My First Review

Hello moto,

I introduce my first interview by one of my first friends who was also one of my first fans. I chose him to do so because he disagrees with my music tastes in general, so he would be best in proffering objective analysis.

Kickass Pitchfork Style Review
I've been a close friend of Avery's for years, and, I'll assure you, it's not because of our musical tastes. Although we're generally divergent on that issue, there are those rare instances that we'll agree on a particular sound, and Avery's work is one of them.

I remember being indifferent when he first took a guitar to his poetry, thinking it was just some playful new hobby. But as I began to pay attention, I was hooked. My first favorite was "Punch-line Freud," with its elegantly simple riff and vividly descriptive lyrics: "As if the autumn wind and eastern gold had done some good/She burns, and freezes and breaks just like a window would."

Within a few weeks, I was humming the tunes of his songs, and within a few months I knew the lyrics to many of them by heart. I was convinced (and still am) that "Shoegazer," an irresistibly bouncy and catchy song, was destined to be a hit.

When Avery decided to record his debut EP, "Smug Disco," he asked for my input on what to include from his formidable library. After spending a day hashing it out, I gained an even greater respect for his songs. I was determined that "Science Fiction" should be the last track. The riff is rich, building up several beautifully haunting tones that become accompanied by lyrics such as "When I saw pain, he was a tattoo on a mosaic body/Guess it was a habit of his to be lost, and never found." To open the EP, I suggested "The Nihilist," a song that gently eases you through the showcase of one of Avery's finest singing performances.

The writing and composing never slowed down for "Smug Disco EP." His next work that stood out most prominently for me was "The Piano Room." This song was undoubtedly a masterpiece, with the speed and strength of the chords reflecting the emotional path of the song itself, from sadness to grief and anger to resolve, to finally crescendo in a release of feelings: "Those sad eyes take their time/Pull me out of perfection/Kill my discontent/Using love as a weapon/Bleed it all."

Avery continues to make music, and with his musical and lyrical creativity, coupled with his wit and unusual insights into the human psyche, that's a good thing. The songs I've described are a mere sampling of my favorites, and do little to convey the spectrum of music he has to offer. One of the beautiful things about his music is that different people I know have different favorites, because just as people have distinct personalities, so do his songs. My own favorites have shifted over the years as his music spoke to me.

This promising artist shows no signs of slowing down, and indeed, the world will be lucky to hear him.

-Brandon Thorson