SNAILHOUSE play the Dakota May 26. See listing. Rating: NNN
Mike Feuerstack has quietly worked away at his Snailhouse project in Ottawa and Montreal for nearly two decades. On his sixth album, the singer/songwriter and Wooden Sky guitarist continues to display his knack for making subtly complex, soft-hued indie rock with a steady hand.
That control is his downfall, though. The guitar work is tasteful and intricate, the gentle arrangements pleasant and considered, and the lyrics full of thought. But those lyrics in particular are also a little too self-consciously witty and declarative to reveal whatever visceral emotion might be burning beneath. The album is refined to a fault.
That said, Sentimental Gentleman undeniably features some finely crafted tunes, all delivered in Feuerstack’s down-to-earth alto. Third-last song Every Day stands out as the most immediate six albums in, his plea that someday his time is going to come strikes a nerve.
Top track: Every Day