Henning grows taller every day
"Many who follow the local music scene already know that Henning Ohlenbusch (School for the Dead, The Fawns) is a good songwriter. What takes center stage on the Northampton musician's latest solo effort, Looks Like I'm Tall (Rub Wrongways), however, are heavier, perhaps more depressive lyrics than might be expected, though still delivered with Henning's whimsical, upbeat vocals.
"But We Did" opens the disc on the familiar upbeat tip, with barely a hint of what lies ahead. On the title track, the lyrics "I lean back and I look at everyone, and I watch my friends grow old," paint a self-portrait and guide us into the more introspective part of the show. "Looks Like I'm Tall" reflects a person growing comfortable with himself while at the same time seeing that growth in those closest to him. Another insightful tune is "20,000 Dollars," in which Henning begins with "Everyone I know is 20,000 dollars away from happiness, or so they claim," an illuminating line that quickly and powerfully gets across his point.
Other favorites include "The Center of Time," "Held His Gaze" and "It's Now," the final track on the disc that ends like a final track should, with a mess of instruments and sounds all building into a crescendo, like a whispered conversation full of epiphanies.
While the arrangements on Looks like I'm Tall are spare, the richness lies in Ohlenbusch's known ability to tell a story. We come to expect this from him, but are no less surprised by the outcome. On this record, he's being honest without the need for vulgarities. Example. "Nightly Progression": "Your good conversation is pointless and all your laughing leaves me cold." A biting commentary on what it's like to drift apart from a friend.
What's also in abundance here are the catchy hooks that Ohlenbusch pulls off so seemlessly. Think of tracks like School for the Dead's "Campground Daughter" and "Photobooth Curtain" with even more nostalgia and you've got the picture. A disc that blossoms progressively with each listen, this is a must-buy album for 2006.
Looks Like I'm Tall is available at CD Baby. Henning will release his CD at a special free show at Night Owl Records in Easthampton on Friday night. Show starts at 8:00 p.m."
Kristen Beam - Masslive.com Soundcheck
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"Henning Ohlenbusch steps away from his band, School for the Dead,
and offers up the self-written, performed, recorded, and produced Looks
Like I'm Tall. Ohlenbusch showcases eleven finely crafted, simple yet
effective pop songs.
"But We Did" sets the tone for the album with clean vocals, simple drumbeats, and thoughtful lyrics. "Looks Like I'm Tall" is a song of acceptance, with more meaning found in Ohlenbusch's fragile voice than in his weighty lyrics. "A Machine to Break Your Heart" has a strong "Yellow Submarine" or Harry Nilsson vibe, but does not fall into the realm of impersonation.
"20,000 Dollars" recounts the tale of a person who thinks he needs just a little more to be happy. It urges this person to look for happiness in the simpler avenues right in front of him with one of the more beautiful choruses on the album: "You can make the same mistake every single day / And every chance you get to take, you let slip away / And you can tell them if they ask that I stayed home tonight / And you can tell them if you like, that everything's all right."
Looks Like I'm Tall does have a few faults. The percussion on "The Center of Time" is initially enjoyable, but tedious after being looped for four minutes. Still, it's well worth a listen simply because of Ohlenbusch's lyrical strength and because the album is a complete work meant to be listened to as a whole.
With a simplistic innocence, Ohlenbusch's arrangements and songwriting offer an enjoyable 40 minutes, occasionally reminiscent of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. (Rub Wrongways Records)
Paul Price - Northeast Performer
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Henning Ohlenbusch Looks Like I'm Tall
(Dren)
Probably the quintessential form of one-man band: The eccentric musical
genius who inadvisedly sings his own material as well. Ohlenbusch isn't
a good singer, though his shaky voice does inform many of the lyrical
twists of this album. The music, also performed exclusively by Ohlenbusch,
is outstanding, a stunning distillation of the mellow side of pop over
the last 30 years. The music is good enough, in fact, to make his singing
almost endearing. A most intriguing effort.
Jon Worley - Aiding and
Abetting
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The Long and Winding Review
Henning Ohlenbusch, the singer of School For the Dead, took risks with
this ambitious solo album that proved to be quite rewarding. By pulling
a "McCartney" (i.e. recording and playing all the instruments
himself) and abandoning the archetypal guitar, bass and drums configuration,
Henning produced a personal, adventurous, melodic album with a stunning
assortment of instruments and harmony. Many of the arrangements are centered
on a nylon string guitar, while tasteful electric guitar hooks and an
array of keyboards and synthesizers (ala Jon Brion) contribute to the
sparse sound. Closely recorded vocals, coupled with this open mix, create
the intimate sensation that we're in the same room as the singer.
Now many reviews we read are clouded with musical references to boast the writer's knowledge and perhaps offering a glimpse into their expansive record collection. As a result, the review morphs into a tired list of other artists (often obscure), while learning nothing new by ignoring the album in hand...So, I'd ask to please excuse the following, enormously hypocritical sentence: the drum machine and happy keyboard arrangement of "Machine to Break Your Heart" suggests an influence to vintage They Might Be Giants, the sleigh bells/harmonies combination toward the end of "Held His Gaze" may produce similar shivers as Brian Wilson's haunting "'Til I Die" yields and one may also discover residue of Robyn Hitchcock, Aimee Mann or Harry Nilsson throughout.
