Rating: NNN
You might not recognize his name, but you’ve definitely heard his song. It was everywhere last summer: in the dentist’s office, your girlfriend’s apartment, that indie radio station. The ukulele-driven, twee-pop song Riptide got Aussie singer/songwriter Vance Joy (aka James Keogh) a five-album deal with Atlantic.
Dream Your Life Away rides the wave of his breakout single while mostly sticking to the nu-folk formula that bands like Mumford & Sons have turned into a gold mine: open with a wistful guitar melody, add a dash of percussion (quick drumming, shakers, handclaps), follow with heart-shredding drama via swelling piano and violins, slow it back down and end with a bang – Keogh howling about love and loss. Songs like Winds Of Change and Mess Is Mine aren’t exactly original, but they’re damn catchy. When Keogh does stray from the formula though – knee-slapping folk or acoustic slow burners – the results are forgettable.
Top track: Winds Of Change
Vance Joy plays two shows (5 pm, all ages and 8 pm, 19+) at the Phoenix on November 1.