Happy Kreter

By Trenton Shaw

This singer songwriter from Langley BC is 100 per cent drug and alcohol free. Sadly though, not everyone is blessed with Ted Nugent’s ability to rock hard without being high or wasted.


Happy Kreter’s monotonous voice makes enjoying any of the songs on Paradigm Lost a difficult task. Even if Happy Kreter did write an amazing song, I doubt he would be capable of translating it into something worth listening to. His botched attempt at a cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” proves all it takes is a boring uninspired folk singer to turn a classic into crap. What’s worse, this crap is the best song on the album.


Paradigm Lost is strongest in its instrumentation where strings and keyboard are incorporated rather nicely into the tracks. However, the album is still burdened with weak production in such tracks as “Haunting,” with its undesired scrapes on the guitar’s fret board are almost louder than the melodies being played.


The best part of this album is the clever title, Paradigm Lost, although more suited for an artist that actually challenged music conventions. The melodramatic lyrics pale in comparison to the work of more inventive writers like Connor Oberst of Bright Eyes and the predictable guitar plucking leaves one yearning for the sophistication and genius of other acoustic artists like Dave Matthews.


Happy Kreter should strongly consider taking some mind-altering substances, because anything would be better than this.