Yoav
Charmed & Strange
Release Date: Jan 29, 2008
Genre(s): Rock, Alternative, Singer-Songwriter
Record label: Verve Forecast
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Album Review: Charmed & Strange by Yoav
Average, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 6.0/10
Charmed and Strange, the debut from one-man band Yoav, is a simple album with a big sound. Like Tori Amos, with whom he recently toured, Yoav wrings maximum sound out of the simplest of instruments. Though Charmed and Strange seems to be steeped in more synthesizers than an episode of Miami Vice, the entire album was recorded with an acoustic guitar -- the guitar's body was even used to create the drum sounds (though there are a few suspicious cymbals crashes scattered throughout the album).
Based on rating 5/10
Singer/songwriter Yoav's debut album Charmed & Strange is an atmospheric and percussive affair that brings to mind a mix of Nine Inch Nails, Justin Timberlake, and Peter Gabriel. At one time a more traditional song writer, Yoav began combining his love of club and electronic music into his compositions and developed a unique approach that relies more on rhythmic figures on his guitar than melodic chords. As such, most of the tracks here largely consist of percussive acoustic guitar lines over which he sings in a yearning, poetic alt rock style.
Based on rating 2/5
Is this dance music or spa music? It’s hard to tell as the guitars groove below Yoav’s wavering falsetto. Think the best and worst of Justin Timberlake and Thom Yorke, combined into one overly sentimental voice. Yoav’s whole shtick is that he only plays the acoustic guitar, but he runs it through a looping pedal to make drum and keyboard sounds.