Adult Books - Grecian Urn

Adult Books is LA-based Nick Winfrey, who writes, sings and plays a lot of the music on Grecian Urn, with help from Sina Salessi (drums) and Alex Galindo (guitar/synth). This is his second record, coming four years after his first. The intervening time was spent touring, considering his future in the music business and, fortunately for us, writing and creating this excellent record. A host of new wave and indie rock comparisons are getting thrown around - Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, Mission of Burma - and that's fine, but like the best new music, Grecian Urn takes those influences and goes in its own direction. 

The opening track is "Innocence", with a pulsating rhythm section and slashing guitar lines. And here Winfrey's vocals remind me of Richard Lloyd's solo work. There's a bit of desperation in his voice:

   

 The title track, "Grecian Urn". The opening synth and bass line certainly shows where the New Order comparisons are coming from, but stick around while he layers in some guitars at the top of the range, multi-tracked vocals, and the whole thing takes off. 

  

And here is previously-released “Florence”. Have to admire a track that starts with the lyric “Do you really know yourself?”

 

The last track is, to me, the masterpiece here - "Sparrows on the Wire", at about 4:00, builds to a hell of a crescendo for the last minute, and Winfrey shouts out the last several lines of the song over some fiery guitar lines. You'll have to get the record to hear that one, and you should.

Adult Books (buy at Bandcamp)

Taxi Gauche Records