“Nightfall” is expatriate Melburnian Simon Li’s third album. Starting off as a solo artist that gigged predominantly around Sydney and Melbourne (Hotels, Clubs and Restaurants), he progressed towards radio appearances and soon later, shared stages with artists like The Naked Eye, The Zeal, and The Dead Setters.
In this new CD, Li demonstrates his distinctive vocal technique and weaves in a wealth of layering string instrumentals.
However I do have a suggestion, or problem (you can decide which one I allude to). Simon typically seems to use a very similar chord progression and feel to almost all of his tracks on this album. They all lean towards a forcefully strummed guitar and desperate vocals – maybe this is Simon’s immovable signature style? Who knows. But variation seems to be lacking in ‘Nightfall’. On the brighter side, his music is easy to listen to, and some songs bring a very homely comfort. ‘Comes With The Territory’ (Track 1) and ‘New Growing Pains’ (Track 6) have a great aura to them – smooth acoustic-country with spoken-word qualities. The lyrics are focused and accessible, delivered with distinctive characteristics. Simon’s words are personal and are injected with a quirkiness too.
I fell in love with the instrumentals and the sweltering melancholy and emotion on his live track ‘End Of The Line’. (Track 12) The white noise and the raw recording conveyed an extremely sincere and genuine honesty that I enjoyed.
In a genre that I rarely listen to, I personally think that Simon Li has brought it to victory because it seems like his tunes could appeal to the vast majority. In fact, I’d like to see if Li can bring himself away from his comfort zone and incorporate something even more special within his next album.