MELLOWDRONE

A Demonstration Of Intellectual Property (ARTISTdirect Records)

Aside from using the space for the occasional forty winks, the bedroom can - if you're blessed with good fortune - serve as a hub for the kind of scandalous activity normally reserved for films with Jenna Jameson in the lead. Jonathan Bates, however, has a different use for the sleep chamber.

Under the moniker mellowdrone, Bates transforms into a one-man band who, like Einstein turned symphony composer, has made a habit out of recording impressive EPs in the same room in which he snoozes.

A Demonstration Of Intellectual Property, his third such outing, is a six-song affair that'll have no trouble fostering anticipation for a proper full-length, due later this year.

In the meantime, if you're not already acquainted with this formidable studio genius - it really is alarming how talented Bates is - you can be quickly converted after a concentrated listen to "No More Options," where colossal guitar phrases intertwine with dizzying drum 'n' bass-style programming and Jeff Buckley-ish vocal acrobatics during the song's dramatic conclusion, and "Beautiful Day," where Bates takes inspiration from Depeche Mode, incorporating synth bleeps, murky melody lines and a bass-soaked drum machine.

Overall, this is pretty impressive stuff for a guy who likely records wearing only his skivvies. - Kevin Boyce

MELLOWDRONE/JOHNNY MARR DATES
January
18 North Star, Philadelphia, PA
20 Black Cat, Washington, D.C.
21 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
22 Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
24 Paradise Ballroom, Boston, MA
26 Lee's Place, Toronto, ONT
27 Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
28 Double Door, Chicago, IL

February
1 Bimbo's 365 Club, San Francisco, CA
2-3 Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA