SEE THIS: Lauren Zettler At Martyr's

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 3, 2009 6:40PM

Lauren Zettler fits nicely into what you wold expect from a folky singer-songwriter whose promo material displays a cute girl sporting a comfy looking flannel shirt. But something about the first track on her EP On Your Back Porch caught us off guard. "I Don't Blame You" starts off pleasantly, Zettler's voice has enough character to sweetly stand out without resorting to any vocal trickery, and we gave into it's simplicity. It was precisely at the point where we were approaching a complacent lull that the song suddenly breaks and surges along a series of amped hand-claps and rolling distorted guitars.

"Shapes" follows and delivers a gentle sing-along buoyed by a twinkling xylophone. It's a cute little snippet of a song, and after it the album never delivers beyond our expectations again. The remaining material is pleasant but slightly bland, and you know there's nothing really wrong with that, but we admit the opening got our hopes up. It's precisely because off those first two track that we recommend catching her at Martyr's tonight. There's a nugget of something special in On Your Back Porch, and we're hopeful Zettler's live set breaks out beyond the confines of her EP to deliver something special.

Tonight, August 3, at Martyr's, 3855 N Lincoln, 8 p.m., $7, 21+