John Shipe “Yellow House” (Involushun Records, 2009)

Superior quirky pop with an oddball assortment of tales

From Eugene, Oregon, John Shipe is a veteran of several albums but appears to have kept such a low profile that even the revered Google comes up with little more than is contained in his press release for this album and a dollop of his off beat humour.

A great pity because what we have here is a minor gem that with a bit of cutting and polishing could indeed be a multi faceted diamond.
Shipe himself has a warm, engaging and at times childlike quality to his singing. Likewise his writing appears at times naïve with the innocence of the nursery. He surrounds his lyrics with a tapestry of music that sounds both complex and simple referencing the Beatles, California harmonies, Nilsson melodies and psychedelic pop.

With 16 songs crammed into this disc there are a multitude of delights to be found here. The title song is a quirky essay on college life. The bossa nova of “Just in Time” (an almost perfect song) shimmers like a summer haze. “Little Bird” piles layers of acoustic guitar into a mesmerising web of sound and the opening song “Hours Go By” is a slacker’s delight.

Quality control over so many songs does vary and there are several perfectly respectable but slight ballads. But when the likes of the goofy country song “Honky Tonk Romans” or the crunchy pop of “Promises” kick in Shipe proves that he is a more than capable writer and performer and one who can raise a smile as well as the listener’s spirits.

Date review added:  Thursday, January 21, 2010
Reviewer:  Paul Kerr
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