By David Boyle
Gargoyle co-editor-in-chief
Published Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, Gargoyle, arts

“Under the White Noise” by Scott Sapp is to be taken much more seriously than the notebook-paper CD case it is sold in. It is a thoughtful album that fulfills the complex vision of its creator and exceeds any fathomable expectations of its listeners.

“White Noise” is a diverse album that finds inspiration from a host of artists, including Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. Its quality lies in Sapp's acoustic tracks. The experimentation on display throughout the album is admirable, although this sense of daring sometimes compromises the quality of Sapp's better songs.

The first two tracks, “Somebody Should Have Known” and “The Dream Less Dreamt,” are the quintessential Scott Sapp. Both songs effectively convey the message and the emotion that the artist intended through ghostly lyrics and gentle acoustic guitar. These songs are thoughtful in an absent-minded sort of way.

The fifth track, “Antinomianism,” is constructive experimentation that effectively breaks from the flow of the album while still adding to the overall quality.

But sometimes the experimentation doesn't quite work. For example, “Back in Time” at its heart might be the album's best song, but the cacophonous intro played by a recorder obscures the rest of the track.

Sapp has substance in each one of his songs, but he needs to stick to the unadulterated acoustic sound that makes the core of his album so impressive. The album would benefit from better technical production, but nonetheless it is a triumph given the resources he had available.

“Under the White Noise” is not available on LimeWire, but for a modest price of $3 you can pick up a copy from Scott's locker.

Scott is projected to go lottery in the NBA draft.