Tizzard hits the El Mocambo tonight (Thursday, March 1). Rating: N
It seems obvious, but before a musician releases a solo (non-instrumental) album, he or she should make sure he or she can actually sing. That’s the first problem with this debut from Ken Tizzard, former bassist for the Watchmen and Thornley: dude’s not a vocalist. His pitchiness throughout the record makes Quiet Storey House a difficult listen, but the music’s even harder to deal with. To Tizzard’s credit, he’s managed to avoid musical comparisons to his previous bands by offering up 10 hushed, lethargic tracks with no distorted rockers in earshot. Unfortunately, without attention-grabbing hooks, his subdued style quickly grows tiresome.