Sketchbook Reviews
Reviews
The Amplifier.com
August 2003
He’s been a conductor, sacred music composer, studio musician,
and studio engineer who’s worked with the Throbs and Sebastian Bach. But
here on his third secular release, songwriter/vocalist/keyboardist Keyes
has come up with a challenging yet ear catching collection of rock music.
Keyes’ dramatic voice is never over the top, adding to the swirl of rock
and electronica. The eclectic percussion and segues from song to song
also help make this CD one satisfyingly listenable block of music that
crashes and washes across your ears. Keyes’ lyrical sense proves worth
delving into. He can describe love gone south in artful terms (“[If I
Could] Paint the Rain”) or harsh ones (“Gain the World” includes “I’ve
swallowed broken glass/To gain my freedom from your grasp/I gained the
world when I lost you”). “Higher Ground” is a self-challenge to follow
a higher path than worldly expediency. “All I Can Give” is another highlight,
telling a partner that he can offer no silver bullet but only the important
support of everyday love. If you like music with open lyricism, ranging
from raucous to soothing, with rock guitar, synth, and organ coloring,
then go to www.timkeyes.com and give Mr. Keyes his due.
MusicDish.com
November 3, 2003
...perform Sketchbook as a very eclectic rock album that harkens back
to the days of thematic albums. It wouldn't take much imagination to put
a storyline to it to proclaim this dreamy, rock/pop/techno music a rock
opera of sorts. It has the necessary long pauses of instrumental music
for scene changes, allowing the mind to put up new pictures. In 'Long
Nights' Keyes develops a Bowie-type surround sound (think the Black Tie,
White Noise era) to drape the night with caffeine and walking.
long nights are killing me
all I need I take from my friends
I talk to them after midnight
4 cups of coffee and newspaper headlines
say it again, will it keep me alive
From his informative website we learn that Keyes was a: Graduate in Music
Composition and Music Theory from The University of Notre Dame. During
college, his talent as a composer emerged big time. In fact, the success
of the third movement of his String Quartet No.1 and the second movement
of his Six Pieces for Piano landed him a scholarship to the Aspen Music
Festival, where he studied composition, conducting, and performance with
Charles Jones, Leonard Bernstein, and Andre Watts.
That dedication to a start in classical music thinking is why his pop/rock
sound is so undiluted with the current tides of indie that constantly
wash up on shore. The 10 tracks on Sketchbook are as original as if he's
never bothered with a Beatles or Nirvana album, and that alone is compliment
enough at this point in history.
By Ben Ohmart
JAMBANDS.com
October 29, 2003
Tim Keyes' Sketchbook
is a dense, angsty album filled with introspective, um, introspection.
Keyes songs brim with darkness, splayed and diagrammed via a layered ProTools-style
production. Musically, the disc is adventurous -- frequently successfully,
at that. Drums and synths and horns (maybe?) and drones and whatever else
all fit together in an exploratory production that has a genuine movement
to it. The downside is often Keyes himself, who sings with a clenched
teeth melodrama that sounds like an unintentional fusion of the late Warren
Zevon and Tenacious D's Jack Black. Both are fine role models, but some
of the vocals on Sketchbook border on unfortunate self-parody. If one
can get by this, Sketchbook is an engaging, even arrest, listen. Oblique
Strategies sez: "Tape your mouth."
By Jesse Jarnow
IMPACT PRESS
August-Septmber
Issue
I like to refer to this type of music as "Mid-Life Crisis Rock." Despite
an intriguing and somewhat artsy intro track, it turns into mainstream,
mediocre rock from there. Keyes' vocals are given way too much attention
and are a bit dramatic for my tastes. The music, while not awful, is far
from groundbreaking - using some ethereal sounds coupled with decent guitar
lines (sometimes jangly, sometimes feedback-heavy) and mid-tempo rhythms.
There is some creative use of various sounds and electronic elements,
but it doesn't save the musicfrom being unimpressive.
By Craig Mazer
Indie-Music.com
September
3, 2003
Quote: "The sheer emotional power of it would likely send
maximum security prison escapees scampering back to their cells".
So whatever happened to superheroes anyway? Did they just fade into the
underground with comic books? Well, I would like to propose a new superhero.
A superhero that clarifies and confounds simultaneously. A super hero
that uplifts while bringing forth racking sobs from your chest. And this
superhero is... Tim Keyes. Yeah, not such a great superhero name, I know.
But wait until you see his superpowers. I’ll start by telling you about
his amazingly eerie Pink Floyd style intro to his new album Sketchbook.
