Griff M. - Life in a Soul Case

Griff M.

​Life in a Soul Case
self-released; 2016

​3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

The songs I wrote when I was sixteen sucked. I’m thirty-five now and I don’t have any problem admitting that. Griff M. who is sixteen is writing far better songs then I was in 1997. His release Life in a Soul Case is an eclectic mix of rock, pop, alternative, electronic and more. He might be a little too eclectic for his own good at this point but is able to seamlessly meld a number of disparate sounds. 

Take for instance the opener “Confession of a Killer” which starts with guitar picking patterns that remind of something you might hear off of Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell. His vocal delivery on this feels hyperbolic at times. He really digs into the emotion. I enjoyed it more the more I heard it. As the song progresses he introduces a number of disparate elements which work surprisingly well. White noise, clicks and clangs and more.

Up next is “Rock” which opens with a bass line that is a note away from sounding too similar to “The National Anthem” by Radiohead. Luckily, the drumbeat completely throws me off and ends up sounding closer to “Radar Love.” “God Save the Queen” is an acoustic song in the spirit of a band like The Smiths while “Always” is an experimental, electronic song. The jump between these two songs is a little too much. 

“Dark Disks” is the centerpiece of the album and showcases some solid songwriting. One of the highlights is “Jesus Is My Friend” which contains some of the best vocal delivery. He seemed natural here and I enjoyed what I heard. 

​Life in a Soul Case is an eclectic mix of songs and not all of it works but most of it does. He still needs to do a little work in defining his sound as opposed to jumping from style to style but has an ample amount of time to do that. Life in a Soul Case is a good start and I hope to hear more soon.

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