'Banality with a beat' was how playwright, Dennis Potter, once described popular music. A glib, over generalisation you might cry, but when you hear records like Scott Celani's 'Huge In Europe', you have to concede that Potter had a point.
Where else but in pop music would you hear lines like : "Live is sweet , when we're done. we'll be laughing at the sun" or "When I'm lonely, you're the one and only thing I need".
In his defence, New York based singer songwriter Celani (with accompanying band) is clearly only out to make feel good pop rather than confronting any profound questions about life. This is fine up to a point although personally I have never subscribed to the notion that bland platitudes automatically help raise our spirits.
Along with the handful of good natured but wholly predictable love songs, this 8 track EP features a bland cover of King Harvest's bland 'Dancing In the Moonlight' and a light hearted celebration of drinking and debauchery (Drink All Night). A touching song about coming to terms with a break up in small town (Her Town Too) is the only song here not designed to sing along to.
|
The EP is dedicated to the bravery of Lauren Kutzscher who has set up a website to raise awareness of young cancer sufferers and whose personal message - "It's not about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about dancing in the rain" - is one that is perfectly in tune with this record.
Scott Celani's website
|
