Martin Tielli - We Didn't Even Suspect He Was the Poppy Salesman - [CD]

The "sensitive" Rheostatic releases a solo CD. Fans of Martin Tielli's work with his regular crew will find much to enjoy on this disc, which is a mostly acoustic effort showcasing the singer-songwriter's unique vocal phrasing, rudimentary guitar playing and lightly sketched lyrical portraits. The soft-focus "World in a Wall" finds reassurance in the presence of "The mite and the spider" after "the X" moves out. "Voices from the Wilderness" is a haunting Canadian landscape, while the more abstract "Double X" seethes with lines like "For all the X-traneous mothers who bored their children with X-perienced lies." A cover of Scott Walker's melancholy "Farmer in the City" fits perfectly with the disc's (and Tielli's) outsider artist vibe, while a collaboration with fellow Rheostatic Dave Bidini called "How Can You Sleep (With the Light on in Your Head)?" could probably as easily have been on a Rheos album. "That's How They Do It in Warsaw" is the disc's lone rocker, and comes with lyrics like "That's how they do it in Warsaw/I'll show you the glories of coleslaw." That We Didn't Even Suspect That He Was the Poppy Salesman is quirky and unique comes as no surprise, but that it's as affecting and lovely as it is makes it a quiet revelation. --Shawn ConnerProduct DescriptionRecording information: 04/01/2001. Unknown Contributor Roles: Kasia Zaton; Martin Tielli; Michael Phillip Wojewoda. These songs by Martin Tielli, guitarist/vocalist of Canadian art rockers the Rheostatics, reveal a sardonic look at different aspects of life, including a few revolving around the music industry. Exemplified by "My Sweet Relief," a song revolving about a singer "clear and true" but not "wearin' the right boots. " "Voices From the Wilderness," upon close listen, is an obvious reference to Rush singer Geddy Lee. The artistic, intrinsic style of Tielli is the trait which carries so many of the songs, particularly when it comes to "Farmer in the City," one of the two longer tunes among the 11. "That's How They Do It in Warsaw" is the only upbeat, up-tempo song, with some lyrics in Polish. "From the Reel" is the highlight, which is saying quite a lot in this extremely qualitative offering.