Bevan Mical - Album Review: Exhausting The Muse
For anyone who has come across Bevan Mical’s single, Weekend,
we now have an album which is very similar in style and approach to that song,
which is one of the 11 songs in the set. When I reviewed that previously, I
said it needed repeated playing to get the most out of it, but somewhat
strangely the familiarity throughout the album works in the same way, so that
the more one gets through this the more there is to enjoy. Bevan famously said
that he is inspired by all forms of music from Fraggle Rock to Eminem, Crowded
House to P!nk, and one can certainly imagine this music being featured on Jim
Henson’s show. It may be naive, with some dated drum machine at times, but the
vocals and acoustic guitar combined with keyboards is incredibly catchy and
there are plenty of hooks and fun to be had.
There are little lyrical and musical jokes here and there as well. For example, during Me, there is the line Silence is Golden, so the song immediately stops for a couple of seconds and then starts up again as if nothing had happened. Contrast the lyrics in that song to You!!!, which are far more suitable to hardcore or extreme metal than pop, although again there is a twist in the last line. It is only by listening to a complete album that one really understands Bevan’s approach, in that while there are strong similarities in the songs which carry throughout, this adds to the homeliness and instead of diminishing, adds to the overall effect.
This is lightweight alternative pop music which must be enjoyed for what it is, simple and with no deep layers to be uncovered. That in itself is somewhat refreshing, as what you hear from Bevan in the first song is pretty much what you are going to get through the whole album. There is no show, this is straightforward, with Bevan being honest, so what you hear is what you get and this certainly grows on you by the end.
About Bevan Mical
Raised by a conservative family but he has developed his own semi liberal way of looking at life.
Music was discovered all alone and by himself alongside being taught how to work hard and look after yourself.
Kind, caring and humble, he is married to a supportive & loving wife.
Bevan works a regular 9 to 5 during the week & every chance he gets he likes to infuse his music with a little bit of everything.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Bevan Mical
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