EEF BARZELAY



By Jim Manion , PD/MD, WFHB Bloomington

The Album
Bitter Honey

The Label
Spin Art

Liner Notes
Somewhere at the crossroads of indie-pop, alt-country and twisted folk, Clem Snide has set up a special place of it's own. Over the span of five releases since 1998, the band has charmed and challenged aficionados of songs-beyond-the-norm. Essential to Clem Snide's singular sound is the songwriting of bandleader and singer Eef Barzelay, who has just released his first solo project, Bitter Honey.
   In a field of singer-songwriters dominated by lyrical expressions of platitude and cliché, Eef Barzelay stands out as one of today's unique songsmiths. Drawing the listener's attention in with detail and surprise, Barzelay's songs are crisp and deceptively simple in their complexity. The song cycle heard on Bitter Honey presents a thorny set of psychological conundrums, tender moments and ironic observations – all served up with the clever wordplay and rhyme schemes that have become his trademark.
Stripped down to the minimal arrangement of vocal and guitar, Barzelay's words hang starkly, a contrast to the clutter found in some Clem Snide songs. Musically, the songs of Bitter Honey are basic pop structures with a few carrying a slight country feel. Recorded in Nashville and New York, Bitter Honey sounds great considering it contains nothing more than guitar and voice. A close listen on headphones reveals the subtlety of the mix, each song's sonic architecture a bit different. Barzelay's guitar is little more than functional, at the same time a perfect fit for each song's setting. His voice, all upper range and nearly cracking, carries a fragile, heartbreaking vulnerability that also holds a lot of endearing wisdom.
   Lyrically, most of Bitter Honey's tracks hit the sweet spot Barzelay has become known for in Clem Snide, the ability to drop the listener in the center of a song for a walk in the central character's shoes. Sometimes this can take you to unexpected places, like near the end of "Thanksgiving Waves" when you realize the character you are inside of may be President George Bush. Other headspaces visited on Bitter Honey include that of a dancer in a Ludacris video ("Ballad of Bitter Honey") and a guy who pretends to be drunk just to keep up with his date ("I Wasn't Really Drunk"). Barzelay makes you work for your immersion in the songs, though. Much of his wordplay sounds cryptic at first, with meaning implied through metaphor and twisted rhyme.
   Unfortunately, two of the best songs ("Ballad of Bitter Honey" and "N.M.A.") contain FCC-objectionable language. Of the rest, they range from vulnerable love songs ("Little Red Dot") to twisted self-centered observations on death ("Words That Escape Me") to a winsome take on "Joy to the World," the album's only cover song.
Bitter Honey is an album that on a first unfocused listen may sound minimal and hard to crack. Give it a few listens, pay close attention, and it's storytelling pleasures decompress and expand.

Site
www.clemsnide.com
www.spinartrecords.com

On
XM/Loft
KEXP Seattle
WYCE Grand Rapids
WHRV Norfolk
WEVL Memphis
KRCL Salt Lake City
WNCW Spindale-Asheville/Charlotte/Greenville/Spartanburg
KHUM Eureka-Humboldt County CA
KRCC Colorado Springs
WFHB Bloomington
KVNF Paonia CO
WERU Bangor
WSYC Shippensburg PA

Tours/Appearances
March 17 Austin, Habana Calle (w/spinART SXSW Showcase)
April 6 Seattle, Crocodile Cafe
April 7 Portland, OR, Doug Fir
April 10 San Francisco, Cafe Du Nord
April 11 Los Angeles, Hotel Cafe
April 12 San Diego, Casbah
April 14 Memphis, Hi Tone
April 15 Nashville, The Basement
April 19 Madison, Cafe Montmarte
April 20 Minneapolis, 400 Bar
April 21 Chicago, Schubas 
April 22 Dekalb, IL House Cafe
May 4 Arlington, VA, Iota
May 6 New York City, Mercury Lounge
May 7 Cambridge, MA, Middle East
May 10 Cleveland, Beachland Ballroom
May 11 North Adams,MA Cup and Saucer (Benefit for Autism Research)

Press
"On Bitter Honey Barzelay manages both to satisfy the liberal arts majors and produce some songs of substance that make us proud to claim him as one of our own."
— The Tennessean

Retail
Bitter Honey is now available and in stores.

Contact
Jeff Price , SpinART Records
718.852.3294