Singer/songwriter Nolan (http://cdbaby.com/cd/nolantunes2) has a voice that doesn't belong in this decade. Not angst-ridden like the grunge howlers of the '90s or whiny like today's emo crowd, Nolan's vocals have the breathless rush of college rockers from the late '80s such as the Posies and the Connells.
It must be from listening to all that British alternative rock, and Nolan displays great taste in Anglophilia by covering Catherine Wheel's "The Nude," one of the group's best and most underappreciated tracks.
However, Nolan didn't record a Catherine Wheel tune for the lack of good material on his own. His songwriting is personal and introspective. There is sorrow in his words, but no venom spewing from his pen, reminding us that alternative rock musicians once wrote about the pain they had inside instead of inflicting pain on others in retaliation.
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Musically, "Subject to Flooding" is everything you'd expect from a college-radio disc circa 1989. Guitars jangle in that moody, pretty way that pointed the direction towards the Triple A format, before the arrangements became boring and unimaginative.
Strong performances, crisp production, and solid singing make "Subject to Flooding" a real keeper.
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