Into These Oceans by Ian Knapp

They are our pied pipers and we follow. Maybe it's too early for me to lump newcomer Ian Knapp in that status but he comes darn close to encapsulating all of the ingredients for future canonization."

"Simply put, Into These Oceans is a fantastic album... The lead track, "If The Aliens Came", is one of the best social commentaries I've heard... [Spaceman] warrants multiple listens and after a relatively rough week at work, it was this song that made me remember why I get up in the morning and bust my butt..."

"That introspection, and how he stirs up our own passions and feelings in the process, is why I believe Ian Knapp has a bright future. And, as long as the earth remains screwed up and in need of repair, Ian will have plenty of material to write about. You can bet that this album will receive my nomination for best album of the year."

- Ben Montgomery, CDReviews.com

"America has its first post-9/11 singer-songwriter; however, he isn't from the U.S. Nevertheless, no other new guitar-slinging solo artist conveys the troubled state of public consciousness than Englishman Ian Knapp. You can hear it in his voice - stripped of its strength, trembling, questioning. There's a fire in Knapp's vocals that is not lit by heartbreak or romance; instead, it percolates from our current fears and disillusionment. Even the title of the album - Into These Oceans - makes one think of drowning, lost in the waters of a world turning upside down. The song itself is about escape, the only solution to these increasingly scary and confusing times."

"Knapp is a fine poet, and as tempting it is for me to quote him here, it's better to simply trust me and listen to his record cold like I did. He has a way with words that is less common with his nonsensical peers and can be compared to new wave lyricists from the '80s such as Roddy Frame from Aztec Camera or Elvis Costello. The music is mostly folk-oriented with occasional bursts of rock & roll energy, especially on "Jumping the Wall" and "Pieces of You," the latter having a riff reminiscent of Madder Rose's "Panic On.".... the greatness on display should have industry observers predicting future hits for this man." 4.5/5

- Kyrby Raine, Shotgun Reviews

"British singer/songwriter Ian Knapp has a love and hate relationship with the human race... the hilariously sarcastic opening track "If the Aliens Came"... [is] a bitingly funny commentary on society's gradual moral decay... [It] combines Elvis Costello's vitriol with Thom Yorke's alienation from the planet Earth. Knapp's voice - raspy, quivering - is effective in its unpolished delivery. Knapp's vocals recall Mike Scott's from the Waterboys except that he isn't aiming for a big sound; instead, Into These Oceans is fairly low-key and intimate. However, that doesn't mean it's mellow. Knapp's influences include Nirvana as well as Bob Dylan, which is why his guitars can be brittle and edgy at times. 'Jumping the Wall' is almost like a parallel world recording wherein Kurt Cobain had lived to produce a solo album." 4/5

- Michael Sutton, All Music Guide

"Singer-songwriter IAN KNAPP should be raved constantly about in the NME right now. With a voice that erupts in raw passion, Knapp's vocal skills alone is a keen instrument, sharp as saber tooth."

"Winging his way towards political and personal issues, Knapp is definitely in the Bob Dylan mode with a sense of urgency that explodes like a volcano. He's got a deadpan sense of humour that is pointedly funny, reflected in the opening track "If the Aliens Came." Knapp's words are memorable and touch the heart with open hands."

"There's more variety in the music here than you'd think, not everything is strum-strum and even then they're usually toe-tapping riffs. "Into These Oceans," "Pieces of You," and "The Dream" are all standout numbers. Outstanding debut." 10/10

- Adam Harrington, Whisperin & Hollerin

"Singer/songwriter Ian Knapp's "Into These Oceans" is one of those debut albums that'll be discussed years from now. It's an intense experience, packed with real emotions and smart lyrics - the kind of record that Bob Dylan's son should've recorded. "If the Aliens Came." opens the album on a darkly humorous note, accurately realizing that extraterrestrials would probably depart our beloved planet once they saw how dumb and evil we are. I'm surprised by the wide musical range on this album. I usually fear the 'singer/songwriter' tag as it often means some boring bloke with an acoustic guitar borrowed from his ex-hippie mum. None of that here. This is a shockingly confident and mature first LP." 10/10

- Barry Andrews, Reviewcentre.com

"London-based singer-songwriter Ian Knapp is armed with equal parts melody and passion. His lyrics are astute and delivered with an urgent, wavering falsetto and his ability to turn a phrase is truly unique. With so many lesser talents being hailed as the new Dylan, Knapp is the only one with the intellect to back it up." Editor's Pick

- The Editor, Download.com

"Right off the bat as the first song "If the Aliens Came" chimes in and you hear Ian Knapp's vocals you can tell there's something extraordinary happening. It is excruciatingly world-weary, noiselessly angry, and hopeful all at once. When he sings you can forget the meaning of pretension, a word that a horde of wannabes have personified for as long as we've been numbed by them."

"In his hands, the acoustic guitar becomes a bludgeon, an instrument that emits the poignant yearnings of a sad man who threatens to smash it on monstrous faces that make our lives a big lie, fragments of a severed dream. Yet it all swiftly changes into a thing for buoyant times, waving it in the air like a flag after some private conquest."

"Seethe with him on the abovementioned "If the Aliens Came," celebrate "Into These Oceans," fall in love with our children on "Spaceman" [an art that we seem to have forgotten], and drink a couple on "Mouse on A Wheel" and hurl the bottles at the walls besieged by memories that creep from the dusty parts of our minds."

"Knapp is that long-lost prophet drunk on madness, wide-eyed and exhausted. He doesn't come like a savior, claiming to be this and that, forcing his doctrines down our throats. Ian Knapp is the everyday man who has taken the language of life down to a level that we all can relate to. He makes us forget who he is. In fact, it doesn't matter at all. What matters are the stories. Nobody ever tells them anymore. He talks about things we have been struggling all our lives to say and makes it sound so effortless. In gratitude we ought to take the cudgels and wave his guitar like a flag after some private conquest, screaming at the sky."

- Mondo Castro, Manila Standard, Philippines

"...On Jumping the Wall, Knapp uses an electric base to great effect, with a rock-punk run through a song reminiscent of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire. Elsewhere, as on the title song, this electrified instrumentation takes him nicely close to college-rock icons The Connells. One to watch, as there are signs that more is to come."

- Mike Rea, Adult Contemporary

Influences:

Influences include Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, Johnny Cash, Smashing Pumpkins, REM, The Beatles, Drugstore, Ian Moore, Okkervil River, James, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Nirvana, Ride and many more.

Average Customer Review: