Posted on: March 6, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Nik Freitas – Sun Down / 2008 Team Love / 10 Tracks / http://www.nikfreitas.com /  http://www.team-love.com /

Freitas has been around for a few years before signing on to Team Love. That means that there are three other albums that individuals can pick up if they like what is happening on “Sun Down”: Here’s Laughing At You, Heavy Mellow, and Voicing The Hammers. The first, titular track is an example in softly-spoken alternative pop. Hints of Paul Simon and later Paul McCartney is present. While the instrumentation on “Sun Down” is very subtle and softly-spoken, the resulting arrangements are intricate and perfectly fit Freitas’ vocals.

What seems meandering at first blush is really compelling, getting more so with each subsequent listen. The atmosphere that is created during “Oh My God” even goes further than that first broached by the opening track. The McCartney comparison goes further in explaining the approach that Freitas takes during “Oh My God”; the seventies style of rock that is present here in such large abundance is taken out of a Wings’ songbook. Freitas imbues this track with eir own version of Rufus Wainwright-infused vocals, bringing together two distinct musical traditions into something new. “All The Way Down” continues this general sound, but inserts a set of synth lines that draw the track slightly closer to a current sound. While the synth is hidden behind the piano and the theatrical rock of Freitas, this link to the current period makes the resulting track that much more germane to fans in the current period. Each of the tracks on “Sun Down” could make it onto high rotation on the alternative rock station in any major city – in this sense, I’d have to link Freitas to Joseph Arthur, in that both provided individuals with a tremendously catchy sound without popular acknowledgement.

“What You Become” is a much more nuanced track than what has been previously present on “Sun Down”; the track is much more emotionally intense and honest than anything previous. Without much to back eir up beyond a Spartan piano line and a percussion that approximates a heart beat, individuals have to focus on what Freitas is singing. What ultimately results during “Sun Down” is an album that is tremendous clean and clear, couched in an earlier musical style. Each track is crafted with such care that any of the 10 cuts could easily Freitas big; it is just a matter of who ultimately promotes eir. Hopefully Freitas’ music will be played on a CW or similar show, and eir career can really take off.

Top Tracks: Shhhh, All The Way Down
Rating: 7.0/10

Leave a Comment