Robert Bock - The Red Room

​Robert Bock 

The Red Room
self-released; 2017

​3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Hailing from Queens, NY Robert Bock is a musician who just started playing a couple of years ago. His recent effort The Red Room EP contains six songs that revolve around mostly acoustic guitar and vocals.

The songs are simple and basic consisting of strummed major and minor chords. Suffice it to say his music isn't the most technically impressive I’ve heard in recent memory but the songs are well delivered and I enjoyed his vocals.

He opens with “Down” which sounds like classic emo to my ears. The song has an acoustic pop punk vibe to it. Subtle percussion supports the guitar. The song is catchy and well-written but also very familiar sounding playing into a classic formula. 

Up next is “Anna Love” which is a highlight. Bock has some of his best vocals during the chorus of this song. The song is melancholy and heartfelt. He has some more success on the more upbeat and jovial “Turn This All Around.” The hand claps were a nice ornament. 

“I'll Still Love You In The Morning” a classic melancholy lament while the “The Sailor Song” is a decent sing-along. He closes with “Sunshine” which showcases some new instrumentation and is arguably the best song on the album.

Bock has some talent but also has a lot of the classic signs of a musician who is in the early stage of his development. I’d like to hear him develop his guitar skills a little more and get into picking rather than just strumming if he is going to continue songs in this vein.

​Additionally he should try and implement more unique chords structures rather than sticking with major and minor scales. I’m not trying to say his songs aren’t well written but in today's climate you will most likely need a little more than that to stick out from the crowd. Lastly, I’d encourage him to think a little more outside the box when it comes to songwriting. The songs were catchy and enjoyable but just felt like they were a tad predictable.

Overall, The Red Room is a solid EP. I was impressed and hope to hear him develop more in the not too distant future.

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