Butcher the Bar
is the one-man band of
Joel Nicholson
, whose debut album can readily be summed up as a collection of songs greater than the sum of its parts. That may damn with faint praise, but
Sleep at Your Own Speed
, in its gentle blend of softly echoed vocals, guitar and other instruments, a bedroom recording par excellence, reminds one of nothing so much as the many albums released by
Jim Rao
aka
Orange Cake Mix
, each of which had its own calling card songs but which all tended to blend together as a blissfully sweet listen. That
Nicholson
has done the same here is no problem insofar as he's nailed his approach very well -- two songs that appeared on an earlier single,
"Get Away"
and
"Leave This Town,"
essentially set the dynamic for the album as a whole with little variation.
's understated singing, hint-of-shoegaze playing, and general sonic envelopment are familiar approaches from any number of performers, and
should best be characterized as an enjoyable starting point rather than as a release that fully stands out. Given time, he may well start releasing some truly striking performances, but for now he shows promise, and that is enough. ~ Ned Raggett