Mellowdrone Go Get 'Em Tiger. Release Date : April, 2004 Label: Los Feliz Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. Everyone's making EPs these days. I guess they're more easily-digestible for the internet-driven masses or something, but no matter, this one's quite the little precious stone. Six tracks (the magic number), about twenty minutes spanning a delicious gamut of styles, and an abrupt ending that will leave you scratching your head. Yeah, I don't know what to make of that. It's humourous, but it comes in the midst of an instrumental song that sounds so lovely to start off with. Anyhow, listen to it and judge for yourself. Aspects of this disc remind me a bit of the Doves, paloalto, TinStar, and vocally like Thom Yorke in one of his softer moods. But the musical mix is interesting. The first track, "Bonemarrow," is incredible. It begins with happy-sounding bass and drums, then sails into this high, whining guitar, slows back down to the jingling verse, and then picks up again into a glorious chorus. I get the urge to spin in circles with my arms out and sing to the heavens along with it. "Motivation" comes in strong with a heavy piano and swooping strings. The verses are simple, but that piano comes back in again. Captivating. Minimalist track four, "I'm Too Young," is a huge contrast to everything else. It sounds so lonely and vacant. The music on this song mostly hinges on electronics. A soft beat, swimmy noises, and echoey vocals that make it sound like it's being sung in a giant empty hall. It's a coldly intimate tune, but gorgeous. "Pretty Boy" flows out of that track nicely, keeping the tempo slow and the music gentle. After that, the lovely instrumental track and the brick-wall ending to the CD. Vocalist Jonathan Bates went (sort of) through Berklee School of Music on a scholarship when he was 17, so this isn't just some random guy who plucked up a guitar and decided to make music for the fuck of it. Sure he didn't go all the way through the program, as the lure of sunny LA and a friend's band project was too tempting to pass by evidently, but just the fact that his talents were recognized so early speaks volumes. He's genuinely really, really good, knows his stuff, and has taken it in some extraordinary directions. It's only been relatively recently that Bates enlisted bandmates for Mellowdrone and used a full-on recording studio. He used to operate solo (even live, using a loop recorder) and record in his bedroom using simple gear. So this is how the man's amazing musicianship shines through - even though this release is more pro-polished than ever before, you can feel the thing is ripe with originality, creativity and solid talent, the ability to manipulate instruments, whatever they may be, no matter how expensive or how rinky-dink. Lyric of choice : either Take my oxygen / my sweet angel from "Bonemarrow" or Your warm skin is always on my mind from "I'm Too Young." Song of choice : Totally "Bone Marrow." Give it a listen on the audio player. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Mellowdrone website Alternate Mellowdrone website Published : June 23, 2004.