• Artist: Queen Victoria
• Album: The Endless Night
• Label: N/A
• Release: 2007
• Link: MySpace

Queen Victoria is Nick Malkin, a young New Jersey native who now resides in Pittsburgh. The Endless Night is the first solo outing for Malkin, who favors artists such as Leonard Cohen and Bert Jansch. Cohen’s influence is notable on this album, which couldn’t have a more fitting title. Malkin’s MySpace page even refers to Queen Victoria’s sound as “Zzzzzzz.” I’m reviewing this CD at 11:12 AM, but this is a record that is truly built for pure insomnia.

The liner notes contain no credits (only lyrics), so I’m going to assume that Malkin played all of the instruments. The foundation of The Endless Night is Malkin’s foreboding vocals and a combination of acoustic and electric guitar. However, he adds light touches of piano and drums throughout. Malkin’s music is consistent, but I feel that he is capable of expanding his palette. He begins to find his calling towards the end of the album with “Up On The Rooftop,” a unanimous favorite that breaks the album’s quiet tone. This track, and the closer, “The Ringing Of Bells,” serve as a much-needed release of tension.

A lot of unsigned artists’ first releases can be a chore to listen to, but Malkin has served up a confident collection of songs in the singer/songwriter mold. The album holds up well, despite being a little too similar in the middle. Malkin himself describes the album best, “The Endless Night is a ten-song album recorded at strange hours in a basement in Pittsburgh. Everyone else was asleep.” If you are looking for an album to cozy up to at 3 AM, grab a drink because Queen Victoria is at your door.

Heavenly Houseboat Blues are offering a free download of The Endless Night. If you like what you hear, you can purchase the album from Malkin at his MySpace page for only five dollars. Malkin’s MySpace also contains a promising unreleased track (”The One Way Street”).

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