Zzzzzzzzzzzz...wake up! It's time for Earthside Down. A worthy successor to 1994's Days Like These, Deeble's latest is a mighty nice mix of after midnight music and vocal mumblings on metaphysical musings. Shuffling beats and ambling bass underlay laid-back guitar licks and lethargic vocals reminiscent of a cross between a stateside Robyn Hitchcock and Bono employing his lazy, soulful side. In fact, this batch of positively dreamy numbers is very much like an entire album of "(If You Wear That) Velvet Dress" songs in tone and pace. Yet the overall result is more engaging than the mere background music for which it might be mistaken. "Junkyard" features fabulous, nearly-flamenco style guitar, other more psychedelic songs diverge to India and back via the Beatles, and "Billboards" is awash with witty wordplay. Although artistic, beautiful and interesting, this album is not recommended road-trip listening if you need to fend off a nap. But Earthside Down gets punchier as it goes, finishing with many delightful, slightly more upbeat tracks. If you snooze, you really will lose.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 1999Reviewed by ConradYou really have to be into slow acoustic type music to like this guy. For this genre of really soft vocals and creative music, this album is really good. But this album was not intended for people like me. So while it was good, this would put me to sleep within two songs. This album is recorded great - everything sounds really good. If you like slow acoustic music, you'll be able to appreciate…Decapolis 1999Reviewed by Tom Bastian"Alternative folk rock" is what I have heard Robert Deeble's style of music called, so I guess that is a pretty good description. Overall, his vocals really reminded me of Bono from U2, which is a good thing. This album as a whole kind of had a moody or dark feel to it. Not really upbeat folk at all, but more of a dark moody folk, with a modern creative feel. Most of the songs are within the…Decapolis 1999Reviewed by TimThis CD was very interesting to listen to. I have to admit it is a breath of fresh air after listening to countless emo and punk bands. Finally someone is playing music that isn't inspired by Jimmy Eat World or Operation Ivy. As for the music parts of the CD, well, the lyrics are well thought out, but the melodies aren't all there. C+Decapolis 1999Reviewed by Matt R.Deeble's long awaited second album has been out for some time now, and like the first album, it is a record that critics rave about but never quite catches on with the general public. Much of this is due to the type of music Deeble plays. With his smooth whispery vocals, and music that could be considered mellow folk, this is a record that could easily be played in a room full of people and never…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Josh SpencerFor most of the decade now, Robert Deeble's ambient, acoustic, alternative folk has lulled plenty of late-night coffee-shop goers into that smoky philosophical realm of deep and strange thought. His first album under the Days Like These moniker garnered critical praise a few years back, but not much else. Since then he's been playing live a lot, most recently with his band opening for Vigilantes…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by James StewartIt was his support slot with Vigilantes of Love last year which established Robert Deeble in my mind, but this album shows that there is a lot more to this man than a promising opening artist. The sound is restrained and somewhat foreboding in feel, similar in a way to some of Dan Donovan's solo work; but it's unlikely that either of these musicians is more than passingly familiar with the…Similar sounding releases
1997Dan DonovanThe Leaven Dell
2001Liz JanesDone Gone Fire
1998Pinetop SevenNo Breath in the Bellows
2000Shannon StephensShannon Stephens
2001Simon JoynerHotel Lives
2002David HurnHe Was a Woman
