Bangkok Five
We Love What Kills Us
(Megaforce)
The Bangkok Five have a decisively Los Angeles sound which works out well for the band considering they are from Hollywood. The band’s third album We Love What Kills Us is gritty and glammy. The only problem here is that the label only sent out a portion of the album for review – only five tracks. One glaring issue with the advance copy of this record it sounds like these are rough mixes. The levels on the songs have not been adjusted so they all are at the same and some songs appear to have gotten more attention on the production end (“We Love What Kills Us” vs. “Straight Fell Off”). This all makes for an awkward listen.
Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I can honestly say that the Bangkok Five aren’t half bad. The album’s title track “We Love What Kills Us” is a polished prototypical LA rocker. The “Oooo yeah”s and blasting guitars will leave your foot tapping and the chorus will leave your head nodding along. “Straight Fell Off” and “Pretty Machine” feature a bit of a Killers influence, which is likely to sit well with the new generation of rockers who see bands like the Killers as a major force in rock. I’m sure that as a whole We Love What Kills Us is certainly worth a few listens and has some quality rock songs on it but I just don’t have the full album to listen to.
~ Richie Pirone
The Baseball Project
Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails
(Yep Roc)
In 1992 Scott McCaughey (the Minus 5, the Young Fresh Fellows, R.E.M.) and Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate, Gutterball, Miracle 3) discovered that had a mutual love for the game of baseball. The duo talked about the game and writing original pop rock songs all with the baseball themes. Due to their other bands and life, the idea got put on the shelf until recently when they drafted drummer Linda Pitmon (Miracle Three, Golden Smog) and longtime friend and guitarist Peter Buck (R.E.M.) to join what would become known as the Baseball Project.
The end result has these rock ‘n’ roll veterans putting 13 tongues in cheek stories called Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails. The band merges their love for the great American past time and music on wonderfully written and played pop gems "Ted Fucking Williams," "Gratitude (For Curt Flood)," "Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays," and the highlight track "Satchel Paige."
There is also the track "The Yankee Flipper" which pokes fun at "Black" Jack McDowell who once gave the Yankee crowd the finger coming off the field. They also reference McDowell’s friends in the Smithereens and the time he got in a bar fight while drinking with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.
If you are only a music fan you might not get all the baseball references, but nonetheless it is still workth checking out. For some reason it seems baseball and music goes hand in hand over the years so really this is the perfect fit. The Baseball Project references many great historic baseball moments showing they know the game, but moreover they show off a laid back pop rock musical trip down memory lane which is a great combination.
~ Jonathan Tuttle
Blackmarket
Self-Titled
(No Office)
With an immediately crisp, tight mix and a well-produced polish, Blackmarket rips through the speakers a little too loud for a first time listen. Like most music-soaked humans my age, I drew immediate comparisons to bands I like. The Living Blue, Elliot Smith, and a little Dinosaur Jr. come to mind. By the time the EP had finished and I had heard "Sheila" twice (due to them tacking on a radio edit version), I was interested – and that is saying a lot for a band that was previously unknown to me.
The drums, vocals and guitar have a great, balanced, in-your-face garage mix. The bass is surprisingly muddy for this type of sound. I doubt this is a reflection of the bass player (Mike Emerson), but rather a bit of apathy in the mix. Especially on ‘Bad Call’ the sound could have benefitted from a kicked-up bass that attacked the rhythm or found an interesting way to hook the melody.
The EP does have an edge that I enjoy, enough to make me want to see them live – perhaps these songs would come to life if they weren’t played with such studio precision. There is a lot of energy on this EP and I am looking forward to hearing from there again someday.
~ Jeremy Farrance
Porter Block
Off Our Shoulders
(Engine Room)
Porter Block is a band which reminds you not to take life too seriously. Their new album, Off Our Shoulders, was created with an ambition to produce songs that sound good live. The lyrics have no hidden meaning, and present the group as very down to earth, clever, and at times, a bit cynical.
Although their songs have a poetic sound to them, the authentic meaning behind them is very simplistic. "All Of Who I Am", sounds as though it could be a proclamation of commitment to the girl of someone’s dreams. In reality, it’s about a Martin guitar. That’s the kind of guys these men are. And they add that same kind of fun light-heartedness into the melodies. The songs are very sing-along-ish, with standard vocabulary and short simple sentences. "Happy Everything" is a mocking of holiday cards, and the cheerful attitude they are to project.
It’s a good album to listen to when everything else in your life is too complicated to listen to obscure music.
~ Ashton McCrate
David Bowie
Live at Santa Monica '72
(Virgin)
The live album is a tricky art, often difficult to pull off, demanding a justification for existence. Mr. David Bowie is an exception to the live album rule: for those of us who haven't been lucky enough to actually see his fabulous stage show live, we can get a glimpse of how dynamic and influential the performer was in his heyday. Bowie is definitely at the height of his fame in 1972, having just released the indispensible Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Space Oddity. He includes many of the better known tracks off of both of those in his set, exerting raw and unrelenting power. The track list reads almost like a "best of" album, but better because of the improvisation which Bowie does to most of the tracks. The crowd goes wild after each song, and Bowie eats it up with some stage banter back and forth, including with his alter ego Ziggy.
Live at Santa Monica '72 includes a lively "Space Oddity", followed up with some commentary of Andy Warhol and a noodling rendition of the track of his namesake. Other highlights include an expansive "Five Years," an expressive "Moonage Daydream", and an extra long "Width of a Circle. The concert is closed with a lively cover of "Waiting for the Man," and some "surprises" for the encore, which ends with the apt "Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide," probably typical of Bowie's set list during the 70's. The best part is that we know the future: at this point, he has completed fewer than half of his landmark albums. This is definitely worth checking out for both old Bowie fans and those just beginning their obsession. The album confirms Bowie's continued relevance in today's rocky musical climate.
~ Judy Nelson
Broadcast Sea
Wounded Soldier
(Pluto)
When listening to this record, I couldn’t help but get the thought running through my head, "is this a Wounded Soldier or a Wounded Album?" Broadcast Sea is a band that was hyped pretty extensively. Maybe this is a case of enough is enough; immediately upon inserting this album, you are hit with flashbacks of bands like These Arms Are Snakes, Bear vs. Shark, Hot Snakes, bands that have done this same style of music with more expertise.
Do not jump to hasty conclusions; it isn’t that there are no redeeming qualities about this record by any means. Well… I lie. There are none. Fans of the aforementioned bands may come to welcome Broadcast Sea with open arms, but there are just too many roadblocks that keep them out of the good graces of this reviewer. For starters, we’ll address their fuzzy guitar tones that have created a game of "is this a riff or just noise" that’s fun to play as a listener. This is one unbelievably muddy recording when the fuzz kicks in, which is quite frequent. When there’s no fuzz, it’s comparable to the softer tones of These Arms Are Snakes.
With each passing song, Broadcast Sea’s style became more and more tedious. Expanding upon arsty and noisy rock with influences ranging from June of ’44 to Isis, they have just stretched themselves a little too thin. But when they stick to the sound they are best at, it sounds like a low budget These Arms Are Snakes, they really can’t win.
~ Shane Matthew Stiles
Carlene Carter
Stronger
(Yep Roc)
Carlene Carter has taken quite a break from the music scene, not releasing any new material since 1996. It’s good to have one of America’s country royals back on stage.
As her mother, the legendary June Carter Cash, carried on before her, Carter has put her heart and soul into Stronger. With courage of conviction, she tackles heartache with "The Bitter End," as well as "Break My Little Heart in Two."
She’s been through a lot over the past decade, with the death of her mother, her famed stepfather Johnny Cash, sister Rosey, and longtime friend and companion Howie Epstein all in 2003 alone.
Carter’s testament to being "Stronger" is not taken lightly. She’s been through a lot and has still managed to use music as a beacon to come out on the other side.
The entire album marks a point in her life where Carter is ready to move forward. "Why Be Blue" is upbeat and kicks up banjo licks where appropriate and she makes use of the mandolin on "To Change Your Heart.
She also manages to throw in a welcomed tribute to Johnny Cash with "It Takes One to Know Me." Her voice has grown over the past decade, became a little deeper and raspier. It gives her more of an edge, and more honestly that other female country artist of her age miss. Carter’s sound has soul. But then again, given her upbringing and her family’s immense talent that rewrote rock’n’roll history books, Carter couldn’t be anything less.
~ Janelle Greenwood
Dear Life
Framework
(Uprising)
Dear Life, another singing/screaming, heavy/soft hybrid metal band obviously who was listening to a lot of Killswitch Engage, Mastadon and Unearth whilst they were recording this effort.
Framework is slightly better than the average run-of-the-mill metalcore record, as it lends itself to a more barren, bleaker sound. Dear Life tips the cap to classic driving hardcore with the oddly titled "Puppy Mills Breed Misery." Circle-pit-style breakdowns mixed with tried and true crowd engaging anthems make this song one of the standouts. But embracing that time period of hardcore isn’t the only thing the record does.
"The Architect" crushes with soaring hooks and dazzling guitar work, while the almost interlude-esque "Embrace" swoons and floats almost acoustically. This track is a nice break from the violence and it offers a false sense of security as "Icebergs" gets the listener right back into things.
As Framework plays on it takes on almost a Poison the Well type feel with epic sounding guitars and raspy, thumping vocals, not to mention all of the cleverly placed breakdowns. Dear Life almost should cite Converge as an influence as a lot of Framework comes across with a sweet and spicy feel.
~ Brian Campbell
Filter
Anthems of the Damned
(Pulse)
Filter spent six years doing various side projects between 2002’s Amalgamut and Anthems of the Damned, and you would think that they would show some rust after such an extended layoff, but they don’t.
"Soldiers of Misfortune" is a nice reminder of the classic alt-rock Filter sound right out of the gates, while the very next track, "What’s Next" sounds like something of a Short Bus b-side. Filter dabble in some heavy riffs with "Anthems," but still play the type of rock they have throughout their career – write an album full of big hooky choruses full of chunky guitars and towering sing-a-long anthems. You will also get your fill of "Take a Picture" style ballads ["Cold (Anthem of the Damned)," "Only You," "Can’t Stop This"], and what would a Filter record be without the songs you know you will hear on the radio? "Hatred Is Contagious" is the type of song that in of itself defines the record as a whole. The record’s final four tracks aren’t very memorable seem to get lost in the shuffle, but the record as whole deserves a listen.
~ Brian Campbell
Gazelle
Sunblown
(Hidden Agenda)
Sunblown is the first album from Gazelle, a super duo of Jeff Dimpsey (Hum, Honcho Overlord, Poster Children) and Adam Fein (Absinthe Blind), but the two musicians sound like they could have been playing together for years. The album is full of beautiful arrangements of electro-pop, mixtures of electronics and keyboards that flow together like a soundtrack to an artistic film. Although the music is atmospheric, it sometimes builds into danceable parts with dramatic peaks, inducing an electro-psychedelic exhilaration. The opener "Jets," for instance, begins with a few minutes of fast-paced full textures, and the last song "The First Rays," is another energetic peak, and also a catchy tune with contagious lyrics.
