18-01-2012, 12:37
online listen
not familiar with him or his group associations
unique voice which is a good thing
not necessarily in a pleasant way
in fact, music and lyrics are better than the vocals
they sound so strained
maybe the guy was neutered as a child
can't think of a sound alike
1.5 from me and a 1.8 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Big Mistake
ANTHONY GREEN - Big Mistake (Demo) - YouTube
released Jan 17th 2012
![[Image: r01741g4nf4.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drr000/r017/r01741g4nf4.jpg)
Bio - from allmusic
With his high-pitched vocals and prolific songwriting, singer Anthony Green had a hand in many bands throughout the
1990s and 2000s, including Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, Saosin, Circa Survive, the Sound of Animals Fighting,
and several smaller projects. Green was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he joined Zolof the Rock & Roll
Destroyer in the late '90s before relocating to Southern California in 2003. There, he briefly joined the screamo
outfit Saosin but ultimately left before the band signed to Capitol Records. He resurfaced with Circa Survive and
remained with the group throughout the decade's latter half, during which period he also launched a solo career
with the release of 2008's Avalon. In between the release of his debut solo album and 2012's Beautiful Things,
Green went through some major life changes, including getting married and having a son. These personal shifts
greatly influenced the songwriting and musical direction of his sophomore solo outing, with a deep focus on family,
fatherhood and devotional love.
Album Review - from allmusic
Philly renaissance man (or at least compulsive band-joiner) Anthony Green already had a considerable résumé by the
time he decided to embark on a solo mission with 2008's Avalon. As frontman for Circa Survive, Green toned down the
screamo/hardcore roots of some of his earlier projects into a more darkly shrouded indie sound, and under his own
name, Green notches down the tumult even further. While opting for a gentler hipster singer/songwriter bent
overall, Beautiful Things still sees Green's battle with his eclectic impulses play out song to song. Some baseline
elements run through almost all 13 tracks. High-gloss production, dynamic instrumentation, and spirited
performances help the songs jell into an easily digestible album of accessible melodies and folky pop. Joyous and
breezy numbers like "Just to Feel Alive" and "Moon Song" make the most of Green's impeccable vocal harmonies,
steeped in classic Beatles-worship influence but coming off like a strange hybrid of Brendan Benson and Connor
Oberst. When Green experiments with subtle genre twisting, however, his songs wander into personality crisis
territory. "Can't Have It All at Once" ping-pongs from aggressive Circa Survive-style post-emo verses to happy-go-
lucky jangly choruses, he's incapable of choosing between two disparate styles that aren't really working together.
Moments later, he dabbles with bluesy acoustic guitar riffs over an anguished howl. The most glaring example of
this iffy trying on of styles is the electro-dub rhythms of "When I'm on Pills." Green tries to stuff as many
superfluous percussion noises, compressed guitars, and other confusing sound choices (is that a G-Funk keyboard
line floating in the background there??) into the song while the cringe-worthy lyrics "I love you when I'm on
Pills" repeat in a syrupy crawl. Interviews around the time of the album's release found Green referring to big
life changes between Avalon and Beautiful Things; getting married, having a kid, and choosing to kick prescription
medication for his mental maladies. Just shy of 30 years old at the time of recording this album, these factors
spell out a classic 1/3-life crisis scenario for Green. It's no doubt these changes left the new family man with a
lot on his mind, and the dizzying sonic landscape of Beautiful Things reflects that. Green finds the most success
when speaking directly to his muse in as simplified a language as possible. Stripped-down tracks like "James' Song"
and beautiful album closer "Lullaby" are loving odes to his newborn son, and these uncluttered moments are the most
fulfilling on the album. While there's enough of Green's carefree personality (maybe too much) to wrangle Beautiful
Things together into some unified whole, keeping up with the shifting can be a little exhausting. The pleasant
sheen of these song shines just enough to distract us from how deceptively scattered an affair the album truly is.
