Only Chimneys, the fourth album by Brooklyn-based outfit Imaginary Johnny, is the band's break for the indie rock big leagues. Singer/songwriter Stuart Wolferman has abandoned the low-key sound of earlier albums like Painting Over the Dirt in favor of guest musicians providing support on horns, strings, and other instruments, and Wolferman and producer Joel Hamilton (Sparklehorse, Talib Kweli) have given the album's arrangements a potentially radio-friendly (or at least young-skewing TV drama soundtrack-friendly) gloss. None of these things are in and of themselves a bad choice; the "more indie than thou" approach does no one any good in the long run, and ambition should be praised. The problem is that Wolferman's songwriting this time out isn't particularly compelling; the songs rarely deviate from a drowsy plod in terms of tempo (it's not until the second half of the album's closing track, "Between the Days," that the drummer has much to do at all), and the lyrics are atypically forgettable, with Wolferman's usual epic Midwestern imagery scaled back. Only Chimneys is pleasant enough, but it lacks most of the quirky wit, invention, and personality that had made Imaginary Johnny a band to watch, and it doesn't provide enough interest to make that loss worthwhile.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo