Customer Reviews

Shimmer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I hate to say it but it is pretty clear that the "Our Customers' Advice" for this CD are fakes. So are most of the reviews. On one hand you might have sympathy for a no-name artist trying to get some attention. On the other hand spamming Amazon with fake recommendations is not way to practice your art. Honestly the reviews I can live with, but I'm tired of seeing "Shimmer" listed on half the CDs on Amazon. Let's be honest, nobody has heard of it.

You will have to decide for yourself whether this matters to you. For me it turns me off when they take it this far, and this guy has over-spammed his welcome with me.

I was intrigued after seeing the numerous recommendations throughout Amazon... especially the ones trashing John Prine and Bruce Springsteen....

I downloaded the samples and listened intently...wanting to like this guy and really trying to find the justification for such rave reviews...but after two days of listening to the 5 or so samples, all I can say is that his music is as transparent and full of fluff as the clearly 'fake' reviews which led me here.

I'm very dissapointed.

But I'll give him more respect than his crew gave other real and more deserving artists-- 2 stars, one for being able to sing and play guitar at the same time, and the other for almost nailing a poor attempt at shameless self promotion.

And for the record, I advise the rest of you to stick to those artists who's sincerity is utmost, with their music, lyrics, and promotion.

I was amused by the funny coincidence that this CD was "suddenly" recommended all over Amazon I decided to give the songs a listen. After all, feverish self-promotion could be a sign of overflowing artistic genius.

Unfortunately this was not the case.

The sample songs at least are not very good at all. This CD is an amateur effort with painfully abused melodies and lyrics that made me cringe. Perhaps some of the other songs are better, but based on the samples I could never imagine purchasing this CD. If I were you I would be certain to listen to the music samples before I bid farewell to my money.

For those who like this attempt at making music all I can say is JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS! You'd have to be high to think this guy can sing. He sounds more like a burned out wannabe with a synthesized music box backing him up. I can't believe that one reviewer who claimed this is their favorite CD. That may be true, but sister if it is, you've got the poorest taste in music of anyone I've ever heard of.

This cd was a pleasant surprise. I have no idea where people got the energy to write such negative reviews. Maybe they are fans of some completely different type of music, mainstream dance music perhaps, that would make sense. Anyway I think the negativity was what motivated me to write a more honest review of the cd. Independent musicians are often more lyrically true and complex than others, and that is certainly the case here. When you hear his voice sing many of the lines it's amazing how clearly you can understand images of an execution, love, and life. And the intstruments are so rich and neatly layered. Just try listening to the song "Nashville". Honestly you should just give the free downloads a try to see for yourself, but don't turn away just because someone was hostile. You never know what makes people that negative, it was totally extreme. Try the disc.

This kind of music used to be called folk-rock: jangly guitars, fat chords, intelligent lyrics focused as much on narrative as on emotion, pop song as short story. Much of the time, Eric "Roscoe" Ambel sets Mark McKay's singing inside dense electric textures, in a kind of modern-retro sonic environment which calls up the ghosts of old garage bands and 1970s Southern guitar rock. At other times songs ("Memory Hotel" and the eerily affecting "No Way to Go") seem rooted in the late-folk revival of the mid- to late 1960s, when -- at least in popular-music terms -- "folk" was being redefined as a personal, not a communal, voice.

McKay is a talented songwriter, with a keen eye and a smart point of view. His ragged, fierce vocals ride comfortably astride Ambel's slick, albeit deceptively raw-sounding, production. As metaphors go, this is meat and potatoes -- in other words, a good, filling, unpretentious meal and, overall, a lot better for you than a lot of the fancier food.

Literally, it rocks, but the reviewer below is right too. You have to hear this thing for yourself. It's upbeat one song and almost jamming on the next, mournful. This guy is a real songwriter.

This album was a little surprise for me: an unknown, with a great great sound. (Kris Delmhorst and Eric Ambel? Why is this guy unknown?) It's one of those albums that builds bridges between music types, with a little soulful/alt-country vibe and a little rock/pop dynamic it just blows you away. I saw the review in No Depression couple weeks back and they loved it too. Give it a listen for yourself. It's totally worth it.

and, yes, it made me want to be on the street team for this band. I am a senior at the U of Scranton and we all really love this music and it's not a fake to recommend music you love. I have been recommending it a LOT lately and so have my house sisters and THAT's HONESTY! THIS MUSIC NEEDS TO GET HEARD and WE ARE GETTING THE WORD OUT. But HONESTLY, listen to the free downloads. Nobody is forcing you!!! And HONESTLY, I have to say that some people are really just WACKED the way they get jealous when new music gets popular and when people love it enough to care to try to get it heard. A couple of the reviewers on here are wacked and full of unexplained sour grapes. I mean, one reviewer does not even mention the MUSIC at all, just disses the fact that the cd is popular and being recommended, and wants to slam the disc just because he has never heard of it. How much sense does that make? So actually, it makes you wonder: WHY are some people so negative? Are they jealous of other bands' support? Could they be musicians themselves who, instead of wanting to be positive, would rather tear down another struggling indy band for the sole reason that it has a group of loyal supporters? Could some of their reviews be fake I wonder? Either way, this band's music is great. Don't take my word for it either. Listen and decide based on the music.

I saw a few people recommended this cd and thought I would check it out. There are some downloads here for free but I found more at iTunes! (yes I bought the cd after downloading it) These are some of the best and most touching, haunting melodies I have ever heard. There's one song where there is a cello and another with something called a dulcitar. His voice is totallly touching too. And the lyrics really grab you and sound really different, like a perfect cross between "in your face" folky lyrics and lyrics that are universal and abstract but these songs avoid the downfalls of either. They're subtle and yet images are definitely conveyed. This is the most soulful new music I've heard in a couple years. I cannot get it out of my cd player OR my iPod top 20.
Here is a run down of a few of the songs: Full Moon Eyes starts out like it could be about anything but it turns out it's about someone on death row. Sweet Temptation is one of those rare songs that seems upbeat and celebratory but is actually full of longing. Memory Hotel again is catchy and just as you are about to feel lighthearted, don't be caught off guard, you realize again the depth of this guy's perceptions about life as he turns it all around. I really think this album is going to be a huge hit if enough people could only hear it! There are so many cds out there that are the same old, same old, it's just so worth the 15 bucks to hear something different that also taps into the longing we all experience as human beings. I like the review up above from Paste magazine and think that in one little sentence it says it all. GET THIS CD!!!