This album isn't trendy and certainly doesn't belong in the same bin as the garage, haircut oriented groups or today nor the innocuous alt folk music that just won't seem to die. There are no gimmicks here; rather, we have a selection of intelligent, well-crafted songs with subtle observational, sometimes melancholy and often, witty lyrics. From the fast tempo, electric piano/shaker driven pop opener, to the reflective title track, to the wispy, longing sentiment of "Carnival", "Looks Like I'm Tall", like many great records, offers a variety of musical styles that ultimately form a cohesive whole (it's magic how these things come together, huh?) . In addition, it's an interesting headphone listen and I'm sure many of these songs will appear on mix tapes to come.
The Closet Romantic (Austin, TX) - Amazon.com
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Review
in MazzMuzikaS Free-zine 39 (Belgium)
Henning Ohlenbusch
/ Looks Like I'm Tall / Dren RWOD31
"Probeer maar eens om de naam van deze popjongen vijf maal na mekaar foutloos uit te spreken. Het lukt je nooit. Mij althans niet. Henning is van origine half Duits en half Deens maar leeft al sinds jaren in de Amerikaanse staat Massachusetts. In Northampton, MA, bezit hij een eigen studio, de Rub Wrongways Studios, alwaar deze eerste solo-cd in mekaar gestoken werd. Hij heeft alles zelf gedaan. Zowel de productie, de opnames, alle vocalen – ook de backings en de koortjes –, alle instrumenten bespeeld en daar bovenop ook nog eens alle songs gecomponeerd. Je kunt er alleen maar bewondering voor hebben. Het eindresultaat is een cd vol sprankelende popliedjes, akoestische pop en aanstekelijke melodische songs, avontuurlijk van inslag maar toch niet te experimenteel. Hij steekt zijn bewondering niet onder stoelen of banken voor artiesten zoals Paul Simon, The Beatles, The Kinks, XTC, The Smiths, The Cure, REM etc... Die invloeden vind je uiteraard terug in zijn muziek. Er is echter meer. Ik associeer hem ook met o.a. Harry Nilsson, Elliott Smith, Robyn Hitchcock... Held His Gaze zou ik op single uitbrengen. Deze schitterende akoestische popsong is één van de sterke troeven van deze cd. Andere liedjes die aangenaam in de oren klinken zijn o.a. Carnival, het atmosferische popwalsje The Center Of Time, de Southern getinte popsong 20.000 Dollars, Stereo Glow met zijn aanstekelijk accordeondeuntje – alhoewel ik vermoed dat er geen accordeon aan te pas komt maar de keyboards het hier voor het zeggen hebben – en afsluiter It's Now waar wederom de nylon string gitaar voor de akoestische noot zorgt. Henning Ohlenbusch is een bezig bijtje. Benevens dit soloproject is er ook nog zijn band School for the Dead. Daarvan verscheen eind verleden jaar de cd The New You en die krijgt in de States lovende kritiek, zowel van muziekcritici als andere muzikanten. Tot mijn grote spijt kan ik jullie niet meedelen wat ik er van vind daar ik er nog geen noot van gehoord heb. Eens kijken of we die cd te pakken kunnen krijgen." (BV)
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Henning Ohlenbusch
- "Looks Like I'm Tall" cd (Rub Wrongways)
You may have heard this memorable name from his band, School For The Dead,
who have released a couple albums on this very label. Although that band
is mostly the work of Henning, this album has him doing pretty much everything
from writing to playing to recording - even most of the sleeve's artwork
is his. In terms of the songwriting style, the music on this album is
not too different from that of his other band; except that the songs themselves
are quite a bit more low-key here. There are a couple upbeat tunes, like
"But We Did" and "A Machine To Break Your Heart",
but the majority of them are quieter and acoustic-based, calling to mind
Joe Pernice at times, and even Paul Simon and Crosby, Stills, Nash And
Young in some places (the latter is especially noticeable in the harmonies
in "20,000 Dollars"). A very pleasant and gentle record. MTQ=8/11
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Henning Ohlenbusch - Looks Like I'm Tall (Wrongways/Dren)
Henning Ohlenbusch (an unusual name, I agree) is yet another in a long line of twenty-something acoustic solo artists writing about life, love, and heartache in 21st century. There’s a whole batch of them at the mo’, crawling out of their bedrooms with tales of a broken heart, introspective insight, and a fuckin’ Gen Y CD collection consisting of Weezer, Radiohead, Matthew Sweet and Jeff Buckley.
Written. Performed, recorded and produced by Mr Ohlenbusch himself, Looks Like I’m Tall is a shoegazer of an album that politely and poetically informs the listener of Ohlenbusch’s observations and reactions to life’s various experiences, from ‘The Center of Time’ which talks about two lovers sharing a kiss to ‘It’s Now’ which could be talking about laziness, depression, or both.
‘Nightly Progression’ carries a subtle country undertone, while ‘Short’ is a brief instrumental interlude that passes by in a jiffy.
Quaint in its delivery, Ohlenbusch falls into the same mediocrity trap many of his peers have. For while there’s really nothing to be harshly critical of (the production fits the quietness of the album and the vocals are offered up like a diary), there’s nothing to really write home about either.
You know when you first heard Damien Rice’s O you knew there was something special that needed revisiting… Ohlenbusch lacks that something special.
By Warren - Screaming Bloody Mess