‘Pit-yacker Suite’ doesn’t really fall under the Punktastic umbrella as such but here we go anyway. Short Term Effect (a.k.a. Michael Bridgewater) is a Durham based singer/songwriter playing hushed, acoustic indie-rock dashed with the odd trace of pop. This record has a real stripped down approach, simple strings and vocals.
Where this album works best tends to be the moments that have an early Paul Simon feel to them (“Benzene”, “Binoculars”). It’s not quite as smile-on-you-face quirky as Simon, nor is it as accomplished at the New Yorker was at such an early age, but there’s a definite resonance there and that’ll always win you points. “Carry It Two” throws in an additional female vocal to the mix which marks it out as something a little different to the tracks before
That’s one of the big issues with ‘Pit-yacker Suite’; there isn’t real enough variety here. It lacks the punch-in-the-gut feel of the current breed of acoustic-punk troubadours, so it’s hard to imagine any one song truly standing out from the background. As such, unless you’re purposefully listening to the record you’re not going to get much out of it, and investing the 45 minutes it takes to spin this might be a little too much. Throw in a killer hook or some additional instruments and things might start to pick up. Still, as far as musicianship goes, this is a pleasant record, well crafted for what it is: simple guitar sting plucked heartstrings.
Alex