Album Review: Shwa Losben's Chop Chop
Shwa Losben may be a D.C. native (or, at least former resident) but his inspirational home lies somewhere on the opposite side of the pond. After hearing the echoes of The Beatles, Blur and Radiohead it comes as no surprise to find out that Losben wrote most of the material for Chop Chop while living in London. Although Shwa is covering no new territory lyrically (ladies, love, and life), his international influences keeps him from sounding like every other singer-songwriter out there today.
Chop Chop starts out with a stunner. Slow burner "Myriah" vividly portrays an unspoken and perhaps unrequited love between two roommates, made all the more poignant by Losben's voice which sounds like a younger and poppier derivative of Neil Young's. The title track also portrays his lyrical prowess as he busts out an upbeat but pessimistic "Whistle While You Work." Final track, "Out of the Ashes," finds him moving into an OK Computer state of mind. Though it gets one to wondering whether that song was created out of the ashes of the air crash mentioned in "Lucky," the downtrodden beauty makes the theft forgivable.
However, for highs like "Myriah" and "Chop Chop" there are lows like "Abigail." Unlike "Myriah" which wins the listener over with poignant specifics, "Abigail" runs through every cliche in the book and the bubbly guitar renders the song far too saccharine. The middle of the album hits a lull, becoming somewhat tedious and repetitive, making us wonder if Losben has run out of chord progressions before finally ended by another upbeat yet pessimistic take on his specific line of work "Never Too Soon to Compromise" and ending strong with "Out of the Ashes."
Chop Chop probably will not be your next favorite album. The variety isn't quite there. Although he'd like to take the road less traveled, it's not clear that he does. Still, when Losben shines, it feels like the search is over for the next worthwhile troubadour. He could be Ryan Adams without the whiskey or Conor Oberst without the whine. At the end of the day, Losben is an inspired singer-songwriter who holds the promise of carrying more tricks and insight up his sleeve.
Shwa releases Chop Chop Saturday night at Iota. 9:30 p.m., $10.