The Singular

The Singular - I Finally Know What's Good For Me


If Prodigy would have been influenced by Keane, this is what it could have sounded like. Electronica that occasionally pulses and throbs as in "Metal For Breakfast" is often more ambient and atmospheric, graced by lilting, frenetic vocals and tempered guitar and rhythm ejaculations. Few people in the electronica world strive to do something truly original. The Singular accomplishes that with a healthy dose of warmth in a musical genre that is all too often cold and calculated.


URL: http://www.myspace.com/thesingularmusic - Music Morsels

The Singular

This band is the new vehicle for area singer/songwriter James Pequignot, who has a couple of releases filled with his guitar-based compositions.

Pequignot's never been afraid of using mechanized drums, but his new trio incorporates the electronics and atmospheric effects to Pequignot's otherwise standard songs to better effect.

Metal for Breakfast, the opening track on I Finally Know What's Good for Me, rides an ersatz Giorgio Moroder-like synth pulse with Pequignot blithely intoning ``All hail the end of the universe, don't know why anyone would want to stay another day.''

Treading Water also plays up the ominous atmosphere and Pequignot's ghostly wailing over rolling arpeggiated guitar and electric piano.

The six-song EP also contains the groovy electric piano sound that emanates from the Coldplay/Keane piano rock axis, particularly on the Coldplay flavored/potential radio single Nobody.

Pequignot's got a way with a melody and the disc is sequenced so that each song melts away into the next, giving the EP the overall effect of a six-song suite.

I Finally Know What's Good for Me won't be available until mid-February, but it establishes the Singular as a band worthy of attention for alt-rock fans who like the billowy sounds of Travis and Snow Patrol.
-Malcolm Abram
Here's a link to the original artice - Akron Beacon Journal

THE SINGULAR - I FINALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR ME
After the first two songs--one robotic, the other slow 'n' echoey--I
harbored real concerns that The Singular's debut would be a glum trip indeed. But with the arrival of the third song, all was set to
rights. "Nobody" is a real pop barn-burner--more in a Ben Folds way than Led Zeppelin--and an early entry into my Best Songs of 2007. But after a few spins of the whole EP, it emerges that alongside the more overt pleasures of "Nobody," other songs transmit an equal if subtler heft--the desolation of "An End to Words," the crunch of "Spiders." Even the formerly disregarded second song ("Treading Water") has a tension I didn't notice the first time around. I Finally Know What's Good For Me isn't the feel-good jam of the summer, but it packs more textures into its 22 minutes than most double-disc sets, and it's ultimately very rewardingly sequenced. We need our winter records, too, and if you're willing to immerse yourself in its icy depths, this is a good one.

-Zapruder Point - Zapruder Point

The Singular

I Finally Know What's Good for Me

(self-released)

myspace.com/thesingularmusic

Singer-songwriter James Pequignot breaks new ground with his newest musical endeavor, the Singular. After leaving his former band due to artistic differences, Pequignot began his search for a new group of musicians and quickly solidified a musical relationship with Jordan Valentine (drums) and Tim Gaunter (bass, backup vocals). The band's six-song EP is a collection of imaginative and experimental tunes. The ambient sound is filled out with airy and electronic sounds. Although the vocals are sometimes hard to hear above the involved orchestration, the lyrics tackle world issues and are sung in a manner that compliments the music well. The album's stand-out track, "Metal for Breakfast," is a bit more on the aggressive side. — PK - Free Times

The Singular
I Finally Know What's Good for Me (MySpace.com/TheSingularMusic)
By Matt Gorey
Published: May 30, 2007

I Finally Know What's Good for Me has its share of pleasantly coherent moments. The Singular doesn't have a guitarist, so it relies heavily on singer-keyboardist James Pequignot's synthesizer atmospherics. "Nobody" is a sublime slice of Fender Rhodes-driven pop-rock, showcasing Pequignot's exceptional voice while demonstrating what acts like the Fray and Coldplay could do if they possessed some talent. "Metal for Breakfast," meanwhile, is catchy techno pop.

But the disc also exudes a moody incoherence. Tracks like "Cheer Up" and "Spiders" are hazy ruminations where a lot of time elapses between vocals -- which only reinforces the disc's spaced-out vibe. The segues between songs are perfect, however, making the EP one complete experience. The Singular's knack for melodies and highfalutin concepts definitely makes it a Northeast Ohio band worth keeping an eye on. - Scene Magazine

The Singular
I Finally Know What's Good For Me ..Singular-->
By Sari Delmar

The Singular are a band that refuse to let music simply be a background to our superficial lives. Their debut EP can't simply play in your car, it can't simply be on a TV show, nor can it let any listener in its vicinity simply be. The Singular are not simple, they are deep, require an attention to detail, focus and encourage the listener to "pause" their surroundings, reach inside their cold chests and toy with that bloody red organ. It's scary, yes, and music with such intensity is often avoided by those not ready to stare themselves straight in the eye. Largely influenced by post-rock visionaries Explosions in the Sky or Mogwai, this Cleveland, OH three-piece are a true example of a genre done right. The opening cut, "Metal for Breakfast," starts the diverse album off in a dance-y techno fashion before giving way to a catchy, poppy chorus. The lyrics don't just float on the surface, they are as carefully chosen as the music is written. Lead singer James Pequignot passionately guides us through the ambient catharsis and when you arrive at the other end, after the depressingly beautiful piano ballad "Cheer Up," you most likely will be a whole new person, one who understands themselves and the world around them a bit more. Accomplishing this feat with music is groundbreaking and the pleasant consequence of writing this incredible EP. - Exclaim! Music Magazine (Canada)