Login for FavoritesTom Shaner - Get Real Or Get Gone
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Album Details
- Artist: Tom Shaner
- EP: Get Real Or Get Gone
- Label: Mother West LLC
- Year of Release: 2011
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: mark_morton on 2011-04-25
RecommendTom Shaner is a folk singer-songwriter, whose sound borders on the surreal, placing him somewhere between the realms of Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Yet, he performs with a true unpretentious earnestness akin to classic Simon & Garfunkel.
However, whether it is the duskiness in his voice or the wafting eeriness of the instrumentation, Shaner's music yields an unnerving, skin-crawling effect. For example, the lead track on GET REAL OR GET GONE, "Waltz 13," while semi-serene, the dark carnival musical accompaniment would not sound out of place in the film, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.
There are also moments herein where he sounds like an evil David Gilmour. This smoldering stew of sincerity blended with uneasiness will constantly make you glance over your shoulder just to make sure Shaner isn't looming. Even his "love ballad," "If I Could Give You A Star" bears an aura of Johnny Cash-ish sardonic foreboding. While he is serenading you, you get the feeling that he's holding a dagger behind his back.
It soon becomes apparent, though, that Shaner is simply displaying, for the world to enjoy, many facets dwelling within the hidden recesses of his soul. And despite the openness and sincerity, whenever I hear one of his songs, my imagination conjures images of hulking vampire trolls drinking and jamming on acoustic instruments. Whether or not that is Shaner's intent is irrelevant, as the manner in which his music infects the listener is most likely different for each individual.
But it is that dichotomy of styles that makes GET REAL OR GET GONE such a bewitching listening experience. I wouldn't be surprised if this EP gave people psychoses. Tom Shaner's music is destined for inclusion in a David Lynch film - and that's a good thing!
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on 2011-12-03 Bertman Said:
This Tom Shaner fellow is a musical chameleon. His Mother West Get Real or Get Gone is style shifting release. With dark and turbulent whispy folk on Waltz 13 he tells of a girl who Loves to count seconds between lightning and thunder. Like an unsettling aside from creepy traveling carnival, Waltz 13 is both beautiful and unsettling.
He then steps up the pace with a Badfinger inspired title track. This is a swings from a dreamy pop to laid back rocker. Theres bright moments of optimism with Sun Girl, and the eerie melancholy of Shes in the Air. The disc closes out with a Tom Jones/Neil Diamond-esque Waiting for You, complete with driving horn section. Youll have to imagine the spangled vest. But throughout theres hooks a plenty to make this one incredibly memorable CD.
Rating: 6/10
