Prosthetic Aesthetics - Prosthetic Aesthetics

All Music Guide

Singer/songwriter Jeff Raudebaugh spent his latter teenage years in his basement tinkering with samples and his acoustic guitar for his own musical sound and a defining work in progress. His project, Prosthetic Aesthetics, was started when he was barely out of high school and his self-titled debut quietly exuded maturity similar to the likes of a young Jeff Buckley. He's modest, though not one to fully dive into the heavy stylings of those who came before him, but he's certainly willing to try. Prosthetic Aesthetics is an expansive sound of 18 tracks, an definitive mix of Raudebaugh's own likings for electronica, '60s pop folk-rock, and post-grunge. Lyrically, he's intelligent. He's unafraid to tap into lush mysteries of self-discovery on "Cyanide No. 17" and "In Mirrors." The bongo-driven "Someday in a Life to Be Known" cites Raudebaugh's sensitive vocalics, yet it's the electronically tinged "Wine Time" that carries Prosthetic Aesthetics' hazy synth distortion and space rock vocalic ...howling, similar to the Verve. Reina Navarro adds her delicate backing vocals on "Black Stars" for something more soulful and emotional. Raudebaugh is a heartbreaker and Prosthetic Aesthetics is an impressive look into what he's capable of. He's poetically in tune with his own consciousness, making his sharp songwriting simply arrive. And that's the beauty of most singers. They don't push too hard for the perfect sound; they allow it to construct itself and that's what Prosthetic Aesthetics has done. - MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide Read more Less