The Simple Carnival
– “Me and My Arrow” EP
(www.myspace.com/
thesimplecarnival)
If one-man-band Jeff Boller wanted to avoid
comparisons to the Beach Boys, he probably
shouldn’t have begun his newest record
with the line “Surf’s up.”
Then again, I doubt Boller would mind. While
I don’t know which beach the Pittsburgh-based
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist frequents,
he seems comfortable in summery pop niche
the Beach Boys carved out for him decades
ago.
Recording under the name the Simple Carnival,
Boller’s new EP, Me and My Arrow, sounds
a whole lot like the Beach Boys, and for the
duration of the four-song EP, the Simple Carnival
completely bites the surf rock band’s
style.
This leech boy is unapologetic, though, and
his confidence in the sunny pop setting shines
through. Though a solo record, Me and My Arrow
sounds surprisingly full. Boller — a
basement Brian Wilson who produced the album
and played every single one of the 30 or so
instruments on it — offers clever instrumentation
and richly ubiquitous harmonies (he sung all
the parts himself, too).
The record is named for its final track,
a faithful rendition of Harry Nilsson’s
playful top 40 hit from 1970 that features
a downright funky bassline. The highlight
of the EP, however, is its first track, “Caitlin
on the Beach,” a straightforward exercise
in warm falsetto and jangly guitarwork that
sounds lifted directly from 1995. As is the
case with the entire record, the song is at
its best during Boller’s layered harmonies
with himself. The song is followed by “Really
Really Weird,” ironically named given
its plainness. It’s an instrumentally-simple
song driven by the diversity of vocal techniques
Boller employs. Again, sunny harmonies and
repeated ba-ba-bas
After that comes “Over Coffee and Tea,”
a song whose calm organ and empty-sounding
percussion makes the listener inevitably worry
that, somewhere, there’s an elevator
without music.
Overall, Me and My Arrow would undoubtedly
benefit from a second (or third, or fourth)
singer, which would serve to diversify the
vocal aspects of the record. On his own, Boller
does an admirable job — his voice is
warm pleasant on its own, and he varies style
and production and melody often enough to
keep things interesting for the duration of
the four-song EP. In spite of this and the
fact that the album features vast instrumentation,
Me and My Arrow is a vocally driven record,
and some variance would make it dramatically
more dynamic.
As a pop record, though, the Simple Carnival
stays true to its name — despite the
dozens of instruments and layers of harmonies,
Boller never tries to do too much. And that’s
why he’s successful. – Adam Clair
CD Reviews 
