Customer Reviews

Visitor

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!!!!!!!

First of all, I'm a big fan of Jonah and especially of Far. After purchasing all of the Onelinedrawing E.P.s and absolutely loving them, I had high hopes for the first full-length release. While there are some really great songs on here, such as "Yr Letter" and "Um...", there is something tedious about listening to the album as a whole. Some of the songs are just sub-par. Although I know very little about the making of this album, I get the impression that on some level maybe Jonah was a bit intimidated by the task of filling up a full-length OLD CD (understandable considering the emotion involved). It sounds like he took the first batch of songs to come into his head and committed to them regardless of whether or not they were up to the standards of his previous work. If this is somewhat true, then there was little or no filter to sift the weaker songs from the great ones. The end result sounds like a fantastic E.P. padded songs not cut out for an official release.

In short, good listening for the hardcore Jonah fans but not recommended as an introduction to OLD.

Having grown up in Sacramento and being exposed to the music of onelinedrawing's wizard behind the curtain, Jonah Matranga, I may be somewhat biased in this opinion. No, lets not call it biased, lets call it...educated. There's no way to experience an artist like seeing him play in a park right before the 4th of July, or watching him cramped in a little room called Old Ironsides announcing that he just jumped in the Sacramento river (on a freezing day in Winter).
That being said, all too often our favorite local artists sound great on stage but fail to reproduce the effect in the studio. Onelinedrawing has quietly put out e.p.'s of experimental home recording, learning to create the perfect masterpiece of bedroom pop right under our ears.
Onelinedrawing is a disarming experience. The vocals are uninhibited, completely up in the air for you to grab and savor. On this album every track is a poetic experience. The essence of the song cannot be boiled down to instrumentation, melody, vocals, and lyrics: they instead come together to create the perfect painting of sound, the perfect picture of real life and human emotions.
Whether he sings about old lovers, past regrets, uncontrollable love, love in any form, onelinedrawing has one message: I just want to see you smile.
And truly, with a gift like this, onelinedrawing makes it so easy sometimes.

Onelinedrawing is the band that sort of introduced me to Emo in the first place...I just followed Jonah from Far to the Sketchy EPs. While the production is better on Visitor it's the same heart felt but not over the top passion for good music I'd come to expect after Far and New End. There isn't a single throw away track on this album and it's absolutely amazing to hear whether it's live or on your stereo. This is one of the few albums I can honestly say changed the way I look at a lot of things and I can't stress enough the importance of owning this as well as the Sketchy and Always New EPs.

Simple, passionate, real. I think that best describes Onelinedrawing. Those familiar with Onelinedrawing will know that this is the solo project from Jonah Mantranga (formerly of FAR and New End Original). The songs on Visitor are simple, yet complex in emotion. Most of the songs are very very mellow, some have more upbeat tempo's, but mostly this is a very relaxing and beautiful CD. Incredible vocals and lyrics that conjure feelings of Love, Loss, Happiness, and Sadness. Most songs are just Jonah and his guitar, and even some guest appearances by his friend R2D2. Oh yeah. Stand out songs: Um, Bitte Ein Kuss, and Smile. If you want a real singer, with real songs, check this CD out instead of that Dashboard Confessional garbage.

This is a powerful album by Jonah Matranga. It's a little more polished than his previous albums, which departs a bit from what's always been so appealing about his music. However, there are still some very powerful and artistic recordings. "Sixes" (the closing track) is now one of my favorite songs by Jonah. I'm particularly happy with some the more polished songs anyway, such as "Why Are We Fighting?"

music so personal you can hear the bedroom in the background. Ok, not really, but close. There's a very authentic lo-fi sound here, but it does nothing to detract from the songs. It actually draws you in. The songs are good. Recommended if you like Dashboard's quiter moments.

Also, check out Owen if you like this disc. He's along the same lines and a personal favorite.

Of the very extended Jonah Matranga discography, there are definitely a few standouts amongst the many projects which Jonah has linked himself to. "Visitor" is one of those standouts. The time and effort put into this album is apparent all throughout the record, as Jonah crafts some of the best songs he's ever written (with a band or without), and each plays off each other with a certain showmanship that makes each following track, just as good, if not better than the last. The sonic atmosphere that Jonah can paint with his use of electronics, keyboards, sampling, piano, or simply just an acoustic guitar is unparalleled by most artists. "Visitor" is an honest and sincere album, and one of the best indie/emo albums I've ever heard, and is a must for all Jonah fans, and indie fans alike.

One of the things I love about this album is the balance that it uses. Songs can range from being upbeat anthems with guitars and electronic drums, like "Bitte Ein Kuss" and "Perfect Pair", to soft acoustic ballads like "Yr Letter" and "Candle Song". Jonah's amazing voices creates great soundscapes that wrap around the listener, and make you feel like part of the music. This is evident throughout every track found on the album. Very few vocalists can capture your attention and hold it the way Jonah does. The lyrics are another amazing aspect of the album. Being so amazingly honest and sincere, it makes listening to songs like "Smile" and "Why Are We Fighting" such a pleasurable experience. Playing the album the entire way through is so easy, and will most likely require you to repeat it many times, because from the first instant you will be hooked. My favorite songs on the album though seem to be the ones which find Jonah backing himself only with an acoustic guitar, particularly "Yr Letter", which is an acoustic heartbreaker which anyone can relate to. I'll go out on a limb as saying "Yr Letter" is my all-time favorite acoustic song. The lyrics, soft violins, driving guitar, Jonah's voice, and the melodic atmosphere all combine to create a feeling that can't be mimicked. You just feel so connected to the songs and lyrical topics which Jonah dabbles into. This makes this album worth hearing. The fact that every song is a keeper is just icing on the cake.

I highly recommend "Visitor" to all Jonah Matranga fans. This is definitely one of his best efforts, and the best Onelinedrawing album you can get. More mature than the Sketchy Eps, and a little less ambitious and experimental than "The Volunteers", "Visitor" is a highlight of the indie genre, and it proves that honest musicians are still out there making good music. I can listen to this album over and over on repeat, and never get bored, and I'm sure you will feel the same after hearing it. Fans of Jonah or any of his projects will instantly fall in love with the melodies, amazing lyrics and heartfelt honest exhibited on this cd. Definitely a gem.