2008 Woodie Awards
Play it by Ear
Simply the mediocre
Jordan Kerfeld
Issue date: 1/23/06 Section: Culture
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Abstract, enigmatic album titles bother me. They usually mean the artist either has a lot to say or nothing at all.
With Robert Skoro's latest release, "That These Things Could Be Ours," I'd venture that it leans to the latter.
The Minnesota native's piece seems like two albums comprised of 11 songs smashed into one CD. The album's first five songs are fairly boring, despite ardent efforts to infuse bits of pop, jazz, rock and folk into the mix.
Skoro tries so hard to present an impressive musical first impression that his work ultimately suffers; for the most part his lyrics are toothless and the muddy music he makes is mainly devoid of melody or pattern. The first five songs mostly seem like a sloppy effort to produce a trite theme song for a terrible WB teenage drama.
The second half of the album (song six until the end) is cohesive and somewhat interesting. Skoro is classified mainly as a singer-songwriter and falls back on effective qualities that mark the genre.
"Old Friend"-the gem of the album-captures Jack Johnson's laid-back acoustic sound with slight vocal channeling of Nick Drake. Other tracks are worth a mention, including "China" and "Hungry Ghost" (two tracks that sound similar to "Old Friend" but are still solid).
For the most part, the album is easy on the ears but not intriguing. It's simply "okay." It makes for a decent album to listen in the background of schoolwork, driving or relaxed get-togethers. The album can also be used as Frisbee or coaster.
One excuse for Skoro is that he is only 24.
However, it appears he has a long way to go before he starts making interesting, mass-approving music and lyrics that can place him in the ballpark of modern young singer-songwriting giants such as Elliott Smith or Bright Eyes or the genre artists of old such as Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen and James Taylor.
Some artists (Broken Social Scene, Animal Collective, Mogwai) make great scenery by painting richly textured landscapes with creative instrumentation and thoughtfulness. This album is more like a sunrise in Kansas City-vaguely satisfying, but pedestrian nonetheless.
jkerfeld@unews.com
