David Pavia – Songs For Soft Machines

David Pavia – Songs For Soft Machines / 2006 Paviasongs / 10 Tracks / http://www.davidpavia.com / Reviewed 17 April 2007

The introductory vocals during “Here We Go Again” are interesting, and to be honest, take a few minutes to fully get into. This is due to the fact that Pavia has a very innovative and new style of vocals, and this newness will take individuals a short while to get used to. Couple that with the fact that the vocals are practically all that are present during the opening of the track, and the entry costs for “Songs for Soft Machines” are high. However, the rocking sound of the second half of the track (sounding like a blend of Jane’s Addiction, Cake, and Dave Matthews) makes the introduction and any weirdness associated with it well worth it.

The disc’s second track starts with a more energetic opening than “Here We Go Again”; the vocals that come in just a few seconds later on “Love Is All Over Me” is more reminiscent to Prince, before Pavia goes into the stanzas. The result of this track is something that is fancy-free, of the same type of rock that fueled acts like the aforementioned Jane’s Addiction, Black Crowes, and even the slightly-later Harvey Danger, Smash Mouth and Marcy Playground. “Everyone You Know” starts off more slowly than any of the prior tracks on the disc, but contains the same attention to harmony and radio-friendly nature that marked prior tracks. The vocals are much more of a focal point to the track, to the degree that song sounds like one of the tracks off of the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack. There are still hints of rock and alternative rock strewn throughout the track, but this is a fundamentally different beast than what opened up the disc.

“Butterflies & Spoons” is a track that has guitars that are resting at the level of a Joe Cocker. The cock-sure, confident vocals that are present during the track fit the guitars perfectly, and mark another successful track by David Paria. The second set of vocals are a little quiet on the track, however. I understand that they are supposed to be backing vocals, but they just seem to be a little too quiet to work well. If one is a fan of rock from the eighties and nineties, chances are good that any one of the ten cuts from “Songs For Soft Machines” will have something impressive to hear. When your pedigree includes influences as diverse as Mr. Big, The Eagles, and Whitesnake, one can be assured that the music that will issue forth is good.

Top Tracks: Oh Yeah, Killing Them With Kindness

Rating: 6.2/10

[JMcQ]