Something Like Sound

Empty beds. This was the first thing I noticed about Beautiful Empty when it came in the mail. The album art depicts beds: empty, slept in, sheets all askew. As the opening track “Can You Hear Me” began to roll out of my desktop speakers, dreamy sounds and words filled my ears. John Common begins by taking stock of the situation. “Woke up alone, where’d you go?” he asks. His bed is empty, it is a strange beauty. Beautiful… empty.

Before diving headlong into a full review of the debut album from John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light, a little background might be useful. John Common is one of those characters on the Denver music scene who appears restless. His previous projects are numerous and varied; from art and film exhibits to a kazoo orchestra, Common has always been dabbling in one thing or another. When he set to work creating Beautiful Empty he decided to not just go alone, but instead gathered a top-notch band to see the vision through.

The result is a stunning collection of songs. Beautiful Empty is split into two parts, “Side A” and “Side B” (maybe someday it will be released on vinyl?), each with a unique flavor. “Good Heart” is a simple piano ballad from the first half of the record that displays a beautiful simplicity while “In My Neighborhood” is a sunny number that takes full advantage of the unique sound of a Rhodes keyboard.

On the B-side there’s “Love Is A Shark.” I still don’t quite know what to think about this song. On one hand it’s the kind of metaphor that makes me smile, but on the other hand it is one of the oddest comparisons I’ve ever heard.

“Thinking ‘bout God” closes the record out with a reflective song that ebbs and flows with piano, strings, and keyboards. It’s the kind of song that I can imagine as a slow-dance that plays off into the night.

Beautiful Empty is available digitally on iTunes, physically at Twist & Shout, and on CDbaby.com (where $2 from each record sale will go to relief efforts in Haiti until Feb. 9).

Listen to “In My Neighborhood” here