Julie the Band - An Act of Communication
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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Here's a name you need to remember: Nathan Blumenfeld-James. Okay, now you know why Blumenfeld-James prefers to work under the moniker Julie the Band. And while Julie the Band is in fact a band the show belongs to Blumenfeld-James. And what a show it is!
Blumenfeld-James has a vocal style that encompasses the snarkiness of Ray Davies, the flamboyance of Freddy Mercury and the confident neo-swagger of Brandon Flowers. On "Do Si Do" his voice soars to a glamorous near-falsetto when he's not growling like Michael Hutchence (INXS) or hiccupping like Little Richard. The song arrangements coyly help to enhance Blumenfeld-James' drama too, but not in the way you'd expect. "LA Kids" is up-tempo but just when you're ready for the band to emphasize a point with a scathing guitar solo they drop out completely to allow a lone cello to underscore the moment. And that's the modus operandi here; Julie the Band love to take you to the precipice with finesse and you'd better enjoy that ride because they're not going to kick you over the edge. An Act of Communication is a masterful tease and as its orchestrator Blumenfeld-James is destined to bathe in the spotlight he clearly loves for quite some time.
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Julie the Band - An Act of Communication
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