vintage

In the dying days of November, I was approached by a Toronto band by the name of Svelt St. informing me of a new record titled Hello, Dear dropping in late December 2008. They describe themselves as “jumping genres,” incorporating elements of “trip-hop, hip-hop, house, breakbeats, rock and electro to name a few, [and] pulling an equally eclectic fan base”.

The band is made up of two members, vocalist and MC, and Hello, Dear is their second record; their first, according to their MySpace, was distributed online-only and sold out quickly.

For courtesy’s sake, I will keep this review short: Svelt St. does not captivate me. While I can see some songs transitioning well to the dance floor, when a beat matters more than artistry or decent lyrics, none of the work on Hello, Dear keeps me interested. The single “Po’ Boy” starts off promisingly, a subdued School of Language-style vocal intro, but then the cheesy synth and beats kick in and that’s the end of that.

Most of the lyrics on the record are unremarkable, as are the beats; I don’t hear anything here that sounds new or different from the usual “club beat” stuff. The lead-off track, “Lights On,” sounds like your usual dance tune (synthesizers, drum machine) with vocals mixed low and such creative lyrics as “Turn off the lights, daddy’s home”.

While Hello, Dear might be all right for ambient noise or the club, there’s nothing about this record that suggests to me it might have staying power; it’s not remarkable for any reason, and doesn’t live up to the hype suggested by the Svelt St myspace page. I am not incensed by its terribleness as I might be with some bands — it’s certainly not at that level! — but I’m not thrilled with anything on the record either. Svelt St. have succeeded in crafting that most elusive of things: an album that leaves a music critic completely devoid of any emotion toward it. Could be worse, I guess.

Svelt St. on MySpace
Listen to Po’ Boy