“I need to leave the cracks and creases in,” sings Grey Race frontman Jon Darling on “Cracks.” You’d never know it by listening to Give It Love. On the debut by his trio, Darling’s repeated efforts to plummet into the craggy abyss are cushioned by tightly layered acoustic and electric guitars, brush-stroked waltz tempos and subtle orchestration. (Vibes, anyone?) A New Zealander living in New York, Darling displays a near-perfect mastery of the endless contradictions posed by mood and melody, playing the languid off the lustrous with the skill of an artist who’s been doing this sort of thing far longer. (Think XO-era Elliott Smith, Big Star’s Chris Bell or even Paul McCartney’s more somber moments.) Credit Darling with finding quality help in the form of seasoned bassist Jeff Hill (Rufus Wainwright) and drummer Ethan Eubanks (Ivy). You’d never know it, but Give It Love’s expansive sound was hashed out in Hill’s Brooklyn bedroom with a drum set, ProTools, a Mac and a few microphones. Darling’s vocals—a resonant, if largely one-dimensional, instrument—perfectly convey an expat’s sense of longing and culture shock. An edgy detachment looms over Give It Love, from a deceptively serene paean to excess (“Stop Before You Start”) to a wickedly dead-on reflection on the perils of band leadership (“Take It On The Chin”). “Lights Out,” a perky charmer, slams the door shut on the album with a giddy Britpop flourish: “Lights out for now/Lights out forever” goes the chorus. Forever, whatever. Here’s to brilliant beginnings. [www.worlds-fair.net]
—Hobart Rowland