No one else has even attempted, let alone been this successful at capturing
such a unique and shiver-evoking sound. The sheer emotional power of it
would likely send maximum security prison escapees scampering back to
their cells. Now let me impress you by describing Keyes’ impressive musical
versatility. With ease he maneuvers back and forth between solid keyboard
based jams and despondent guitar, heavy on the tears. Like a multi-tasking
Superman he pairs an upbeat feel-good sound like that of the Allman Brothers
with melancholy scenes of the everyday. To view this particular superpower
more closely, take a good listen to Track 6. Like any superhero, Keyes
has backup super-friends. Sketchbook features an array of musicians with
superpowers of their own. The album’s behind the scenes crew shoots out
funky backup vocals and bass lines similar to that of electronic music
on some tracks. In fact, you might even hear a French horn combating evil
on other tracks. Even though he is, after all, a superhero, Keyes remains
in tough with his human side. He has an uncanny knack for capturing life
in small surprising phrases we all recognize yet have never thought of
as important. “4 cups of coffee and newspaper headlines” or “I get by
with a mind like plastic that teaches my robot hands to pour a drink”
are some of his best. And Keyes, although a superhero, is still vulnerable
as evidenced in his lyrics such as: “You are a wound that will not heal
/ you are a car that will not yield / you are justification for human
sacrifice.” Honestly, if you were crazy enough not to buy into Tim Keyes’
obvious superhero capabilities, the album art alone merits the price of
a CD, at least. Like Keyes’ music, Meg Poltorak’s photography and design
uses subtle
color to illuminate occurrences we’ve all seen, but never like this.
By Genevieve Will
Prognaut.com
July 14, 2003
Tim Keyes is the modern-day singer/songwriter with
lots of imagination, in both lyrics & instrumentation, which combined
with his gritty vocals gives the music on Sketchbook, a powerful collection
for the modern age. His music lingers somewhere between mainstream and
art-rock worlds while never really staying in either genre. Without pigeon-holing,
there is a strong metallic alternative influence in his music. The songs
on Sketchbook tends to stay mostly on the softer side of the fence without
being boring or derivative. Musically speaking, you hear some hints of
Rush and Saga. This will cater to those that like song based music especially
fans of Man on Fire, Spock's Beard, Izz & Echolyn. An excellent release
worth looking into! One of those unpolished gems of 2003.
~Ron for ProgNaut.com [July 15th, 2003]
Turk's Head Review
June 17, 2003
This album contains some pretty intense songwriting. It features some
progressive, edgy production -- sort of like Rush meets John Waite meets
contemporary Alternative Christian rock, but it's more soul searching
and DIY than that. Keyes has plenty of musical and audio street cred (yes,
I read the bio), and if you're in the mood to go on a wild ride, you might
want to check this one out. "Big Intro" has a good progressive edge to
it. "Higher Ground" manages to be angry and uplifting at the same time.
There are a few well played ballads on the disc to provide balance. There's
no question that Keyes has a command of studio technique -- perhaps the
Achilles heel here is the lead vocals. They don't always rise to the occassion,
given the heft of the tunes. Still, it's an interesting and intense excursion.
James Esch,
editor Turk's Head Review
Excerpt from The Daily Vault
June 25, 2003
Reading this random, irrelevant quote from my favorite absent mind on
the planet, Jack Handey, I immediately was reminded of Tim Keyes' new
CD, Sketchbook. The quote is like the CD in that, it made me laugh in
puzzlement, wondering, "Who in the world would think of something like
this?" To answer that question…I responded quite emphatically, "A genius,
that's who! God bless this man!!"
The thing that makes this CD is the sound of old Timmy's voice. It actually
sounds a lot like Bruce Sringsteen's...I couldn't clear it from my mind
before bed, and I had to listen to the Dixie Chicks before I fell asleep
so I could be ensured safe, happy, Tim Keyes-free dreams.
Emily Kinsella
SMOTHER.net
July 7, 2003
Starting things off with a frenetic borderline schizophrenic introduction
you`d be led to believe this was some art rock experiment or something.
But it`s no experiment; instead Tim Keyes opts for keyboard driven rock-n-roll
with an affinity for inspirational sonic journeys. His career has seen
him engineer and produce a variety of artists including Sebastian Bach
of Skid Row and John Mover of GTR. But it`s perhaps his tape-analyzing
skills that find him analyzing taped witness statements that is perhaps
the farthest stretch for him. The music is good and led by Tim Keyes keyboard
playing. Vocally it is a strain and the lyrics don`t bode well either.
But throw those distractions out and you have yourself a fun and rockin`
ride with a hint of blues and inspirational gospel.
J-Sin, editor SMOTHER.net
Risky
Records /
Raging Fyre Music Publishing
July 11, 2003
I've
had a few listens now and I'm impressed. There are some great rhythms
and melodic ideas that work well with the lyrical theme. The material
is still working in the realm where the music is easily appreciated by
the masses even though the theme is sad and flush with disappointment.
Everything really cuts through the mix and the lead voice is placed well--I
like the guitars. Great job!!
Matt Kjeldsen, President Risky Records / Raging Fyre Music Publishing