John Dunbar - Excursions In Trevorland

4th solo album from from ex-Confederacy Of Dunces leader and like all Dunbar`s work, it`s a mix of various stylings of pop. Sounding, at times, like early Bongos, The Kinks, Squeeze, Bob Dylan, Martin Newell or They Might Be Giants that has lots of introspective acoustic jangle, quiet baroque moments, whirls of unusual, bright colors, always interesting arrangements and the right amount of humor. A catchy and quirky spirit, bizarre sense of humor and a vaguely avant-garde aesthetic and irresistible pop make up the template here on Excursions In Trevorland. There`s not a lot of artists with beginning point quite like Dunbar and this unique sense of grounding Ira Robbins from Trouser Press has this to say: A talented multi-instrumentalist whose songwriting is meaningful and assured with catchy tunes and well-drawn portraits.". What with song titles like "The Day We Got Drunk On Cake" and "The Piano Tuner`s Wives", what`s not to like?

The songs themselves recall the elite tunesmiths of our time, such as Ray Davies, Glenn Tilbrook and Harry Nilsson. The classic literature transforms into a variery of tunes: A Bit On The Side becomes a jaunty vaudevillian sing-along , The Ballroom Of Romance a dark and jazzy song where you can almost hear the smokey haze hovering above the melody, Another Christnas turns the bittersweet tale into a future holiday classic and Autumn Sunshine transforms into an atmospheric, hook-filled tale of loss and hope.

Listen - mp3