmic country vibe…and perhaps learned to sing…“Marshmallow” is a lush and cinematic, 60’s-infused, paisley pop number and “The Last Big Party” has the same rich pop-rock essence as the dear departed Karl Wallinger used to imbue World Party songs with. and that gets a serious nod of approval from me.
From the bio I read about the artist, I was expecting some sort of fey folky, but Itamar Fainer is actually an astute pop writer. He just chooses more refined and discerning musical forms as sonic vehicles for his creations.
