[Locals Only] Matt Kollar & the Angry Mob

Amateurish, underdeveloped, elementary—all descriptions seemingly unknown to Huntington Beach’s Matt Kollar and his band, the Angry Mob. The singer/songwriter’s debut album, Farewell Adventure, sounds like the product of a skilled veteran, with its intricate song structures and elaborate melodies.

Quickie instrumental opener “Bon Voyage!” rolls along the highs and lows of an orchestral narrative, tipped with a montage of random voices weaving in and out of the background. Those craving sing-alongs will like the metaphoric “Shipwrecked,” which starts out as an acoustic sea-faring love song, but soon slides into a multilayered odyssey melding an organ with an electric-guitar solo. Kollar also incorporates unpredictable, anomalous elements in his work—take the glockenspiel-laced “Daydreaming,” which rises above a traditional campfire tune with the aid of some piano, tin-can beats and a little of that backward-masking madness. “The Red Wagon” dials things back down to a minimalist level during the chorus, which comes off as part ballad, part nursery rhyme.

Matt Kollar & the Angry Mob stick to the wholesome side of folk, but they find a unique voice by leaning toward theatrics and vaudeville. By adding endless elements of unexpected layers of trumpet, accordion and clarinet, they exude musicianship well beyond their years.

For more info, go to www.myspace.com/mkollarmusic.

Attention Orange County/Long Beach musicians and bands! Mail your music, along with your vital contact info and decent high-resolution photos (plus any impending performance dates) for possible review to: Locals Only, OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or just be lazy and e-mail your MySpace link to aching@ocweekly.com.