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Genre: alternative/indie pop Rating:  ½Check Out: “One by One,” “Club Thing,” “Sometimes,” and “Beautiful Lie.”  myspace, website |
According to Yoav’s Myspace profile, he hails from many cities across the world. It seems all of these places directly influenced his musical tastes, because his debut album Charmed and Strange has a distinctly ‘world music’ flair to it. Part of this is the fault of how he uses his guitar; instead of limiting himself to distinct chords like any other acoustic artist, Yoav also uses the guitar as a rhythmic instrument. I’m describing it badly, but if you’ve seen the movie August Rush, you’ll know what I mean. In fact, you can check out a video of Yoav in the studio here.
No matter how distinctive his guitar work is, the beats in every song are undeniably familiar. “Club Thing,” like “Paralyzer” by Finger Eleven, isn’t very flattering of club life in its lyrics but is just begging to be made a dance hit. Any other artist would be considered a Justin Timberlake wannabe with the obvious influences from Timbaland, but Yoav’s lyrics are startlingly serious. With his obsession with mortality, Yoav’s voice reminds me more of David Gray than Timberlake.
Whatever your opinion of this album is, it’s definitely as charmed and strange as its title purports. Overall, a worthy debut that feels like a breath of fresh air in the pop world.
Tags: charmed & strange, yoav
