This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, October 2004
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
Gentleman Reg (Reginald Vermue) is also known as a member of The Hidden Cameras and occasional guest with Broken Social Scene. Darby & Joan is his third album, and it’s amazing. Sounding like a cross between Rufus Wainwright and Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch, Reg’s voice is odd but pleasant.
The opening track, “Bundle,” gets the listener into the album right away. Reg’s voice immediately stands out in front of a well-crafted 1960s pop sound, sounding like Rubber Soul-era Beatles or Gene Clark’s Byrds. With an ability to craft his songs like a pro, “Bundle” is the perfect example of Reg’s musical accomplishments.
Other highlights include “The Boyfriend Song,” which proves to be the catchiest track on the album. Simple in comparison to the other songs, with its muted guitar, Reg sings this beautiful love song reminiscent of early Belle & Sebastian, pleading for his boyfriend to return. “Get It Together” is another catchy tune of Reg’s, keeping the album bouncy and full of life. The chorus is another masterpiece of pop music, note-to-note, chord-to-chord, always with heart and always shining.
The first single from the album, “It’s Not Safe,” features Jay Ferguson of Sloan on guitar. An odd choice for a single, “It’s Not Safe” is not the best track on the album and is not as catchy as some of the others. The lyrics describe a trip to California, peering out the tiny windows of an airplane and telling of the landscape outside. Unfortunately, the verse is very slow to build. It eventually builds to the chorus, which is catchy, but takes too long to please a radio-oriented audience.
As a member of The Hidden Cameras, Gentleman Reg has been in the background. Here he stands on his own as an amazing songwriting, shining with the brilliance of some of the best pop the world has seen since Belle & Sebastian’s The Boy With The Arab Strap.
Perhaps one of the best albums of the year so far, Darby & Joan might have been a smash hit if it weren’t for slow moments like “Navy Brown,” a slow ballad that pales in comparison to the rest of the album. Reg is not a balladeer and this song perhaps keeps the album from the nearly impossible five stars.