There are so many different sounds, done with keyboards, piano, guitar, synths, midis, and various other noise machines, that it might be tempting to call this an experimental album. However, everything on Sunblown fits together so naturally and easily, and there’s not a single place that sounds like the experiment "didn’t work." The distortion, vocal effects, and electronic and acoustic instruments blend together like the spewing of random material into a detailed form – a creation process Gazelle uses throughout the entire album. The songs merge into one another, and each becomes its own melody at some point before diverging into the next song.
Other highlights include the seven-minute blend of "Lineal" as well as "At Last, Friend," with its distorted piano notes and eerie vocal effects. Fein’s sister Erin (Headlights, Absinthe Blind) contributes vocals on "Phasedown," a slow, airy song. Dimpsey has said that they tried to make the album more cohesive, like albums used to be when produced in record format, and this flowing quality makes Sunblown sound like some kind of odyssey, with peaks, twists, and a revelation at the end.
~ Lisa Zyga
The Gits
The Best Of
(Adrenaline)
Sadly the Seattle band The Gits are better known for lead singer Mia Zapata being raped and murdered while on her way home from a Seattle pub July 7, 1993. The truth of the matter is, with their four full length albums (three after Zapata’s death), The Gits helped define the movement of what was to come roaring out of Seattle like a thunderous beast which was tagged as "grunge music."
After coming together in Ohio in 1986, the Gits (Zapata, guitarist Joe Spleen, drummer Steve Moriarty, and bassist Matt Dresdner,) moved to Seattle and were known for Zapata's balls out on-stage persona and aggressive vocals. Being 75 percent male, the Gits didn’t meet the criteria as a girl group, but Zapata personified the group in the eyes of many of their fans. Zapata became one of the major ring leaders that would be known as the riot grrrl movement.
Now, 15 years after Zapata’s death, the first ever anthology of the Gits material has been re-mastered and re-released in this 15 track collection. From the opening soulful cover of Sam Cooke’s "Change Is Gonna Come," to their rawkus "Guilt Within Your Head," and the rare live acoustic version of Zapata singing "Social Love." The Gits Best Of is look deep into the short-lived recording of one of Seattle’s finest. They also throw in rare live versions of "Another Shot of Whiskey," "Insecurities," and "Here's to Your Fuck" to give you a taste of Zapata’s live vocal prowess.
The albums these songs come from are long out of print, making this a cherished collection for any Gits fan. You get a look back on Zapata's energy, charisma, and strength as a singer and a person.
~ Jonathan Tuttle
Glorytellers
Self-Titled
(Southern)
Singer/songwriter Geoff Farina has been a staple in the indie rock genre for a long time, about fifteen years to be exact. Being the frontman for Karate not to mention his work with The Secret Stars, Ardecore, and his solo albums released under his name. Now he’s back in full force with ten delicately crafted songs with the moniker of Glorytellers. With each band, Farina has tried his hand at a slightly different sound. With Glorytellers, Farina has welded his past together, playing jazz influenced folk rock.
The band’s self titled debut album is a little hard to identify with as it is all over the place. Musically, there is no denying that Farina has always been able to lead a band to song writing success. But imagine combining the sounds of Karate, Owen, and hints of blues and avant psychedelic rock. While originality is an old concept to most musicians these days, Glorytellers have cooked up a really original sound here, but it might just be a little too original at times.
Lyrically, Farina is just as much of an open book as he’s always been. Heavily drenched in metaphors and entendres, half the time his lyrics read like Egyptian hieroglyphics to a four year old from Alaska . Don’t get me wrong, his music and lyrics are good, damn good in fact, they’re just coded.
All in all, Glorytellers is a jangly indie record that will both catch your attention and have you wrapped up tight or it will turn you away almost immediately. This is a very polarizing release - it is a toss up.
~ Shane Matthew Stiles
Gregor Samsa
Rest
(The Kora)
Gregor Samsa has gone a new direction with their sound this time around. Anyone who has listened to their five previous musical efforts knows that they’ve always been a band that has expanded their tracks with minimal sound, mostly with modern instruments, guitar, drums, etc. Though in the background they’ve hinted at their love for classical instruments, delicate and angelic in their usage; however, with Rest, Gregor Samsa has almost entirely abandoned the major use of guitars in favor of the piano and they’ve even thrown in a few new sounds into the fold, celesta, clarinet, classical voice and vibraphone.
In their new take on the adventurous world of instrumentation, Gregor Samsa developed a style that expounds the ambient style of music commonly referred to as post-rock, shoegaze, or experimental. Their wispy, airy composures are both hypnotic and intriguing, especially when accompanied by the gentle male/female vocals employed by Champ Bennett and Nikki King that are scattered about this album.
Though there aren’t any songs that jump off of the record at you, as it is hard to do on a record where there isn’t a bad track, there are highlights. Opening with "The Adolescent," they put their strongest and best foot forward immediately. The haunting melody that builds and fades into the breathy vocals is something of real glory. Moving down a few tracks you will hit "Abutting and Dismantling," a track worthy of sending chills down your spine. You can’t help but recall the likes of Sigur Ros, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, or Low, when listening to these songs.
It took the collective brain power of twelve musicians to write this album, combined with two engineers, one mixer and one person to master; to say that there wasn’t a lot of thought and love poured out on this album would be a fallacy of epic proportions. Continuing the theme from the songs to the packaging, Gregor Samsa continues their history of providing their fans with unordinary packaging. Contained within a black slipcase is an album and a plain brown cardboard insert that has been screen printed with the information for the record. It is just as minimalistic as their sound and a perfect accompaniment.
