Friendly Radio is the debut EP from New York song-writer Jason Atkinson. The tone of the six tracks varies, but the overall mood remains melancholy throughout the album's duration. Atkinson gained a degree in classical guitar, and his mature compositions confirm that he has been schooled well. Although Friendly Radio has several downfalls, it contains more promise than most solo debuts you are bound to come across.

"Too Close" starts off the disc, and it is the main highlight of the set. The guitar stylings on this song remind me of Iron & Wine, and the song itself is so wonderfully crafted. Atkinson's voice is convincing. It is kind of like if Phil Elvrum had a deeper voice and wasn't obsessed with nature. "Earned" slips in an electronic drum beat, and has a smooth lounge feel to it. 

"Not Paris (Rangoon)" is bitter and haunting, but the Paris Hilton samples throw the track off, and are quite disturbing. "One Way I Have" and "Hi, My Love" are fragile and effective. The dark pop of "Fun Ship" closes off the album in a deranged manner. It sounds nothing like the other songs, but shows that Atkinson has a wide palate. This song would sound great in a film about passengers on a cruise ship being attacked by some sort of creature. Friendly Radio comes recommended to those who have been jilted by the opposite sex, or to anyone with a thing for Nick Drake.
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But really is any radio show nowadays friendly? If it’s not 
playing obnoxious pop or R&B, you have bad and very venomous talk radio. 
So maybe that was the inspiration behind the music, which would find a 
welcome home on practically anyone’s radio dial. Jason’s voice could be 
liked to admitted inspiration Nick Drake. What’s surprising is the hip 
drums on “Earned” that could have easily found a home on any Japanese 
chill-out compilation. It’s those types of surprises that’ll keep you 
coming back, whether they reside in the lyrical, vocal, or production 
department.
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Off the wall sense of humor delivered in a lo-fi indie package. Atkinson has a way of taking a pretty piece of music and his almost spoken vocal delivery and hypnotizing the listener. It takes a couple of listens for his humor to sink in but it eventually does just that. Maybe radio will be friendly to Jason or maybe the title is just wishful thinking on his part. Either way, I’m with you brother.
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Think of it as an aspiring musician's daydream. He moves from hometown to college town. He receives a degree in classical guitar. He moves to New York City. He records his debut album in a sparse, overpriced apartment. He releases the album and hopes for critical acclaim. It's the stuff that dreams are made of, right? Friendly Radio is Jason Atkinson's version of this dream, and it's clear from its successes that he's done his homework. His songs are clearly the result of hundreds of hours spent listening to classic songwriters; they reveal influences as varied as Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and Frank Zappa.
Atkinson's work runs the songwriterly gamut from unadorned acoustic efforts to layered electronic experimentation. "Too Close" reveals his true proficiency -- smart, witty lyrics ("I guess I'm so rehearsed / and there's plenty more fun where that came from") -- but it also points out his biggest liability: his frequently shaky vocal. Some of the music on Friendly Radio goes overboard on garage band minimalism (and incidentally, does anyone really need to hear a Paris Hilton sample?), but Atkinson's simple, effective approach to songwriting succeeds far more often than it fails.
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