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30 Music, Kate Kiefer, August 2, 2004 Timewellspent "S/T" (CD) Label: Parasol Let’s get this straight, right off the bat: It’s “timewellspent.” One word, no caps, and it sounds best if you say it all in one quick breath. Now that that’s out of the way, Casey Fundaro and Christopher Moll are Timewellspent, an orchestral pop duo based out of everybody’s favorite swing state. Their music has an overall melancholy but a little bit beachy theme and ought to be welcomed warmly by fans of Burt Bacharach and Belle and Sebastian alike. “I Know You” makes it hard not to call Fundaro and Moll shoegazers. This memorable track plays almost like it’s in slow motion. “Interlude I” is the first of three teases, frankly. The good news is that “Interlude I,” “Interlude II,” and “Postlude” are gorgeous piano solos. The bad news is that the longest of the three is 38 seconds. While they break the poppy tracks up nicely, these songs are too pretty to be so short. “Probably,” a catchy little tune with a lot of whisper-singing, is well layered, multi-instrumental, and also reminiscent of the shoegaze era. “Millionaire” is an unpretentious minute-long song full of lovely piano work. The lyrics should seem juvenile, (“I want to be a millionaire / or at least drive a fancy car”) but somehow, they’re endearing. Standout track “Minor Poet” is an ambient song about losing hope. Chiming strings and piano sounds, echoey voices in the background and gloomy lyrics make for an unforgettable track. The memorable chorus of “Deora” is a little bit theatrical. And it sounds so British it hurts. All in all, Timewellspent have a gimmicky band name, but they make heartwarming and intricately arranged music that crosses generations. Time spent with this record is time well spent indeed. (Pun unavoidable.)
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