~ Shane Matthew Stiles
The Lodger
Life Is Sweet
(Slumberland)
Casually listening to the songs on Life is Sweet, they come off as quite poppy and happy. Fun, guitar-centric indie-pop, if you will. You wouldn’t be wrong for thinking that either. The music is quite simple and effectively catchy.
But, take a close examination of the lyrics, and you’ll see that things are not quite as peachy for these lads. The song "My Finest Hour" is the perfect example for this. Another update title to consider for the unassuming, but then digest lyrics like "Let’s see you without your make-up and try to clear up this mess/You’re crying but all that it takes up is both of our unhappiness." For such an upbeat, head-nodding song, things are just not looking so hot.
How about "A Hero’s Welcome" then? There must be a happy ending there, right? Not so much. The music may be calming, but the lyrics, they are not ("You could be holding out for celebrations/A party upon your return/But you’ll never get a hero’s welcome home, and that’s just something you have to learn") Ouch. Thankfully, there are songs, such as "Nothing Left (To Say)," whose title does not get your hopes up for a song that may have upbeat lyrics ("I’d never let you down/Even though you’ve let me down"). Ouch, what else did you expect?
Not to say that this somewhat masked depressing album is not enjoyable, for it is. Sure, the lyrics are bitter and upsetting, but The Lodger manages to make it fun. These guys echo Britpop through and through, and for me it’s hard to complain about that.
All eleven songs on Life is Sweet are fairly solid. The Lodger isn’t doing anything new here, just playing some bummed-out, upbeat music. The songs may not radiate with you for too long after a play, but during your listen, they are quite enjoyable.
~ Greg Walker
Lousy Robot
Smile Like You’re Somewhere Else
(Socyermom)
Some of the catchiest tunes you’ve heard in a while are here on Lousy Robot’s second album Smile Like You’re Somewhere Else, which is so full of fabulous post-punk pop gems that 29 minutes is just not long enough. The four Albuquerquen members of Lousy Robot have a knack for merging classic ‘60s-style hooks with bits of novel harmonies and fuzzy effects that make sure things don’t sound too conventional. Coupled with the great songwriting is Jim Phillips’ equally impressive, creative lyric writing, such as when he sings, "Whisky luck … and misery. It’s a weird disguise, like a beard of bees," on "Peppermint + Bitterness." Other songs have equally morose lyrics yet head-bopping music, with highlights including "A Way of Overstating" and "Help Me Count the Ways That I Say Yeah."
One quite beautiful piece, falling toward the end of the album, is a piano-driven tune called "Slower." It has that bare, gossamer quality that instantaneously calls your attention in the midst of the more upbeat tunes. Phillips’ scratchy, laid-back vocals are somewhat reminiscent of Kurt Cobain, but quieter.
But there is one aching flaw – or, possibly, irritating style? – that is painfully pronounced on "Slower," and appears throughout the album: the songs just end too quickly. It couldn’t hurt that much to sing the chorus a couple more times and play the instruments a little louder and bang some percussion things around for an extra 30 seconds, now could it? Sometimes the ends of songs sound just like the beginnings because the intensity just plateaus. On the other hand, Lousy Robot does seem to revel in their lo-fi, mellow mood, with a cool enjoyment of gloom, and maybe they prefer to stick to the notion that songs exceeding three minutes suffer from vain embellishment. But, despite this one annoyance, the album is still very enjoyable to listen to.
~ Lisa Zyga
Adam Marsland
Daylight Kissing Night: Adam Marsland’s Greatest Hits
(Karma Frog)
Despite having reviewed music for about 15 years now, I still get an admittedly naïve sense of excitement in the seconds before I load up a new CD that’s been sent to me, particularly if it’s from by someone I’ve never heard anything about. There's a part of me that always hopes I’m going to be blown away by this amazing new artist and fall in love with the record by track two. It’s safe to say the greatest hits collection by Adam Marsland has managed to chip away at some of that naivety and jerk me into reality. The term meritocracy was created for musicians like this. It’s never a good sign when you have no idea who the musician is and they have 20 songs on a "greatest hits" record. Seven albums (yes SEVEN albums) into his career and the end result is a collection of drab alt rock tracks and a couple of boring, though pleasant enough acoustic sing-alongs.
~ John B. Moore
Mindless Self Indulgence
If
(The End)
Everyone's favorite paraphilic band is back at it. Top? Bottom? Dom? Sub? It doesn't matter. There's something for the id within all of us. "Never Wanted to Dance" blasts the usual chords and synth arrangements. "Lights Out" rumbles with frenetic bass and Jimmy Urine's lightning-fast delivery. "Issues" is a delightful romp in narcissism, complete with the logic of, "It's 3:00 a.m., she won't put out./Let's go make out with her friends./Make out with her friends' friends." "Get It Up" is an unexpected anthem to the unsexy, most likely unintentionally, considering the tongue-in-cheek (among other places) lyrics "I wanna make some babies./I wanna get it on./I wanna make you horny, but I can't get it up."
"Revenge" opens with a catchy cheerleader taunt followed by Jimmy Urine's screaming and panting like a dog in heat, leading to the carnal "Animal." For the most part, If is a sweaty, dirty affair that the listener will keep going back to, always coming up with the excuse of being too drunk the night before to know better.
~ Valerie Enriquez
Mudhoney
The Lucky Ones
(Sub Pop)
If you look over Mudhoney’s catalogue there really isn’t a bad record there. None of the albums are throwaways. Some things never change and in the case of Mudhoney’s latest album The Lucky Ones it’s a good thing. The Mark Arm-fronted quartet has churned out another album worthy of some time on your iPod.
The album’s title track is one of the best songs on the album. It is not only loaded with social commentary ("the lucky ones are not around, the lucky ones have already gone down") but features a catchy as can be chorus with an obligatory dose of Steve Turner’s fuzzed up guitars. "What’s This Thing?" is a true garage rocker with a lone riff and minimal drums and "Tales Of Terror" is classic Mudhoney - aggressive and raw. Continuing with a loose theme on the record, "Tales Of Tower" also has its fair share of commentary, "down on the ground, down on the floor, don’t really know what we’re looking for," yelps Arm. The album’s final track "New Meaning," a short but sweet rocker, is where I must thank Mudhoney for not selling fans short with a ballad or watered down filler track to close out their album. While The Lucky Ones is Mudhoney’s latest album, it’s not a bad place to start turning new fans onto the band. They can always work their way backwards to find all of the other great albums.
~ Richie Pirone
Mudhoney
Superfuzz Bigmuff
(Sub Pop)
Mudhoney was supposed to be Nirvana. Instead of embracing their opportunities to have widespread commercial success and become the biggest band out of Seattle, Mudhoney shunned it in such a way that has left them as critics’ darlings for the past two decades. Superfuzz Bigmuff is a retrospective look at the Mudhoney’s career up until this point. The compilation features the obvious "hit" in "Touch Me I’m Sick" but beyond that it dives into the Mudhoney catalogue of tunes that grab hold and just won’t let your ears go. Some gems on the compilation include "Need," "In ‘n’ Out Of Grace," and "Hate The Police."
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the deluxe edition of the release and this is the real gem as it includes a second disc that features live performances from Berlin and Santa Barbara in 1988. For those who discovered Mudhoney too late or simply haven’t had the chance to see them live thanks to their limited touring schedule this disc will open up a new dimension to the band. Mark Arm’s yelps are rawer live than on record if that’s even possible and songs that normally would have a laid back beat take on a new life with driving beats (check "Mudride"). It’s always tough to justify buying a greatest hits record, which is the best thing to call this album, but it’s this second disc that really makes it worth the few extra bucks required for the deluxe edition.
~ Richie Pirone
My Brightest Diamond
A Thousand Shark's Teeth
(Asthmatic Kitty)
"Inside a Boy" opens with grandiose lyrics conveyed by the familiar ethereal voice of Shara Worden floating through epic soundscapes of guitars and strings. Yet this is a more subdued album than Bring Me the Workhorse. More chamber than rock, Worden's vocals soar higher than ever, taking the listener to the cosmos and beyond.
On tracks like "If I Were Queen" and "Apples," Worden visits familiar childhood places with wistful longing and lyrics like, "If I were queen/then you and I'd be neighbors. I'd have you over for donuts and tea" or "Once we took apples from my grandfather's tree."
Yet the latter half of the album returns to the dark places from where love and loss come. "From the Top of the World," "Black & Costaud," "To Pluto's Moon," "Bass Player," all hum and throb, pulling the listener in with cellos and bassoons, basses and the occasional sparkle of harps.
Overall, the album is a gorgeous and sensuous listen, sort of like putting on formal wear and dancing outside during a summer rain shower.
~ Valerie Enriquez
Pagans
The Blue Album
(Smog Veil)
With all its sludgy, filthy, raw components of old punk, the foremost thing that listening to the Pagans’ The Blue Album will do is make you smile. These were "the days," and even if you weren’t around then, anyone can appreciate the energetic, pure authenticity of bands like the Pagans, whose main idols were also their contemporaries.
The Blue Album is the 11 full-length from the Cleveland band, and first since 2001. During its short "official" existence from 1977-1979, the band never released an LP, just three singles. After breaking up, they released a few old live shows, which made enough of an impact to persuade them to occasionally play live. The Blue Album, featuring three of the four original members, is from one of these superb reckless nights, in Madison, Wi, circa 1988. Punk fans – and anyone who enjoys some old unrefined music-making – owe a great debt of gratitude to whoever recorded and whoever dug up this recording of all previously unreleased tracks to share it 20 years later.
Clocking in at just less than 20 minutes, the album is short but very sweet. Lead singer Michael Hudson sounds just sober enough to get the lyrics right, and his raspy, snarling voice sings like there is no tomorrow. (Hudson, now a journalist, recently wrote the auto-bio "Diary of a Punk: Life and Death in the Pagans" chronicling the Cleveland punk scene in the ‘70s.) Hudson’s between-song remarks are charmingly inappropriate ("…this girl came from Spain to Cleveland…he was in love with her, and then she committed suicide and it fucked up his whole life, hahahaha, and this song is about it!") and funny ("this is a tender love ballad from the early ‘60s"), and the lyrics are probably just as good, albeit not fully audible. "She’s a Cadaver" ("and I’d like to have her") is so purposefully offensive that it’s fun, and the balladic "Us and All Our Friends are So Messed Up" sums up the album with a filthily beautiful three-chord melody that makes you want to relive memories of things, even if you never did them.
~ Lisa Zyga
Radiohead
The Best of/Special Edition
(Capitol)
Best of albums are somewhat of a two-way street. On one hand, the good ones can introduce a band with an amazing catalogue, such as Radiohead, to a novice who may only know a few hits albeit there were more than likely radio edits. Also, for the experienced fan, it’s a current reminder of songs that maybe haven’t received recent play on the iPod.
Then again, the obvious question is raised and ultimately answered when a great band leaves their major label and the corporate suits want to squeeze whatever residual income they can get from the band. Even former pop tart Mandy Moore thought it was hilarious that Epic could manage to create a best of album from two songs.
