Patrick Park Loneliness Knows My Name Release Date: July 15, 2003 Label: Hollywood Records/Universal Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. Patrick Park's 2003 release starts out pretty gentle and standard. "Thunderbolt", the opening track, is very countryish, with slide guitars, soft strings, and harmonicas leaking in and out. Pretty song, but not the best attention-grabber out there. It's the second track, "Honest Skrew," that we really begin to see what this man is capable of. This tune employs a tumbling piano and harpsichord and an accompanying guitar dealio in the chorus that sounds so easily-created, it hardly seems like separate strums. The guy's voice reminds me a bit of Matthew Jay - a very soft, slightly underwater-sounding vocal, often high and smooth. When he sings lower, the voice becomes a bit rougher and manlier. Between the Gretsch and the acoustic, he puts forth an incredible array of guitar riffs, twanging and poking those strings all over the place. His classical picking style, obviously his strong point and what sets him apart, is a rarity these days. The prevalence of that aspect in his playing has the potential to seem pretentious, but the music is so charming, it doesn't come off that way with him at all. He definitely takes himself seriously on that picking front too, judging by the long nails on his right hand. Throughout the disc, the songs bounce back and forth between those lonely country-kissed ballads, and loud rockers. He deals with a lot of... well... loneliness. Sorrow, malaise directed at himself. It's emo in mentality! I just can't get away from the stuff! I can totally relate to such sappy smarmy crap. Not that this is crap - not by a long shot. I really love the finger-picking though. The first time we hear him really shred it on those strings is on the fifth track, "Your Smile Is A Drug." Fairly poppy and aggressive, this one would probably go over well as a single. He comes across as being very honest and open about his life, not really hiding behind metaphors much. "Something Pretty" sounds a bit corny at the beginning, with somewhat adult-contemporary jingling guitars and strings, but it gets better from there. It has a bizarre tapping, like a toe in a cowboy boot drumming on the floor, at the beginning and end. "Silver Girl," painting a nautical picture, has a lovely little picking riff. The songs all flow well from one to the next. The voice just works with the music and melody so easily. He sounds bored at times, but when he lets loose, he really means it. Some could be waltzed to - a Neil Young "Harvest Moon" video setting for sure. "Past Poisons" is a really cool song. It feels like Park channeled the spirit of Johnny Cash for this one (spirit, not sound). His voice has a light wavering and feels really intense, bursting with emotion. He really busts loose, both on guitar (what a solo! Bluesy and all over the neck) and in his vocals. Highs, lows, yells, whispers. Brilliant! "Bullets By The Door" has a clap-inducing intro. He gets the party going with this one. Square-dancing? Okay, maybe just clapping. A lot. An almost gospelly chorus pipes up in the background vocals as well. Taking it down a notch, the following song, "Home For Now," sounds like horseback riding on a summer evening. It's a sweet love song about being completely twitterpated with one's companion. I have few complaints about this record. The guy has mastered his craft and found a signature style. Impressive. Lyric Of Choice : When you're done acting tough/ you only take two and a quarter to get fucked up/ and when you say you're in love/ you just sound like you're giving up. But sweet whiskey jesus as a clip is pretty spectacular. Song Of Choice: "Past Poisons" -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Patrick Park website Published : April 22, 2004.