Colin Clary, Apocalypse Yow!

reviewed by dave heaton

I can think of few singers who could start a CD with a song titled “Me Loves You”, with that at its chorus, and not make me want to gag. But Colin Clary’s sweetness is genuine, and his songs have the asset of classic pop melodies. And in the case of Apocalypse Yow!, even the cutest songs carry a trace of melancholy. Overall the sadness is as palpable as the happiness, which makes the songs feel like real life. There’s a vision of a perfect world within these songs, but also the awareness that we never manage to get there. Actually, despite the excitement of the title, the sadness is perhaps more pronounced than usual – this is a winter album. The spare set-up – usually just Colin’s voice and a keyboard or guitar – makes it easy to picture him holed up somewhere alone for the winter, singing his heart out. And looking back…at road-trip antics (“Backseat Man”), the past year (“The Year of Having Fun”), or, on the sprightly “Gold Medal”, to fond memories of life with an ex-girlfriend. This is skeletal singer-songwriter music, but with a lot of spunk within. “My Friend the Writer” has the soul of a rock-anthem in it. In another life “Every Little Van” is a dance-club hit. Although contemplative, like quiet and often sad letters to friends, there is an upward turns toward hope and love towards the end, with love songs “Manufacturing Empathy”, “Thank You (For Making Me Slow Dance)” and the closing cover of Ritchie Valens’ “Donna”, a sweet way to say goodbye.

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