Fortunately, this compilation wonderfully encapsulates the spectrum that is Radiohead, prior to In Rainbows, including "Creep," "Karma Police," and "High and Dry."
The tastiest part of dual-set, however, is the 13 tracks on the second CD, filled with great B sides like "Talk Show Host" and personal favorite "Exit Music for a Film."
The albums are scattered among the two CDs and some get more attention than others, like OK Computer.
Overall, this set may be a way for the Capitol to make some money and it’s a shame that In Rainbows genius can’t be included in this collection. But this two-piece set does accomplishes a goal that supersedes one of financial gain.
It reminds us that Radiohead was one of the most influential bands of the 1990s and that they have paved the way for innovation and change in music. They didn’t always follow the beat of their own drum, and that’s what makes them so great. If The Best of/Special Edition reminds us of that, then that’s fine with me.
~ Janelle Greenwood
16 Horsepower
Live March 2001
(Alternative Tentacles)
It seems a bit odd that a band that has been together just over a decade already has two live albums to its name. The California, by way of Colorado alt-country band 16 Horsepower was always more of word-of-mouth band for trendy indie kids despite its one time residency on the roster at A&M Records, so chances are followers of the group already own a copy of their first live record, the 2001 release Hoarse. The sound quality on the 10 track, Live March 2001 is stellar, but there is little to differentiate the songs from their original studio recordings, aside from some tame audience applause after each track.
~ John B. Moore
Sloan
Parallel Play
(Yep Roc)
When they first came out in the 90’s Sloan was hailed by many as the second coming of power pop greats like Big Star. The Canadians did have some great songs, but could never really live up to the rock journalist-created hype. Unlike their 30-song album that preceded it a few years ago, Parallel Play is a far less pretentious effort with a couple of strong tracks that could have made it on their already-released greatest hits record (Burn For It is part Big Star, part ELO). With their latest, the band is still writing decent enough sunny power pop ditties that will please long time fans, but likely not win over anyone who was able to resist their earlier efforts.
~ John B. Moore
Story of the Year
The Black Swan
(Epitaph)
Story of the Year has been sort of a chameleon throughout the years. Their most popular, electric debut Page Avenue had a marketable screamo sound that brought their best success, then the follow-up, In the Wake of Determination, failed to live up to the hype but offered a much different breakdown laced, metal sound, and now with their third offering, The Black Swan, Story of the Year reemerge with a fist pounding anthemic album full of songs meant to incite the masses. Well, it falls a little short of that, but still.
They tried to return to their roots by bringing back Page Avenue’s John Feldmann to produce The Black Swan, and while it shows, the plan doesn’t completely work. The Black Swan is a good album, and is probably the best modern rock the boys have written to date. The guitars are swirling, the vocals are dominating, and the drumming is steadfast. The record is well balanced and full of towering choruses, sing-a-long anthems and fist-clenching marches ("Wake Up," "The Black Swan," "Apathy Is a Deathwish").
The Black Swan isn’t their best record, but with a new sound and a new attitude, it should go a long way to defining them as a band. Story of the Year continues to reinvent their sound and themselves as a band, and it will be interesting to see where they go next.
~ Brian Campbell
The Submarines
Honeysuckle Weeks
(Nettwerk)
Hip-SoCal-popsters are all over The Submarines, the Weepies-like, boy-girl duo that showed up via (sigh) "Grey’s Anatomy" and had done the NPR interview and released an iTunes exclusive cut before most 20-somethings could get an intelligent blog post sketched up in draft.
The sound is Fiest meets Postal Service with a touch more cheese, which is what you’d expect from a love-struck couple that produced their first album by breaking up and simultaneously penning songs about it. Back together, their second effort Honeysuckle Weeks proves that John Dragonetti knows his programming—his beat loops and square-wave tones (beep! boop!) provide the arcade layer and fun, while Blake Hazard (she’s the girl) slips the in the poppy charm. Though both sing, Hazard’s vocals dominate the tracks with cute-smart lyrics about a relationship that went bad for a time but is happily back on course. Occasionally gag-able ("Every day I wake up/I chose love/I chose light,") but not infrequently insightful ("maybe we’re strong, but maybe, maybe we’re wrong,") the pop duo finds the hook buried in every song and charts it with las, ahs, and the occasional underwater glockenspiel.
While I could do without a few of the extra claps, the couple is enigmatic (she’s the great-granddaughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald) and have an electronic whiz-kid thing that’s tightly produced and even Beatles-aware. Toss in a few more socially conscious themes ("You, Me, and the Bourgeois" dogs plastic bottles and sweatshop clothing) and The Submarines dive deep enough for a second play.
~ Chris Ridgeway
Anna Ternheim
Halfway to Fivepoints
(Universal/Decca)
If you’re easily addicted to sad songs, it’ll be hard to listen to Anna Ternheim’s somber voice and lyrics just once. She can write about sadness with that small underlying spark of something positive that makes the melancholy tolerable. This album is the Swedish singer-songwriter’s third full-length album, but first to be released in the US, and hopefully more people here will have the chance to enjoy what her country has. She’s been highly appreciated in her homeland, with her first album from 2004 winning a Swedish Grammy (Best Newcomer), and her second album winning two more (Best Female Artist, Best Lyricist).
