William Tell - You Can Hold Me Down

Former Something Corporate guitarist William Tell hits the solo circuit for the first time with the release of You Can Hold Me Down, an album that struggles to fight being generic and be pop music at the same time. Tell is actually a pretty good songwriter, with a flair for melody and form, and with listed influences that include The Beach Boys and the Beatles (though who doesn't nowadays), he is clearly trying to reach back into the past while still staying true to the now. He manages to create a record that is listenable, but ultimately may find itself hidden amongst other like-minded artists. There are some solid tracks, including "Fairfax," "Maybe Tonight," the title track and the not-so-oddly SoCo sounding tune "Young At Heart," where Tell channels Andrew McMahon so much, you half expect him to break into a calmer rendition of "Punk Rock Princess." All in all, You Can Hold Me Down is not a bad album, but it may not be good enough to do anything but hold Tell down. [www.williamtell.com]