Vaughn Trapp - Songs of the Great Depression
- by James Bray Release Date:2011-05-01 Label: Afterlife
The first thing that connects, when listening to Vaughn Trapp, is that it sounds like a Beatles tribute act that has just released its first album of original material. Much of these decent but unremarkable songs sound like they derive from mid-period Beatles' albums.
Songs of the Great Depression is competently produced and Doug Hammond, the singer-songwriter behind Vaughn Trapp, is obviously well versed in the conventions and mechanics of classic pop-rock. Hammond is a veteran of Californian indie-pop group Suncatcher; the songs on this solo effort all have a familiar template, with harmonies, choruses, bridges and break-downs all feeling reassuringly familiar. However, the overall impression is that the album is too safe, and that it adheres too closely to the appropriate register of American pop-rock stations.
Not too force a point, but Hammond does sound like Paul McCartney in his uncle at a wedding role, or John Lennon via San Diego. The problem with this kind of musical style is that The Beatles have set the bar pretty high, so Hammond's compositions seem quite insignificant in comparison. The melodies sound like they were created in some songwriting class, and the lyrics sound like they were penned next door at the creative writing class. However, in spite of this, Hammond does have a certain amount of talent, and a gift for of song-craft. If you think you would like sub-Beatles pop-rock which sounds a bit like Eels, this could be for you.