Halfway to Fivepoints is driven by Ternheim’s slow, dark voice and romantically somber lyrics. But the instruments – piano, guitar, and a range of muffled percussion including claves, tambourine, xylophone, and glockenspiel – provide the perfect dreamy backdrop to her poetic songwriting. The way she strings together simple words to create complex pictures creates a contemplative mood. Within moments, her personal stories resonate with just about anyone. You probably have no idea where "Fivepoints" is, but the intimate way Ternheim sings of getting there definitely makes it sound like it’s somewhere you know, even if halfway is "as far as you’ll go."
Some of the best, more upbeat songs are in the first half of the album, while the later songs become slower and quieter, more appropriate for listening to alone. Early songs such as "Bridges," where the piano notes give the song a fantasy-like feel, and "Today is a Good Day" strike the deepest with Ternheim’s enchanting lyrics and catchy melodies. The latter is one of the most uplifting songs on the album (despite it being about a break-up), but it sounds downright joyful next to the standard depressing tunes (which have titles like "You Mean Nothing to Me Anymore"). If you appreciate having someone to relate to when in a melancholy mood, Ternheim’s songs will be a close companion.
~ Lisa Zyga
The Unemployed Misfortune
Fuck Work
(Self-Released)
You’ve got to hand it to the Japanese – they always tend to be a couple of steps ahead of America when it comes to power pop. The brilliant first full length from Chicago power poppers The Unemployed Misfortune, for example, already found a distributor in the land of the rising sun, before a U.S. label finally wised up and decide to release it here. The album is almost worth buying just for the cover of "Love is Strange" alone but the 13 other tracks are almost nearly as brilliant. The lyrics are a tad bit juvenile, but fun none the less. Thanks to a crop of younger bands like The Unemployed Misfortune, and a handful of others like The Tattletales and Motion City Soundtrack, power pop will thankfully be around for at least another generation.
~ John B. Moore
Unicycle Loves You
Self-Titled
(Highwheel)
Unicycle Loves You, along with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse and Iron and Wine) have managed to put together an overwhelmingly stellar debut. Their sound is frenetic. On any given song, there is so much to hear. So many nuances that demand further listening. Their style can be compared to psychedelic, new-wave and indie rock, but to me, it sounds like they bottled these genres up into one of the tastiest new beverages of 2008.
Unicycle Loves You’s brand of fun demands the attention of your ears. There really is no clunker on this album. One of the stand-outs of the bunch has to be "Dollars + Cents." The song starts with a thumping exchanged between instruments only to build up to exuberant highs, back down again and finishing with one of the catchiest outros you’re going to find in songs today with some fantastic lyrics ("Margot won’t do what her friends won’t do/She’s always at the bottoms/She’s got an east coast accent, curly hair/And makes we want to go out and drink"). There’s a lot here to soak in.
The band seems to hit all the right notes throughout the album. On songs such as "Under 18," bassist Nicole Vitale compliments singer Jim Carroll quite excellently with back and forth lyrics that seem wrong, but sound oh so right ("You know, I’ve been told all these things before/somebody told me not to look at those girls ‘cause they were under 18). Even just having Vitale warmly repeating the word Hawaii over and over in the background while Carroll laments about sailing away with a girl on "Hawaii!" perfectly compliments the song and makes it just that much catchier.
The 10 songs here are quite the joy to listen to, and you can tell the band had a blast putting all of these arrangements together. The album starts off extremely strong with the quirky, yet rocking, "Great Bargains for Seniors" and finishes with an all out freak-out session wall of sound on "Dangerous Decade." With a debut this strong, you wonder how Unicycle Loves You can possibly top this fantastic output.
~ Greg Walker
Upwell
$ell the Sky
(Self-Released)
Upwell’s $ell the Sky is an interesting animal. What I mean by that is, you’re never too certain of just what is around the next corner. At times it comes over brooding and electric like something Drain STH left behind, others it wails like Mindless Self Indulgence, and then at other times it sounds like Dog Fashion Disco.
It’s a different sound for sure. It’s not quite rock, not quite metal, but falls somewhere in-between. At ten tracks $ell the Sky plays quick, and definitely doesn’t fade or bore along the way. The female vocals of Michelle Pavcovich are a strong touch throughout, and the guitar work of Steve Schneider will keep you guessing. His guitars are towering and throughout all of the odd-timing changes and chucky bass lines, Upwell doesn’t forget how to write an accessible hook. "44229868" might be the best track on the record through its smoky, almost Southern style vocals, menacing guitar work and unwavering drumming. Upwell understand that a good record is also a complete record, and that’s just what $ell the Sky is, a complete record with well-built tracks from beginning to end.
I wouldn’t say $ell the Sky is for everyone, but those looking for a fresh sound (like me) will want to take a chance on it. It is one of the better records I have heard from a band hailing from Seattle in some time.
~ Brian Campbell
Astrid Williamson
Boy For You
(One Little Indian)
Malcom Burn has been around for a while. The storied producer/engineer has spun the knobs and even strummed along with legends from Bob Dylan (1989’s Oh Mercy) to Emmy Lou Harris (Red Dirt Girl won a Grammy). And maybe he’s the reason Scottish Astrid Williamson’s ten-year-old cut Boy For You is being given a second chance on our side of the Atlantic. The US distribution is by One Little Indian (think Bjork), and is receiving some critical reception despite the late release.
While the production is professional, the studio-keyboard saturation falls on these ears like acoustic pop travelling in from the previous decade. Dated bass lines ruin "What Do You…" and "If I Loved You," and I almost have to shut off "Sing For Me" when the keyboard-fingered trumpet jumps in. The fake strings and trapped loops aren’t as much moody as mild—Amy Grant playing on the IHOP Muzak channel.
