antiMusic.com: Stoney - More than Animals

Stoney - More than Animals

.
If you think Arcade Fire is completely original, just take a listen to "Defiantly Loved" by Stoney, which is a dead ringer for early Arcade Fire music. That's not Arcade Fire's fault, of course. Although Stoney, a Brit, can be a little on the derivative side, his full-length More Than Animals is nevertheless a strong album.

Stoney sings "Defiantly Loved" in the same passionate voice as Arcade Fire's Win Butler does, where he seems just on the brink of tears. He's backed by a layered backing vocal track and a jubilant instrumental surrounding. This track is followed by "We Belonged," which with its gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment, couldn't be any more different. Stoney switches from being a torchbearer with an anthem to sing, to a gentle folk singer sounding like the third member of Simon & Garfunkel. It's easy to imagine rapper Kanye West rapping "Devil on My Back," as it has that man-against-the-world vibe going through it. He takes a few tricks from Arcade Fire, but there is so much more to what he can do.

Although the music alone paints Stoney as something special, it's also worth noting that master producer Rick Rubin once flew the artist to Los Angeles for a private show and that he toured with next-big-thing band Arctic Monkeys. You can wait until MTV or Pitchfork crown Stoney the great rock hope, or you can dig his music before the hype kicks in. You'll be doing yourself a favor by discovering this talented man before the masses do. And yes, you can thank me now.

Stoney - More than Animals
Rating: