AA Bondy is an American singer-songwriter who plies an attractive brand of Americana. On his third album, Believers he delivers a very pleasant set of tunes. Opening track The Heart Is Willing is an engaging, creeping tune where his Richie Egan-like vocals are given plenty of room to breathe.
The rest of the album is a lot slower, and the instrumentation on this album is tasteful in the extreme, made up of uncluttered guitar, bass and drums. Down In The Fire could be a Mark Kozelek tune, and but for the vocals, Skull & Bones could be one of Pearl Jam’s quieter moments.
Surfer King is close to Fleet Foxes/Midlake territory, and the steel guitar-tinged Hiway/Fevers is alt-country gold. The one criticism I have is that many of the songs blend into each other, and very few of them stand up and seek attention. It’s a really lovely listen but it leaves very little impression.
Killian Laher
Track Listing:
1. The Heart Is Willing
2. Down In The Fire (Lost Sea)
3. Skull & Bones
4. 123 Dupuy Street
5. Surfer King
6. Hiway/Fevers
7. Drmz
8. The Twist
9. Route 28/Believers
10. Scenes From A Circus
Here’s a preview: