Toward the end of Ed Harcourt's new album, my roommate turned to me and said, "Nicole, this sounds like bad country and Christmas music."
While I am not going to give it such a scathing review, I have to admit that despite all the hyped-up press surrounding it, Here Be Monsters is a bit of a disappointment.
The name itself is bad enough, despite its proclaimed historical background. "Here be monsters" was a phrase used by ancient - and I'm guessing pirate - cartographers to indicate unexplored and potentially perilous territories.
Harcourt has indeed created a potentially dangerous persona for himself - full of idiosyncrasies, strange musical talents, reputations for smashing pianos and more. Harcourt has been compared to artists from Brian Wilson and Mercury Rev to Tom Waits.
Although I see the connection to the first two, there is not an inkling of Tom Waits' gruffness to be found. Instead, this full-length follow up to the 2000 Maplewood EP is more reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and Elton John.
This is a decidedly G-rated album full of jazz and blues-tinged rock, as in the upbeat and piano-driven "Apple of My Eye." This simple and joyous love song has a melody layered over with hand claps and a catchy horn riff.
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"Something In My Eye," the first song of the album, is the perfect introduction to Harcourt's quiet and sweet piano and melody-driven pop.
Soft lyrics talk about searching for success. His vocals sound like they came off of Radiohead's Pablo Honey album when matched with the song's dreamy organs and bells. See, it's not all bad.
The song I vote "Most Likely to End Up As a Radio Edit" is the diverse "Beneath The Heart of Darkness." At more than seven minutes long, "Darkness" features a cacophony of horns in the middle of this otherwise sedate and melancholy ballad.
Although I found this mid-album chaos to be one of the most creative and beautiful parts of the album, it's not something that could be easily swallowed by mainstream radio audiences.
It's not great production or a pretty face that gives Here Be Monsters its appeal.
What makes Ed Harcourt gifted, pirate or not, is his ability to play a wide range of instruments and still create remarkably catchy and alternately serious pop songs.
Admittedly a control freak over the creative process, Harcourt does everything from singing to playing saxophone, piano and something called a mud-skipping clown.
Where do you learn to play an instrument with such a name? In the basement of your grandmother's Sussex woods home, of course.
This is also the place where Harcourt has written more than 300 songs. In other words, be expecting a follow-up album.
Ed Harcourt's music definitely has room for more exploration and, as time goes on, expect maturation and hopefully something sounding more like unexplored territories of the soul and less like the pirate noises he's now inspiring.
But maybe it's just me.
Check him out at www.edharcourt.com.
