Ukmusic Reviews the Singleman Affair

Trading under the Singleman Affair moniker, LET’S KILL THE SUMMER is the work of singer/songwriter Dan Schneider; a performer who makes music that sounds like Sufjan Stevens on downers. To say this is a chilled out affair is perhaps something of a grave understatement, the songs here drifting along in a haze of hushed sleepiness that give the impression Schneider is so laid back as to be practically vertical.

The opening sitar heavy groove of IS MADRA MORNING IS soon gives way to the quiet acoustica of DRAGONFLIES TO FIND and EYELIDS IN LIGHT, songs that revel in such hushed and subdued intensity that they make artists such as Jose Gonzalez or Damien Rice seem like Axl Rose type rock n roll maniacs.

The Singleman Affair is all about whispered reverence and moments of quiet calm, these are songs that demand you sit in silence and savour respectfully.

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BABY YOU’VE BEEN ON MY MIND opens with a restrained whistle before Schneider croons in a Nick Cave meets Leonard Cohen baritone over a gentle guitar strum and the slight patter of a drum beat, DON’T LEAVE BY THE SUNLIGHT pitting considered acoustic fingerpicking against desolate vocals. Perhaps, the first true stand out moment here, LITTLE SISTER is a masterstroke of subdued beauty and hushed introspection; gentle guitar atmospherics shimmering in the background, Schneider turning whispered calm into something majestic and transcendent.

The sublime sounding SUMMER RAIN is another highlight, the lovely use of fingerpicked acoustic guitar chords and stark harmonica working magical wonders. OH TO SAY sounds like The Shins on a coma recovery ward, gorgeous and beautiful sure, but taking chilled out atmospherics to new extremes.

Elsewhere The Singleman Affair do Bright Eyes meets Damien Rice on DON’T COME BACK, lo-fi introspection on SUN IN YOUR EYES and pretty Simon And Garfunkle acoustic folk on TO BID FAREWELL AND SAY GOODBYE. LEAVING A MARK is an almost uptempo shift in pace compared to the rest of the record; whistling, hand claps and sprightly guitar work all included.

While LET’S KILL THE SUMMER has its moments of hushed brilliance and quiet majesty..

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