CD: RID046
RELEASED: 2002
LABEL: Rec90

01. Scarlet
02. Belonging
03. Bangalore Homecoming Queen
04. A Better View
05. Too Many
06. Dulcinea
07. The Great Gospel
08. Pluto
09. Wood Floors
10. Doolittle
11. Country Hut

Norway's answer to Radiohead (at least pre-Kid A), Poor Rich Ones garnered significant acclaim for their Happy, Happy, Happy album. The centerpiece for that band's music is the almost angelic voice of William Hut, a voice that evokes images of Thom Yorke and Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters) without sounding exactly like either. The music here isn't drastically different from that offered by the full band, however, Hut's solo music does take a more melancholy direction than that taken by Poor Rich Ones, while demonstrating a kind of starkness and dreaminess that is a welcome change. Lush guitars, drums, and bass accompany Hut's lovely, slightly echoey vocals, while other instrumentation - from piano to horns and strings - help fill out the songs. While Hut cites influences from Flaming Lips to Mercury Rev and earlier 4AD material, such as early Red House Painters. There is indeed a dreamy, slightly surreal quality to his softer songs, where the lush but soft guitarwork and his immaculate voice blur seamlessly, as on the opener "Scarlet, " but there are also moments of softer beauty that belie the traditional pop structure, such as the beautiful, string-laden "Belonging." Perhaps the Flaming Lips fondness can be seen on Hut's more poppy moments. The almost teasingly light "Bangalore Homecoming Queen" is just a dreamy romp, with no lyrics but some nice backing vocals, and the organs that drive "The Great Gospel" similarly shows a more lush pop style. With this album William Hut has shown he can hold his own, releasing a stark and lovely solo album of more laid-back pop gems.

Influences / Similar Artists:
Brian, Red House Painters, A.C. Acoustics, The Frames