The City Destroyed Me

Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007  |  MARY CHRISTA O’KEEFE, vueweekly.com

Rufus Wainwright will be thrilled to have another Y-chromosome to share his cabaret pop podium with. On his third solo outing, Prince Edward Island’s Nathan Wiley is less torchy and more roots-touched and rock-schooled than any spawn of famous folksingers, and he’s blessed with a beautiful achy voice, ‘70s East Village shaggy virtuosity and lackadaisical Dylanesque delivery.

Except Wiley’s identical evil twin, who confusingly also happens to be named Nathan Wiley, hijacks the proceedings after a strong rollicking start (right around the vexing “Big Brother/Cruel Father,” which evokes Chilliwack doing Godspell ) and bursts into some shuddering gauche bluesy grind. Non-evil Wiley tries to regain control, notably during the sorrowful bone-cradling lullaby “Graveyard,” but somehow The City Destroyed Me keeps lapsing into Evil Wiley.

Yet maybe that kind of war was the central conceit of City, what with its provocative title, faux courtroom sketch cover art and vintage newspaper clipping-style liner notes (design kudos). So does Evil or Non-Evil triumph? Hard to say—the final track is gritty, but shafts of soulful melody pierce the darkness.

Darn twins. Sometimes you just can’t tell them apart.

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