Review Summary: A rare exception - singer/songwriter that is not afraid to rock out.
Most of the time the concept of a singer/songwriters involves somebody who goes for the mellower, and the sadder side of things, mostly involving acoustic instrumentation and late night/early morning moods. Which is all fine and often produces music that you come back to once so often.
On the other hand, in these current times, when you consider what you would label more lively singer/songwriters that come with some more perky, “radio-friendly” music, you would end up with something still a bit winey, or a bit faceless (Ed Sheeran, anyone?). The more rock-oriented stuff, that has a melody and rhythm but is still a creation of a sole individual is often a rarity.
"In a world full of uncertainties, trials, and struggle, I believe positive music helps people to hang on one more day.” So says Thomas Monroe, a singer/songwriter who goes under the name of My Autumn Amor about the five songs on his debut EP Letters to Brie.
Monroe seems to be a jack of quite a few artistic trades, as he is a prospective novelist, poet and an actor in his local Mission Viejo, California theatre. Musically though, he knows what he’s doing. Picking on the cues from the melodic strand of pop/rock, as in Oasis and The Killers, as well as the more punky side Elliot Smith, exhibited when he started out with Heatmiser, Monroe, leaves his acoustic guitar in the background (except on the “Sweetest”) and goes for a full band treatment of his songs.
What he has come up with is an extremely listenable, jangle version of power pop, with “Caught Me With Your Bright Side” and “In A Scene” standing out with some ear-pleasing riffs and melodies, and all the other three tracks staying very close behind.
Sure, you can easily pick where Monroe is coming from, but then you catch yourself putting this one on repeat a few times, and you realise this certainly brings some sunny times if there aren’t any at the moment.
