I first noticed the name Arrison Kirby in 2005 when he was named as producer for a delightful album by the equally delightfully-named Skippy And The Bellbottoms. Containing a number of brilliant piano-led alt-pop gems, it was the perfect marriage between the talents of a maverick singer/songwriter and a skilled arranger. Kirby is an artist in his own right though and has been around the Knoxville, Tennessee music scene for a decade now. ‘Part 3′ is inspired by an “ill fated” journey across Japan and the results embrace kitsch pop, indie, punk, art-rock and a number of instrumental interludes.
Needless to say, this isn’t the most cohesive album of the year. ‘Jim On The Plane’ is part music hall, part maverick art pop but ‘Zenkouji Exit’ sounds more like the background music for a frenetic cartoon. It’s only when Kirby avoids novelty items that he comes in to his own. ‘New Feeling’ is an instrumental but it’s a very moving and melodic composition involving ukulele, chimes and orchestral effects. Also the sweetly sung ‘Nagano Return’ and ‘Sad Divide’, in particular, resemble a scruffier version of The Silent League. So despite the varying quality and genre-hopping, Arrison Kirby is worth checking out by lovers of experimental pop.
Also Recommended:
Review Of Skippy And The Bellbottoms’ ‘What Happened To Turn Signals?’
Review Of The Silent League’s ‘The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused’
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