Winston Park in Bloomington, MN

The low hum at the beginning of
Winston Park
introduced
indie rock
fans to the calculated and deliberate slow
rock
of
singer/songwriter
Dave Fischoff
. The first track,
"Happy Birthday, Dear Norman,"
creatively utilizes "found sounds" to create a mysterious opus. That song seamlessly blends into the second track,
"First Sleep After the Riots,"
where listeners first hear
Fischoff
's clean guitar work combined with his controlled,
Robyn Hitchcock
-like vocals. The song maniacally utilizes
noise
to create a sonically diverse song. The disjointed and scrapbook style of sounds continues on
"For the Ones Who Fall in Love on Buses."
's echoing vocals on
"Photo From a Car in Winter,"
combined with a wave of distortion, create an atmospheric feel to the song. The disc comes to a close with
"Breakfast in Covington, GA."
The song starts off with a single guitar chord, followed by
's hushed vocals. While the music rarely rises above a relaxed, slow-motion feeling,
is able to adequately translate beauty and pain through his music. The disc was released on Indiana's
Secretly Canadian Records
in 1998. ~ Stephen Cramer