Jonah Matranga has been one of the leaders of the solo, one-man, indie-rock thing since before it was cool to be so. To recount the first time I saw the man play would be recapping what I've already written in this column years past (years already?). The second full-length album by his solo project Onelindrawing sees Matranga growing far out of the bonds that enslaved his past emo/punk bardmanship and finally into the pure songwriter genre that those before him like Paul Westerberg and Elliot Smith have so ably done.

The upbeat hallmarks that old-time fans will enjoy, "Over It" and "We Had A Deal," manage to maintain an OLD aesthetic that has organically grown on this expertly produced disc. That production shines on “Stay.” It’s the first track to feature Jonah stretching his voice in a new direction while backed by layers of guitars and effects. The effect is profound adding a new trick in Jonah’s deep bag of songs. It’s also the first OLD track that really harkens back to the mellower moments of FAR, Jonah’s previous group.

But it is the ballads that show the most growth. Early on, "A Ghost" and "Superhero" resonate much like Jonah's past work. On "A Ghost" the songwriter is mixing religious & metaphors of ghosts to hammer home the emotional impact. It's no longer just a poor me, heart on the sleeve balladeer on stage wedged between hardcore punk bands trying to illicit some poignant moments. Now the artist has grown into a songwriter.

While "A Ghost” is a terrific track, it is the finale of "As Much To Myself As To You" that sees Jonah elevating beyond any genre specific constraints. The stark song not only deconstructs the writing process but also has Jonah using a different and much more natural singing style. The brief song is a highlight and makes the album complete. And like the last full-length album Visitor, Onelinedrawing LPs are much more downbeat than the inspiring live show. But if they give us songs like "Stay" there's not much to argue about.

Derivative Pick of the Week

It is becoming increasingly hard to keep track of the many, many side projects that have sputtered from ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT’s roster. Needless to say, if you enjoy the punk rock meets rockabilly of RFTC you’ll like this slightly seaworthy version of the same formula.

Amazingly, the 14 songs here are not repetitive and stand on their own merit. The only problem is you really have to be in an upbeat mood to appreciate the searing 1950s inspired guitars and gritty vocals. Unlike ONELINEDRAWING being able to lift you up from depression or comfort at the same time, THE SULTANS have but one speed, one setting.

If your collection is without a good RFTC disc (I recommend Group Sounds) or even the HOT SNAKES than please pick up those before getting this relatively derivative album. If you’re one of those guys with a RFTC tattoo so you can get into every show for free for life than obviously you’ve already downloaded this disc and are eager to buy the real thing.

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