CITIFIED - The Meeting After The Meeting
There are a lot of comparisons of Citified with R.E.M., and this Gerensboro, NC-based band even makes the comparison themsleves. But it turns out that the similarities have more to do with approach and executoin rahter than actual sound. Song structures and phrasing have an R.E.M.-like quality, but signer Chris Jackson doesn’t come across as a Michael Stipe clone. His voice has its own ditsinct timbre which has little in common with Mr. Stipe’s, other than the occasional inflection here and there. And, let’s face it, R.E.M.’s sound is pretty much rooted in that voice, no matter what the music sounds like.
My favorite track on the album is KL Gala, an odd little tune that drifts around a quirky lyrical refrain. It has the aforementioned R.E.M. feel, laced with a Smiths-influenced droning guitar line. The song proves along with the rest of the record that the band can wield their influences with poewrful results.
