Visitor

Onelinedrawing | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 14, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jade Tree
• ASIN: B000063WYU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,534 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars in the words of r2, WhheeeeEEEE!, July 15, 2002

By 

Melissa Mendoza (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visitor (Audio CD)

Onelinedrawing is a compilation of songs expressing two extremes: the blissful and the forlorn. Matranga masters this by not leaving you feeling bipolar, but rather at peace with melancholia while listening to 'um...' and then ready for the gleeful dance around your bedroom to 'smile'.

'Visitor' is free from all the saccharine that emotional truth often stirs up when paired with an acoustic guitar and pared-down vocals. In an age where deadpan and irony are still king, Jonah delivers great music through this filter but still manages to express raw emotion that doesn't drip with sap. The hard-edge indie set often greets mellifluous acoustic troubadours with a big yawn but they can't ignore Onelinedrawing for long.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Congrats to Jonah!, June 6, 2002

By 

Alec "Alec" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Visitor (Audio CD)

Possibly the most personal and lovable frontmen in rock history, Jonah Matranga, lead singer of the now-defunct Sacramento emo-core band FAR, has put together one of his best releases since the Sketchy EPs.

If you are reading this, then you probably are a Jonah fan, and it would be pointless to repeat all the compliments (or truths, as we wish to call them) about Jonah as a musician, as a writer, and as a person. Besides those things, it would be ideal for me to concentrate on the music.

So, this CD is pretty much what you would expect out of a Onelinedrawing: Jonah and his guitar, R2D2 (his tape-deck that IS R2D2), and some sparse additional instrumentation. Jonah stays true to what his fans have loved of his music: the honesty, the beautiful vocals and true emotional quality that is associated with his music. While Jonah proclaims "Death to False Emo," he does so with backing: the man bares his soul and puts himself entirely into his music, making the songs take a lot of flight.

The move to Jade Tree adds a lot, overall. With a larger budget, the songs are given a chance to fly and have a truly inspiring feel. Songs like "Bitte Ein Kuss" and "Yr Letter" are both truly beautiful in the traditional OLD sense but have the additional instrumentation and excellent recording quality that make them surpass anything he's ever released. A personal favorite, "Smile," has a solo by R2 which fits in perfectly: while being emotionally over-wrung, R2 comes in to save the day.

I love this CD, and if you are familiar with any OLD releases, then this will be the one for you. Thank you Jonah for all the music and love.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GET THIS ALBUM, June 26, 2002

By 

Dan Smith (Placerville, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visitor (Audio CD)

New End Original and former Far frontman Jonah Matranga has created yet another perfect album.

While this album has a much softer sound than Far's 'Tin Cans With Strings To You' and 'Water and Solutions' and New End Original's 'Thriller', it brings together some of the most melodic, mellow, introspective, beautifully written songs I have ever heard. Some songs such as 'Bitte Ein Kuss' and 'Smile' have a more pop sound to them, but the result is nothing short of spectacular. (R2-D2 has a solo in Smile that is awesome!)

Jonah's lyrics are intensely honest. If they don't force you to feel your own personal emotions, then you will no doubt at least get caught up in the emotion Jonah conveys. Whether it's the love gone bad tearjerker 'Yr Letter', the happier love songs of 'Perfect Pair' and 'Bitte Ein Kuss' or the uplifting 'Smile' (my favorite track) this album runs the full gammot of human emotion during its 11 track span.

If you've been a fan of Jonah for a while and are familiar with his previous work in Far, New End Original, and the Onelinedrawing EPs, get this album. If you've never heard of Jonah or any of his projects, get this album along with any and everything else from Far, New End Original, and Onelinedrawing. The point is GET THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!