More Reviews & Radio Report for City Makes No Sound CD

[merchy]

Here's a new review from Allmusic - AMG (ALL MUSIC GUIDE):
Review by William Ruhlmann

In a continuation of his first album, Window Rolled Down, Jeff
Merchant presents another series of reflections on life in Los Angeles
in the present day in your thirties on City Makes No Sound. Again, the
arrangements are dream pop soundscapes, set at loping tempos, with an
aural sheen to go with Merchant's innocent-sounding tenor as he
celebrates the joys of the 99-cent store, but realizes that the fabric
of existence is fragile and, perhaps, frayed. Friends have fallen by
the wayside already, as the media brays, "Tell us how you feel" (the
chorus of "Disturbance Call"). Merchant is heavily influenced by Brian
Wilson - not only in his shimmery musical conception, but also in the
apparently childlike -- but also somewhat depressed -- nature of his
outlook. If there is a development from his first album to this one,
it's that he's not quite as sure of the value of opening himself to
experience. Even if you have your window rolled down as you sit stuck
in traffic on an L.A. freeway, this time the city itself is closed off
from you, and by the end of an hour long set of encounters, Merchant
(who also has a band called the Lullabies) is singing "The End Song,"
beginning, "Close your eyes so we don't have to listen / Shut them
tight so we don't have to hear."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Here's a review from the Atlanta Music Guide:
Jeff Merchant City Makes No Sound By Al Kaufman

Imagine crystalline water flowing down a rocky waterfall surrounded by
lush greenery on a blue-skied summer's day. Pretty, isn't it? So is
Jeff Merchant's music.

Merchant's sound is a mix of the Decemberists and Death Cab for Cutie
after they've been listening to a lot of latter day Beatles. It's
orchestral indie-pop. It's pretty. It's uplifting. It's beautifully
layered and dense, without detracting from its simple elegance.

When he sings "I hope it all works out for you," on "Friend of Mine,"
it sounds sincere rather than trite. He's a sensitive guy without
being so sensitive that you want to slap him upside the head; the
exception being "Na-Na 99 Cent Store," in which walking into such a
store becomes somewhat of a religious experience for him.

And he can also write a good melody. "Love Yourself Away," while rich
with organs, guitars and background vocalist, has a great poppy, easy-
beat feel to it. And there are other songs that are just as catchy.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Here's a few blurbs from different sites and blogs:

The 412 blog (formerly known as The Shlog) at ShowClix.com:
Merchant, Jeff – City Makes No Sound - "Baroque-pop with some nice
moments."

Aiding & Abetting (A&A) aidabet.com:
Jeff Merchant City Makes No Sound (self-released)
"Gentle-hearted pop rock that runs through many sounds and
shapes...this album is almost criminally listenable."

notlame.com: "An album of inspiration, texture and heartfelt spirit,
City Makes No Sound is the soundtrack of great artistic impression and
articulation and one that fans of music that avoids the `cookie
cutter` and true and tried template will find great rewards living
inside of."

And City Makes No Sound was mentioned and/or featured (as an mp3
download) in the following blogs:

Indie Rock Cafe (in an article about "New Indie Rock Songs 2009:
Radiohead, Modest Mouse and More")
Gimme Noise
IndiePit
KEXP Blog

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

RADIO REPORT

Radio Stations Charting (top 30) - City Makes No Sound:

WARY Valhalla NY
WAWL Chattanooga TN (P1) (A) (M)
WEGL Auburn AL (P1) (A)
WREK Atlanta GA (P1)(M)
WUNH Durham NH (P1)
WVKR Poughkeepsie NY (P1)
WUMM Machias ME

(P1) - Priority-1 Stations (A) - Triple A Stations (M) -
Mediaguide Stations


Here's a list of some of the stations playing the CD:

Bearcast Radio Cincinnati OH KAMP Tucson AZ
KBUT Crested Butte CO KCSS Turlock CA
KCSU Fort Collins CO KDHX St. Louis MO
KEOL La Grande OR KFAI Minneapolis MN
KJHK Lawrence KS KPFK North Hollywood CA
KRUX Las Cruces NM KSCL Shreveport LA
KSLU-1 St. Louis MO KWCR Ogden UT
KZMU Moab UT SCAD-Atlanta Radio Atlanta GA
WCBN Ann Arbor MI WDBM East Lansing MI
WEGL Auburn AL WGLS Glassboro NJ
WHUS Storrs CT WICB Ithaca NY
WIDR Kalamazoo MI WJCU Cleveland OH
WMNF Tampa FL WMPG Portland ME
WMSE Milwaukee WI WMXM Lake Forest IL
WPGU Champaign IL WRAS Atlanta GA
WREK Atlanta GA WSJU Jamaica NY
WTCC Springfield MA WUMM Machias ME
WVIA Northeastern PA CSCR Scarborough ONT-Canada
KRSC Claremore OK KWLC Decorah IA
KWUR St. Louis MO WMHB Waterville ME
WRPI Troy NY CILU Thunder Bay ONT

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You can buy an actual CD at the website: http://www.jeffmerchantmusic.com
(go to Albums/Store)
Or download individual mp3 songs on iTunes, Amazon, etc.