FAT POSSUM RECORDS

By Sedera Ranaivoarinosy

Adam Green’s latest release, Minor Love, is an odd combination of kitsch 70s pop, folk, blues and DIY rock. And it’s wonderful.

The New York based singer-songwriter goes from writing Simon and Garfunkel-like tunes in “Don’t Call Me Uncle” to singing to compositions influenced by African music in “Goblin” while also incorporating Gospel keyboards in opener “Breaking Locks.” The electric “Oh Shucks” even sounds similar to White Stripes recordings from their 2003 release Elephant.

But through all this diversity of influences, a definite homemade feeling comes out of this album. Green’s singing style is much closer to speech than his previous dabblings into crooner vocalizations. These days, he sounds more like Lou Reed than Frank Sinatra. And although the arrangements are still pretty rich, they are nowhere near as flamboyant as they were on his previous release Sixes and Sevens.

In a little more than half an hour, Green packs his sixth LP with 14 very tights songs. The tone is a little darker than usual, with allusions to substance abuse in “Buddy Bradley,” where he compares himself to the alcoholic comic book character, or the caption “Nothing Lasts” accompanying the centerfold picture of the booklet.

But Adam Green remains the most absurdly charming singer associated with the anti-folk movement. Not many singers can sing “She got in my face/Then punched me just like goblin” and pull it off.