Bucketful of Brains UK 2005
The Early Years
Absolutely Kosher
The title of the CD might lead one to believe that these tunes were recorded many moons ago, but in fact these are recent songs by a contemporary band led by Jason Zumpano, who Bucketfull readers may remember as the main man of the ‘90s indie darlings, Zumpano. The Early Years proves that Mr. Zumpano hasn’t lost his knack for writing beautiful melodies and arrangements with the kind of powerful, tantalizing chord changes which are greatly reminsicent of The Left Banke. In fact, the album’s best tunes, such as “Flower,” “So Far From Me,” and “I’m Just Not There” would make Michael Brown proud. Others like “I Wouldn’t Mind” feature a nice duet with Zumpano and Lucy Brain, and the best track ,”Gone”, is centered on a repeating piano riff which is bolstered by a beautiful interplay between vocals and strings. Lovely!
Hopefully “The Early Years” actually implies that there is more to come, because this disc is a damn fine beginning. (www.inflightmusic.com)
David Bash