Sean Na Na
Dance ‘til Your Baby is a Man
Troubleman Unlimited
Sean Na Na is magical and unique. The music is nothing overly intricate and the lyrics aren’t mind-altering, but there is something plainly delightful about the aura of the songs on Dance ‘til Your Baby is a Man that every simple thing on this album masterful. Essentially, songs are very plainly structured on a guitar that doesn’t change chords very often but never sounds repetitive, strumming calmly and occasionally fiddling, and the occasional cello and keyboard fill in the background. Sean Tillmann, whose project this essentially is, provides vocals that are incredibly sincere in tone and charming in untrained skill.
If categorized, Sean Na Na would be some kind of pop, but its simplicity comes off so epic that it hardly deserves to be contained in genre. Occasionally, when songs build in volume and intensity, they sound only befitting to a Paul Thomas Anderson movie, capturing a feeling drama or introversion through the song’s sentiment alone. Some of the tunes are void of choruses, instead opting to quickly tell a story or paint a picture. Other times, the lyrics are encrypted smatterings of thought, like “Little Leaning Tower”’s “You took me on travels across the land, but a baby will grow up at the sleight of hand / Like false teeth in the wrong face I could see it end.” Sean Na Na is beautiful in its own right, and so genuine in feel that it’s not only refreshing, but it’s addictive to listen to.
Troubleman Unlimited, 16 Willow St., Bayonne, NJ 07002; http://www.troublemanunlimited.com
