Album Details

• Artist: Art Kenyon
• EP:
Cocoon
• Label: Independent
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2012-03-14

Art Kenyon is an accomplished singer/songwriter hailing from Vancouver, BC. A steady force of local venues and an awarded songwriter, Art released his Cocoon EP not all that long ago. A collaborative effort, the foundation and polish is provided by a capable host of accompanying musicians. But this is, first and foremost, a 6-track introduction to the strengths Art brings to his music.

Out of the three major elements he brings to the table, I would say he is most obviously a great songwriter. Each of these tracks has a signature quality to it, standing out amongst the rest. The only constant, beyond the quality of the tracks, is Art's potent and emotive vocals. The styles at play run a gamut from 90's alternative and grunge, a touch of folk, a bit of retro Simon and Garfunkel feel at times, and various points in between. Truly a man of many influences, which translate superbly while avoiding being too dependent on any of them. "Cocoon" reminds me distinctly of Incubus for whatever reason, I would sooner sum that up to my slipshod memory. In reality it is just a fantastic introduction to Art and his ability to lock into a melody, develop it and piece together appropriate elements around it. "The Way They Try" has a bit of a psychadelic feel to it's fuzzy riffs and the occasional distorted vocal sample. It meanders at times, but I imagine that was the point. This sort of thing used to appeal to me much more once upon a time. The track that really caught my ear was "This Girl's Trouble", with it's alt-country vibe via Art's awesome guitar licks. It has a stomping rhythm that gets caught in your head, and a vocal approach that steadily rises in intensity until, by the end, Art demonstrates his range by offering up a few huge, metallic screams. "Tuesday Night" reminds one of a standard pop offering via the 1960's; a deft combination of R&B and Rock'n'Roll. "Juliet" may be the most aggressive track on the album, which lends a sinister edge to the Romeo and Juliet references. This track I would put in close with "This Girl's Trouble" as being the best the EP has to offer. "Always" is a little too safe in comparison, but it is still a damn fine song and a nice, soft note to end the record on.

You shouldn't be able to help sliding this EP into your collection after just one spin, and hereafter keeping Art Kenyon on your musical radar. With just 6 tracks he proves to be capable as both a vocalist and guitarist and, more than anything else, one of the more promising songwriters to be found working their way into the spotlight. I highly recommend Cocoon and feel justified in saying that Art is a musician who cares deeply about his craft and, therefore, deserves every bit of attention and credit he has earned so far and, hopefully, accumulates more and more of into the future.      

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2012-03-23 mark_morton Said:

Art Kenyon is a man of musical paradoxes. Either he has utter disdain for critical pigeonholing, or he is a true artist open to experimentation within every genre imaginable. One minute, the man is bubbling over with 90s-style aggro-angst (Cocoon); the next, he is crooning post-prog romanticism (The Way They Try), and then, he delves into SONS OF ANARCHY-worthy southern rock swing (This Girls Trouble). And this is only half of the story that unfolds during the course of this six-track self-titled EP, which begs the question, who really is Art Kenyon?


In essence, he is a man of passionate tendencies who keeps seeking romance in all the wrong places, and this EP is his way of taking us on a journey of frustration. Tuesday Night sees us at a sock hop with a ballad performed in a vein that bridges Led Zeppelin, Kansas, and Elvis Costello. Juliet is a seething emo-punk anthem where Kenyon explodes in a feverish rage, as though throwing up his hands in defeat.


And yet, the EP closer, Always, offers a slice of hope, or at least the contentment with self. Its a mid-tempo rocker jam-packed with haunting echo and reverb and leaves the listener wondering if Kenyon is truly satisfied, or if his previous frustrations have pushed him over the sanity edge. We would like to hope he is okay, but we really wont know until the next release.

Rating: 8/10