"Öfters war in diesem Zusammenhang auch von melancholischen Großstadtballaden zu lesen, von der Lakonie eines Townes van Zandt oder der abgehobenen Esoterik eines Nike Drake. Völlig zu Recht!" (Christian Schachinger, Der Standard, Jänner 2005)

 

"...Er kleidet filigrane Songwriterkleinode in samtenes Dunkelgrau und meistert selbst in einer Coverversion des Joy-Division-Klassikers 'Love will tear us apart' mit traumwandlerischer Sicherheit den schmalen Grat zwischen Emotionalität und Klischee."

(Gerhard Stöger, Falter, Wien, März 2004)

 

"Songs als schmächtige Gebilde, die sich um eine fragile Singstimme ranken und mit elegischer Grazie unter die Haut schleichen...man fängt an, sich selbst wieder um einiges lieber zu spüren."

(Robert Buchschwenter, Die Presse, Wien, April 2004)

 

"Gitarre, Bass, Bandoneon, Melodika – und die faszinierende Stimme von Sänger Georg Altziebler ... -Gänsehautgarantie"

(Andreas Russ, Kurier, Wien, März 2004)

 

"The sound is simple and stark....There's nothing more arresting than a single note echoing against the darkness. Altziebler seems to have figured that out and he's written songs that accentuate the isolation of the sound. Or maybe he found a sound that matches his songwriting. Either way, this album kills. "

(Jon Worley, aiding&abetting #252, Durham, NC, USA, 2004)

 

“There's some dark majesty at work here." (Suzie Q, logo magazine, London, April 2004)

 

"The vocalist carries on the tradition of Leonhard Cohen as filtered through the modern sensibilities of Tindersticks' Stuart Staples – all moody mumbles and heart-wrenching poetry..." (Listen.com, RewiewXII/2001)

 

“ .. a fluid, cathartic, aural masterpiece."

 (Sahar Oz, Delusjons of Adequacy, Picks of the week, NY, June 2004)

 

"Thirty seconds into the album it's easy to imagine that you would hear these exact sounds seeping from a basement of a gothic cathedral as you happen to walk by. By My Side provides sounds that, although dark and brooding, seem to lure you further into an exploration of love, or perhaps just to pick deeper a little at its wounds. Son of the Velvet Rat's first full-length album is lo-fi indie rock singed at every seam to bare minimalist arrangements that somehow manage to contain an array of emotion."  (Rian Rochford, Performer magazine, June 2004)

 

"... Austria's Son of the Velvet Rat is in fact a solo project cracked from the scary-smart brain of songwriter Georg Altziebler. The music here burns so slowly that you'll blacken your thumbs just plucking the disc from its tray.”

(Mike Baker, Splendid, May 2004)

 

“His lyrics emanate directly from his heart and their honesty and urgency give the songs a gorgeous hue." (Katrina M. Davenport, Sponic zine, June 2004)

 

"Heartbreakingly beautiful, slow, minimal folk. Think Will Oldham, mellow tracks Iron and Wine, quiet Sun Kil Moon, but even more low key. Pretty, meditative, slow, stripped down, slightly distorted, and with lots of acoustic guitar picking and haunting harmonium sound. "

(Mor, KZSU Radio, Stanford/CA, June 2004)

 

"The simplistic ballads are mystical, enlightened, and the haunting music is at its paramount. The penetrating pieces are beautiful, romantic, fragile, and magical. Dark melancholy permeates the lyrics laced with recurring themes of alienation and loneliness. Thoughts of disconnection and isolation accentuate the prophetic, foreboding song writing. The gloomy, echoing tunes are simplicity at its best." (Christine Beals, one times one, April 2004)

 

"...those that enjoy the nuances of singer-songwriter experimentation will enjoy the vivid instrumentation and drawl-like vocal delivery that pervades BY MY SIDE. This disc surely is not for everyone, but those that like a bit of adventure may enjoy trying this release on for size." (Mike SOS, Americore Magazine, May 2004)