Rob Szabo’s debut solo CD ‘a battery of tests’: 11 tracks dealing with love, loss and regret, recorded over a year spent in seclusion in his downtown Toronto apartment. Rob played virtually all the instruments himself and recorded and produced the album. The album was mixed by Rob along with his friend Cal Brunker.

"I figured it was time to be a total control freak and do absolutely everything myself for once" says Szabo, "don't get me wrong, I love playing in bands, I've just got a lot music built up that makes sense to play just ME. " This coming from a man who has toured the country numerous times and recorded 6 Cds, fronting The Groove Daddys and Plasticine among others. The album is released by fledgling Hamilton indie label Basement Bar Records.

The album’s dark tone is accentuated by beyond-intimate performances, giving the listener the feeling that they’re somehow sitting in on someone’s aural diary entries. The instrumentation only compounds this uneasy feeling, sometimes piling layers of angular texture onto the stark skeletons of songs … and sometimes leaving them as just that: skeletons. The lead off track "watchin’ a movie" is a perfect example of such restraint: Szabo starts the CD whispering into the listener’s ear from one speaker as the song slowly builds to a chorus of his smooth whispered vocals - creaking chairs, and the singer’s own wheezy breaths add to the ambiance. Other highlights in this dark vibe include "the life of the party" where Rob’s ghostly vocals hover over the din of stop and start drumloops as he sings "things were going so well", the narrator of the song having just witnessed a "friend’s" overdose …

Although quite dark and sometimes quite creepy throughout, Szabo does provide some respite from this with his dry wit and overall "knowing" delivery, never falling into the "I’m way cooler than you" irony common with many indie types. His delivery is most often straight ahead: sincere and honest … and he even offers a glimmers of hope in the lyrics on songs like "if i could do it all again" and "umbrella song".
The musical variety of the album is matched only by its lyrical honesty and textural adventurousness. Drumloops abound, clashing with scrappy distorted baritone guitar and fat analog keyboard bursts.

Although the bulk of the instruments were played by Rob, the album does feature some cameos by friends: Steve Strongman’s (Kazzer, Plasticine) ultra tasty slide guitar on ‘trampoline’ is a rare treat, and Roger Travassos’ (Remy Shand) udu drum on "i live for the summer" creates a thick middle eastern vibe. Craig Lapsley (Kazzer) rounds out the guestlist with a ‘70s drum bashing workout on "umbrella song", acting as the perfect foil for the song’s wistful lyrics.

"a battery of tests" is available on Basement Bar Records online at www.basementbar.net and through www.maplemusic.com.