Stewart Lupton is a talented fellow. He orchestrates interesting and enjoyable indie rock tunes, his songs are filled with enough lyrics to make a hip-hop artist jealous and he even plans on releasing a book of original poetry in the near future. Yet the former Jonathan Fire*Eater vocalist seems to teeter on the verge of mundane with his newest band, The Childballads. That is until keyboardist Betsy Wright comes along to save the day. It’s Betsy’s much needed ability as a vocalist that turns the bands debut EP, Cheekbone Hollows (Pop. ½ Life), from just another generic indie rock recording into something of real interest.
Lupton’s voice isn’t particularly a strong vocal in itself, but with the help of Wright’s terrific backing vocals Lupton’s thought provoking musings lean more towards an aesthetically pleasing musical experience and less like a Conor Oberst type rambling. While the more up tempo tunes on the EP, such as the title track and the multi layered closer “Laughter from the Rafters,” seems to highlight what the band does best; the slower and often times stripped down songs such as “They Hunt Us We Run” and “Green Jewelry” have a tendency to drag along at times. Truthfully though, even these tracks are saved by the well placed viola played by the astounding Betsy Wright. The slow moaning sound of the viola on “They Hunt Us We Run” actually serves as the backbone to the song, as Lupton’s dreary voice and slow acoustic guitar plucking creates a truly iridescent sound.
Lyrically, Stewart Lupton knows what he’s doing; he did study poetry at George Washington University.
”I bought a white chocolate tea in the park on my lunchbreak/I bought a painting off the street of a haunted lake/I Tried hard to make my world an exciting place/But I keep hearing talk to the doom and they’re sending the meek home/And that’s not half as bad as the as the shadow that’s caught in the hollow of your cheekbone.”
Those lines are from the title track, and though not all of the lyrics on the disc are as nonsensical as the ones above, I still had a difficult time trying to solve the mysterious subjects that Lupton is singing about. The poetic structure in the songs are still spot on though, and the narratives are tremendously interesting.
Cheekbone Hollows (Pop. ½ Life) is a rarity in the ever overpopulating crowd of indie rock records, in that it is fresh and original. With the help of a few talented band mates, most specifically Ms. Betsy Wright, Stewart Lupton and The Childballads should have a full length LP that’s worth looking forward too. Currently though, Cheekbone Hollows is an interesting place to visit. And who knows, maybe you’ll stay awhile.
"Cheekbone Hollows (Pop. 1/2 Life)" is on sale April 15, 2008 from Gypsy Eyes.