Track Listing
1. If I Don't Sing
2. Do It Right
3. Moon Song
4. Get Yours While You Can
5. When I'm on Pills
6. Can't Have It All at Once
7. Big Mistake
8. Love You No Matter What
9. How It Goes
10. Just to Feel Alive
11. James Song
12. Blood Song
13. Lullabye
not familiar with him or his group associations
unique voice which is a good thing
not necessarily in a pleasant way
in fact, music and lyrics are better than the vocals
they sound so strained
maybe the guy was neutered as a child
can't think of a sound alike
1.5 from me and a 1.8 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Big Mistake
ANTHONY GREEN - Big Mistake (Demo) - YouTube
released Jan 17th 2012
Bio - from allmusic
With his high-pitched vocals and prolific songwriting, singer Anthony Green had a hand in many bands throughout the
1990s and 2000s, including Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, Saosin, Circa Survive, the Sound of Animals Fighting,
and several smaller projects. Green was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he joined Zolof the Rock & Roll
Destroyer in the late '90s before relocating to Southern California in 2003. There, he briefly joined the screamo
outfit Saosin but ultimately left before the band signed to Capitol Records. He resurfaced with Circa Survive and
remained with the group throughout the decade's latter half, during which period he also launched a solo career
with the release of 2008's Avalon. In between the release of his debut solo album and 2012's Beautiful Things,
Green went through some major life changes, including getting married and having a son. These personal shifts
greatly influenced the songwriting and musical direction of his sophomore solo outing, with a deep focus on family,
fatherhood and devotional love.
Album Review - from allmusic
Philly renaissance man (or at least compulsive band-joiner) Anthony Green already had a considerable résumé by the
time he decided to embark on a solo mission with 2008's Avalon. As frontman for Circa Survive, Green toned down the
screamo/hardcore roots of some of his earlier projects into a more darkly shrouded indie sound, and under his own
name, Green notches down the tumult even further. While opting for a gentler hipster singer/songwriter bent
overall, Beautiful Things still sees Green's battle with his eclectic impulses play out song to song. Some baseline
elements run through almost all 13 tracks. High-gloss production, dynamic instrumentation, and spirited
performances help the songs jell into an easily digestible album of accessible melodies and folky pop. Joyous and
breezy numbers like "Just to Feel Alive" and "Moon Song" make the most of Green's impeccable vocal harmonies,
steeped in classic Beatles-worship influence but coming off like a strange hybrid of Brendan Benson and Connor
Oberst. When Green experiments with subtle genre twisting, however, his songs wander into personality crisis
territory. "Can't Have It All at Once" ping-pongs from aggressive Circa Survive-style post-emo verses to happy-go-
lucky jangly choruses, he's incapable of choosing between two disparate styles that aren't really working together.
Moments later, he dabbles with bluesy acoustic guitar riffs over an anguished howl. The most glaring example of
this iffy trying on of styles is the electro-dub rhythms of "When I'm on Pills." Green tries to stuff as many
superfluous percussion noises, compressed guitars, and other confusing sound choices (is that a G-Funk keyboard
line floating in the background there??) into the song while the cringe-worthy lyrics "I love you when I'm on
Pills" repeat in a syrupy crawl. Interviews around the time of the album's release found Green referring to big
life changes between Avalon and Beautiful Things; getting married, having a kid, and choosing to kick prescription
medication for his mental maladies. Just shy of 30 years old at the time of recording this album, these factors
spell out a classic 1/3-life crisis scenario for Green. It's no doubt these changes left the new family man with a
lot on his mind, and the dizzying sonic landscape of Beautiful Things reflects that. Green finds the most success
when speaking directly to his muse in as simplified a language as possible. Stripped-down tracks like "James' Song"
and beautiful album closer "Lullaby" are loving odes to his newborn son, and these uncluttered moments are the most
fulfilling on the album. While there's enough of Green's carefree personality (maybe too much) to wrangle Beautiful
Things together into some unified whole, keeping up with the shifting can be a little exhausting. The pleasant
sheen of these song shines just enough to distract us from how deceptively scattered an affair the album truly is.
Track Listing
1. If I Don't Sing
2. Do It Right
3. Moon Song
4. Get Yours While You Can
5. When I'm on Pills
6. Can't Have It All at Once
7. Big Mistake
8. Love You No Matter What
9. How It Goes
10. Just to Feel Alive
11. James Song
12. Blood Song
13. Lullabye
