Mike Bloom: King of Circles
Tobias FischerThough mostly a one-man operation run by this Julian Casablancas solo band associate, this project has a money trail leading to actor Tobey Maguire, who funded it up to the time it was picked up by this new record label from Pierre de Reeder, itself bankrolled in turn by de Reeder’s bass slot with LA child-star band Rilo Kiley.
Although that’s enough LA incestuousness to make me puke in my mouth a little, Bloom does seem to want to make some nice southern Americana, with arpeggios and finger-picking wisping around his airy and alienated Thom Yorke tenor on opener “Til It’s Over.” Essentially it walks a tightrope over the two opposing sides of Rhett Miller’s last album, not too bar-rock-hard and not too google-eyed-stagnant (even if “Afterthought To War” dawdles a bit before settling on a southern-gothic hook).
The songwriting is impressive, reaching deeper levels than you’d associate with your everyday LA hack, this despite “Devil’s Island,” an eye-rollingly contrived major-chord strummer that found a soundtrack home on The Roommate.
By Eric Saeger
Homepage: Mike Bloom
Homepage: Little Record Company
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