Jeff Merchant's new album provides a dizzying mix of melody, textures
and conceptual design; such a broad mix, in fact, that even a generous
sixteen songs can't seem to contain it all.

While he's enlisted some impressive collaborators - members of Brian
Wilson's amazingly adept back-up band, the irrepressible Stew and
up-and-comers Listing Ship lend their talents and expertise - it's
Merchant's ability to turn a phrase and take his tunes into unexpected
realms that makes Window Rolled Down both a challenge and a triumph.
The songs meander along with an easy lilt, buoyed by lush, billowy
arrangements thick with atmosphere and effervescence.

That said, the dense ambiance sometimes tends to obscure the melodies
and cloud subject matter that might otherwise tip the proceedings
towards weightier terrain. Nevertheless, after soaking up the pretty,
wistful sigh of "All Of The Times" or reveling in the stirring
strains of "Wounds Will Heal," it quickly becomes apparent that
Merchant's a master when it comes to crafting lofty tunes with instant
appeal.
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Taking a solo turn from his work with LA-based group the Lullabies,
Jeff Merchant makes shitty landlords and hipster roommates sound
somehow entrancing in this lush, quirky three-minute ode to LAs Echo
Park.
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Those who are tired of waiting for something to released from the
Donovan camp can rest easy. Jeff Merchant's "Window Rolled Down"
will satisfy those cravings nicely. His songs are amazingly complex
with intrinsic orchestrations and beautiful vocal arrangements. The
harmonies are catchy as are the song structures, each of which is as
unique as the last. You may have heard him in his cult-fave psychedelic
rock outfit the Lullabies but if not this is a perfect introduction to
his brand of multi-instrumental indie pop that would fit Brian
Wilson-indeed some of the members of Wilson's band contribute on
the album. Excellent eclectic folk pop.
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If Nick Cave had been from California, this is what he'd sound like.
Even though his voice is less menacing than Cave's, Merchant's complex
haunting tales, with added strings, are just as powerful. "Li'l Miss
Riding Hood" is only the beginning.
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