Christopher Smith is more than just a musician. Hailing from Vancouver, Smith began as a visual artist but found the the medium’s boundaries too constricting. Naturally, he transitioned to music, and now works as a singer-songwriter. Moving away from the sound of his previous album, The Beckon Call (2010), Earning Keep features an atmospheric, elegant assembly of neo-jazz tunes. Fans of Beirut, Patrick Watson, and Thom Yorke: pay attention.

Accompanying the expansive quality of Earning Keep are Smith’s haunting, angelic vocals. In standout songs such as “Pillars and Pyre” and “Samson,” they delicately combine with soft jazzy cymbals, trumpet, and mellow fingerpicking on the guitar. Playing around with pitch and harmony, the complexity of his songs isn’t noticeable; Smith  conjures an air of nonchalance.

Although there seems to be a shared theme of affection and the notion of distance, a number of tracks seemed to be out of place.  “Chapped Lips of the Mouth Breather” seemed reluctant to succumb to Earning Keep’s overall feel. However, this distinctiveness worked in the last song, “No Light Could Pass Through Me So I Have A Shadow,” as it perks the ears of electronica and dance fans with synths and distorted electronic effects.

With a few diamonds in the rough, one can tell that Christopher Smith is still trying to find his true sound among other up-and-comers. Earning Keep is almost there, but not quite.

— Bronte Martin