AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Rob Skane - SelfNoise. This New York based musician uses equal parts Robbie Robertson and Lou Reed to create his descriptive and personal vignettes. Using a sparse amount of instruments, Skane relies on the lyrics to carry most tracks. "Into Your Soul" is a good example of this, despite falling off slightly near the end. When the beat picks up on the "$15.00 Room," the corny idea of a converstaion with Jesus about guitar heroes isn't so far-fetched. Each song builds on the momemtum of the previous track, giving the album a strong cohesion. "It's A Great Day" is a fine effort, with a simple rock arrangement resulting in a far bigger payoff. Skane tends to shine on the slower material though, resembling Paul Westerberg on the tender acoustic driven "Jennifer and James." "Hard to Understand" is the album's best track, with Skane sound quite like Jakob Dylan. Only on "Troubadour Extraordinaire" does Skane get a bit too wordy, resulting in a rather bland perfomance. "Mercer Street Breakdown" doen't get bogged down in confessional dialogue or samples. In fact, it adds a certain intangible, which works well with the singer/songwriter's melody. The closing ramble and loop on "KISS in 3D" is one of the more inane efforts you'll hear but the overall effort is superior. AMG RATING: ****

Albany based Rob Skane brings no weak stuff on his sophomore release. Originally from the brewery town of Utica, Rob sings with a soft spoken delivery that serves to make you listen all the harder. Sardonic lyrics blended with minimalist but well place sonics make SelfNoise a potent output inded. Whether drinking with the lord in "$15.00 Room" of referencing KISS on both "Jennfier and James" and the sound sculpture of "KISS in 3D" the imagery is darkly entertaining. "It's a Great Day" finds Rob at his best with an upbeat pop veneer applied to wry lyrics that run across grain. All in all, SelfNoise is a collection of bright and bubbly pessimistic lullabies for the blank generation.

"It's a great day," sings Albany songwriter Rob Skane midway through his latest album. "For a breakdown," he adds in the next line, revealing that the deceptively upbeat and catchy song, "It's a Great Day", has more to do with the narrator's antidepressant-fueled high than it does with anything positive about the world. Such is the sense of irony that propels Skane's stellar new album, SelfNoise.

Though the album is generally serious, dark and deeply personal, some of SelfNoise's bleaker moments are leavened by Skane's sly humor. The seriocomic "$15.00 Room" finds an inhabitant of a cheap motel room visited by Jesus; the heavenly apparition shares a smoke and a drink while discussing Jimi Hendrix's musical performances beyond the Pearly Gates. "Jennifer and James" presents a poignant, melancholic portrait of a pair of lovers, until the song is lightened considerably by the songwriter's name check of Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley.

SelfNoise has an intimate and often sparse feel that has as much to do with the album's production as it does with its subject matter. Skane recorded and mixed SelfNoise himself and played most of the instruments. His hushed vocals amplify the up-close-and-personal vibe, creating the sensation that the singer is sharing confidences with his listeners. Among Skane's straightforward and serious songs, "This Ain't Cool" and the tender "Mercer Street Breakdown" stand out, as does the bitter pill "Hard to Understand," which shares a psychic resemblance to Grant Hart's Husker Du work.

Rob Skane - SelfNoise. Singer/songwriter Rob Skane composes songs that draw you in, with lyrics that are heartfelt and at times heartbreaking and haunting. His mostly accoustic music shows an intense interest in people and the reasons they do what they do. The Albany, N.Y.-based Skane writes great, catchy songs with smart, strong lyrics. A natural born storyteller, his songs tell about lovers getting away, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray jamming together, watching the evening news and trying to understand what it means.

SelfNoise, his excellent second album, was recorded at his home with the bulk of it done in the middle of the night as his wife slept. In "$15 Room," he describes a conversation with Jesus in a hotel room over some smokes and a bottle. It's a subject that in a lesser talents hands would come off as corny, but one that Skane makes believable and humorous: "Spilt my last bottle with the Lord but he started acting bored."

"It's a Great Day" is reminiscent of George Harrison: "It's a great day for a breakdown ... Feeling sharp and looking razor thin." The song tells the story of a man trying to keep it all together through the help of prescription drugs, who ultimately says it's ok to be who you are. It's no surprise that at home, Skane is a local star. He's been called the Ace Frehley of Albany. He also doubles as the lead guitarist and musical director for that city's over-the-top shock rockers, The Lawn Sausages.

Skane calls his music 'garagefolkrocknroll,' but above all, he's a storyteller of great talent. He's an American auteur who suffers only from the fact that he doesn't have a label backing him. He deserves to be known outside of his hometown. He deserves a larger audience.

Rob Skane - SelfNoise. Rob Skane's music is lo-fi and lowdown. He sings his songs in a raggedly convincing voice. Self Noise was recorded by Skane in his home and its intimate, unadorned sound suits it well. The quietly intense "Into Your Soul" talks of seeing through someone's lies. "$15.00 Room" describes an encounter with Jesus in a hotel room. It's a comic, yet serious minded song. It's not the only moment here that brings Paul Westerberg to mind.

The melancholy "Jennifer and James" details two lovers down on their luck. It's moving but has humorous touches too. "This Ain't Cool" is sad, but musically upbeat. Skane's guitar playing is energetic here. Self Noise is a fine album by this 'trobadour extraordinarie'.

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