Bottom Dollar

Nathan Wiley's album is in a word, fantastic. I'm not usually into bluesy folk music or anything that might even hint at the country genre, but I have to take my hat off to this man. He's carved a piece of art that seems to sum up the Prince Edward Island experience (that's a province in Canada for you non-Canadians).Listening to this album eerily recalls memories that you've never experienced, and nostalgic emotions with no factual basis. Perhaps it's due to the fact that the songs here reflect a laid-back, countryside style of life that I'm sure all of us urbanites long for once in awhile.Take it from a person who's known to be into indie punk/rock, deep house, underground hip hop, and IDM: if you have eclectic tastes, pick up this album. You could be a Tricky fan circa AWDF era or into Fugazi, and you'd still love this for reasons that will probably be beyond you. Even worse, you might find yourself giving folk music a chance.

Rock critics keep comparing Nathan to Tom Waits. While Wiley is an incredibly talented singer, songwriter and musician, the comparison seems to be an example of writers being too lazy to describe something on its own merit. This music is ecclectic but not all over the board. There's bluesy rock, and a slight hint of country without being redneck. The lead track and first video "Bottom Dollar" dives right in and takes you for a smokey surreal ride. There's a slight hint of Waits-like vocals here, but it doesn't come up again for the rest of the album. Other apparant influences throughout include classic rock staples like Dire Straits, Bob Seger, and maybe some Eagles. Overall, this debut is an incredible album, and I think Nathan is destined to go far. A must-have.

I heard a lot about this guy and I really wanted to like this one, and yes, Wiley definitely has talent. But from the retro-hep cover design to the atmospheric but static arrangements and (over) production to the stiff vocal phrasing and show of affectlessness this is a disk that just sits there waiting for you to like it, or think its cool. There's not enough conviction/credibility, on the one hand, or pop grab for your eardrum on the other. The lyrics are fairly pretentious as well. Comparisons to Tom Waits and Bob Dylan are completely laughable. Potential is there, but might need to rethink where he's going with this. He's got some good ingredients but seems to be overreaching at this point.