When I first received this album for review I thought it was a new Matthew Parmenter solo album but then I looked at the cover closer and discovered this was in fact a new album from Ryan Parmenter who happens to be Matthew’s cousin and the founder of the progressive rock band Eyestrings. I have both Eyestrings’ albums and they are excellent although I have not played them in quite some time. It was unbeknownst to me Parmenter released two solo albums after the demise of Eyestrings; The Noble Knave (2006) and Sad Men (2009). His new album is titled One Of A Different Color and it’s a beauty.
One Of A Different Color is art rock at its finest and just like his former band the music is quirky and really quite refreshing. I sometimes hear elements of XTC and David Bowie and of course Eyestrings. The drums are of the programmed kind but that doesn’t bother me in this case as they are somehow a good fit for the music. Lots of cool and unusual sounds out of left field generates plenty of interest and the lead vocals are a highlight throughout whether clean or processed. Parmenter gets help from guitarist David Dawkins on five tracks along with Matthew Parmenter providing violin on the title track. I really dig Dawkins’ varied approach, lots of fuzzed out riffs and cleaner string bending. The album clocks in at almost sixty minutes with three of the tracks fairly long. The first of these is “Capitalism” and its addictively fuzzy guitar textures, quirky chord progressions and interesting vocals. Big keyboard swells add a bit of drama and I found this tune to be overall quite hypnotizing. The title track is pure art pop in the vein of XTC with catchy vocals, guitar work and keyboards. Matthew Parmenter offers some gorgeous violin. More XTC crops up in the progressive art pop of “September” where the keyboards and guitar really shine.
I also need to mention the gorgeous “For All Tomorrows”. The vocal arrangement is absolutely stunning.
One Of A Different Color is indeed a wonderful slice of art rock. I highly urge you to give this a listen as it will surely be in rotation come the end of the year.
Track Listing:
1. Please Don’t Hurt Us (3:06)
2. Sin Of Forgiveness (5:04)
3. Seller (3:50)
4. Give ‘n’ Take (4:06)
5. Capitalism (8:24)
6. Side Two Load Screen (2:02)
7. One Of A Different Color (9:54)
8. For All Tomorrows (5:51)
9. September (9:26)
10. Up Above (7:28)
For information regarding where to send CD promos and advertising, please see our FAQ page.
If you have questions or comments, please Contact Us.
Please see our Policies Page for Site Usage, Privacy, and Copyright Policies.
All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters, all other content Sea of Tranquility
When I first received this album for review I thought it was a new Matthew Parmenter solo album but then I looked at the cover closer and discovered this was in fact a new album from Ryan Parmenter who happens to be Matthew’s cousin and the founder of the progressive rock band Eyestrings. I have both Eyestrings’ albums and they are excellent although I have not played them in quite some time. It was unbeknownst to me Parmenter released two solo albums after the demise of Eyestrings; The Noble Knave (2006) and Sad Men (2009). His new album is titled One Of A Different Color and it’s a beauty.
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
