Von Zimmer is a songwriter from South Dakota. His debut album titled Freddie’s Extra Teeth, in reference to Queen’s Freddie Mercury, is compiled of ten individual songs.

After listening to the first song on the album,“The End of the World” I immediately compared it to a Nirvana type of sound. From the guitar in the beginning, to Zimmer’s rough Kurt Cobain-like vocals, Zimmer’s overall sound has “Nirvana” written all over it.

After listening to each song in its entirety, I concluded that they are all very similar. The introductory instrumental does change in each song by adding in drums, piano and harmonica on top of the ever present acoustic guitar; however, Zimmer’s vocals somehow always seem to be stuck in the same low gruff pattern. The similar vocal pattern pulls each exciting song introduction back into the same groove, making the songs sound virtually the same.

One part of his songs that I did find particularly intriguing  were his assortment of lyrics.  Zimmer has as a lot to say and he clearly states his different view points throughout each song. Unfortunately, his lyrics do give a repetitive message.

Although there may be a repetitive nature to his work, overall, his songs are combated with his style of music that’s not often seen today.

This grunge like music was a neat throwback to a different era and I recommend giving it a try.