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Bradley Hathaway

athousandangrypanthers EP

Written by: TL on 14/12/2010 18:02:17

Holy shit guys, New Years is coming for us like a freight train with no brakes and no headlights, and as things stand, we're stuck on the tracks with heavy piles of promos pinning each of us down. Good thing for me then, that today is my off day, and I have lined up potato chips and red bull, and am feeling way too clever for my own good. Similarly lined up are a bunch of promos, and woe be upon them, for what shall follow is surely swift, shallow, and entirely unfair judgement!

Haha, chill friends, I am only joking. At least there won't be any artistic decapitations taking place to begin with, for that my first subject, Bradley Hathaway's "athousandangrypanthers EP" is entirely too 'not bad'. This is quite natural, considering how hard it is to be anything less than 'not bad' when your music sounds a helluva lot like that of mewithoutYou - Or, to be more specific, when your music is very subtle singer-songwriter type stuff, and the most dominant feature, your voice, sounds a helluva lot like Aaron Weiss of mwY.

So that's really it for the sound. An acoustic guitar backbone, a voice that sounds like Weiss and the occasional piano key, bell or whistle, thrown in for atmosphere. It all comes together in four rather moody songs, the feel of which does absolutely nothing to deter you from the mwY-comparison. The good thing is that while Hathaway sings of holding his grandmothers hand while she dies ("Would You Think Less Of Me") or about how the whole world is generally heading down the drain ("The World Is Screaming"), you can still easily follow and relate, every step of the way, and considering the seemingly depressing content, the music is much more likely to fill you up than to wear you down.

Anyway, it's hard to say much more, considering the minimalist nature of the music and the shortage of material, so I guess I'll only really say this: If you like mewithoutYou or, failing that, maybe Bright Eyes, then there's a fair chance that you'll thoroughly enjoy "athousandangrypanthers EP". As for the artist, I think Hathaway has found a convincing style, and his singing does a good enough job of engaging the listener. I would question the potential for him managing to diversify his future material, and to imprint it with enough originality to stand apart from the acts I've already compared him to, but that consideration is one that I think is worth saving, until we get to hear a more prominent release from this man's hand.

Download: Each song for free from here
For The Fans Of: mewithoutYou, mewithoutYou, mewithoutYou aaaaaand.. okay maybe also a little Bright Eyes
Listen: myspace.com/bradleyhathaway

Release Date September 01.07.2010
**UNSIGNED ARTIST**