This Alton, IL-born, Denton, TX-based, ex-Moon Festival singer/guitarist has been busy, following up 2022’s Marty Willson-Piper co-produced A Nuclear Winter with these ninth and tenth LPs, recorded with songwriting friend Billy Harvey. On Nourallah, the groggy-voiced bard’s relaxed, breezy tunes have a cynical yet humorous bent, whether he’s berating endless fun/validation seekers on the House of Love/Kinks-evoking “Here For the Tears,” extolling his perfectly rational girlfriend on the Wilco/Luna-tinged “I’m in Love With a Nihilist,” analyzing his Syrian roots and U.S. upbringing on the Beck-mimicking “Born With a Broken Heart,” or rebuking manipulative criticism-deflectors on the Rolling Stones-like “The Victim.”
By contrast, Close as a Star is melancholy and forlorn, despite a few upbeat numbers like the bouncy (with its Queen “You’re My Best Friend” keyboards) “About Us” and driving “Bulletproof.” While still beguiling, the album mostly finds a despondent Nourallah adopting a world-weary, Mark Eitzel-esque croon, like when he reflects upon his lonely childhood days on “Telegraph Avenue,” fantasizes about ending a stagnant relationship on “Dreaming of Leaving,” pines for a stronger-willed, out-of-his-league crush on “Bullfighter,” struggles with a partner’s judgmental demeanor on “Swimmer,” or chronicles the decline of a troubled marriage on “Fragile Business/The Disappointment.”
Salim Nourallah: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Happiness/PSR Music Group: Bandcamp
