Channeling the Beatles via Elliott Smith and Richard Davies, songs like the piano-driven title track reveal a sharp, sophisticated pop sensibility. Scattered samples and even some turntable scratching are put to good use. The material connects. Freed of the inevitable compromises one makes in the context of a band, Singer's classic pop sensibility flourishes, proving him to be as skilled with a Beatlesque hook as he is with more textured, songwriterly twists of melody and phrase. His strongest suit, in fact, may be his lyrics.
Singer is undoubtedly a young songwriter to watch.
David Singer is not only adept at finding the absolute prettiest way of kicking out a melody, but he knows how to fill in the rest of the parts as well. There's a fine balance on The Cost Of Living between simple execution and complexity overload. This disc walks the line. Just when Singer might be leading into overkill territory, he pulls back. I'm impressed with the cleanness of the sound.