Still, I think I can rescue Boy For You from the barrel where at least half the disc belongs. Her savior is her honest voice, verbal and assured. Cracking through especially "World at Your Feet" and the title cut "I Am the Boy For You," Williamson isn’t sweet as much as edged and controlled, breaking and sexual in just the right places. Boy For You isn’t for me, but less-picky listeners might enjoy Williamson as a Euro-poppier Indigo Girls contemporary.
~ Chris Ridgeway
Wolf Parade
At Mt Zoomer
(Sub Pop)
It is my firm belief that Wolf Parade is underrated. Their 2005 Sub Pop debut Apologies to Queen Mary was a new sound in an overly saturated genre, which was a big accomplishment considering how many rock bands come into existence every year (or every minute). This year’s follow up, At Mt Zoomer, is more playful and more self-assured showing that Wolf Parade have found their grove and expanded fiercely and with abandon. While Apologies was immediately interesting yet self conscious, Mt Zoomer is confident and instrumentally tight. The sophomore release continues in the tradition WP began, with more jingles and jangles, some experimentation but mostly steady at hand. On the downside, their professionalism sacrifices the more interesting dramatic moments that were such a vital part of their debut. All of the members have been busy with a myriad of side projects (Handsome Furs stunning debut, most notably), and perhaps that has played a role in either distracting or influencing, but the cohesiveness of the debut is lacking on Mt Zoomer. Recognizing that it is important to see the records as two separate entities, Mt Zoomer is a grower, with no immediately stand out hits that takes several listens to comprehend. It snakes back and forth between the more upbeat and the slower, thoughtful tracks. The second song, "Call It a Ritual," has the group chanting vocals reflective of the ritualistic nature of the song, a subtlety that the listener will appreciate. "Fine Young Cannibals" rounds out the album with a catchy bounce beat, and the 11 minute "Kissing the Beehive" finishes it all with a slow burn. This album is overall a worthy follow up but one that takes time to appreciate.
~ Judy Nelson
Various Artists
A Tribute to Seaweed: Hours and Hours
(Engineer)
Tacoma, Washington’s Seaweed was one of those bands that got lost in the shuffle of the "grunge movement" even though they weren’t really grunge and their debut was out well before anyone knew who Nirvana or Pearl Jam were.
The punk infused band released a smattering of singles on local labels like Leopard Gecko, K Records and Sub Pop. They totaled six full lengths including their only major label release Spanaway in 1995 and their final album Actions & Indications released on Merge in 1999.
Now nearly a decade after their demise Engineer Records is paying homage to one of the most underrated bands to ever come out of the greater Northwest.
The 17-track release kicks off with an in your face version of "Start With" rocked out by Ryan Mills of Kover then the disc thunders along with Four Star Alarm doing a masterful job with the song "Steadfast Shrine" for a nice one-two opener.
Favez does an expert job at cranking out the Seaweed classic "Free Drug Zone" and Elemae put their raw energy and emotions into "Magic Mountainman." Another standout track is "Kid Candy" from The Action Design. The track stands out from the rest because it is a punk pop gem lead by the female vocals of Emily Whitehurst. Members of We’re All Broken, Thursday and The Gaslight Anthem team up to call themselves The Porter and play a angry scream version of "Common Mistake" and The Fire Still Burns pays respect the track "Crush Us All," which if you didn’t know it you might think this was Samiam or Bad Religion. The album closes with the heavy hitting guitars and distorted vocals of Rob Avery of Boysetsfire doing a dark punk version of "Losing Skin."
Overall Engineer Records’ A Tribute to Seaweed: Hours and Hours is a must have for all Seaweed fans and new school punkers who want to revisit the glory of the 90s when music was raw, meaningful and one hell of a good time.
~ Jonathan Tuttle
Various Artists
Cinnamon Girl: Women Artists Cover Neil Young For Charity
(American Laundromat)
This two-disc 21-one song benefit has some of the best female performers in the indie rock genre covering classic Neil Young songs(1969 to 1979) all in the name of charity.
Young has his unique style of singing with his falsetto, restless vocals and simple song structures. This plays into the hands of these female singers, but what is hard to capture is the heart and soul Young is known for in his songs. This is a particularly hard element to capture when covering someone else’s music. That being said, there are a lot more hits than misses out of the 21 songs collected here.
The first disc kicks off with the one-two punch of "Heart of Gold" performed by Tanya Donnelly and the spaghetti western style version of "I Am a Child" elegantly sung by Britta Phillips. Folk-country crooner Lori McKenna’s hauntingly beautiful version of "The "Needle and the Damage Done" is worthy of a nomination of best song off the entire package. Jill Sobule teams up with the legendary John Doe for the banjo-driven "Down by the River" which is silky smooth like a good drink and Veruca Salt follows that with a balls-out rocker for the song "Burned." A big surprise (for me at least) was Josie Cotton’s lovely rendition of "Cowgirl in the Sand"
The second disc kicks off with the fleshed out (but not straying to far from the original) title track "Cinnamon Girl" by Euro-Trash Girl. Elk City churns out a slow paced and soulful version of "Helpless," while Veruca Salt front woman Louise Post returns for a solo rendition of "Sugar Mountain," which is the best song on disc two. Former Throwing Muses member Kristin Hersh does a fantastic ghostly performance of "Like a Hurricane" and the album closes out with an upbeat pop rocker "Walk On" performed by Heidi Gluck (Pieces, Some Girls The Only Children).
A couple of side notes to this nice collection are the Neil Young staple "Ohio" is the only track to be covered twice. Darcie Miner does a killer rock version on the first disc and Dala does a piano-based version on the second disc. Amilia K. Spicer does a nice version of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" but I would have much rather heard the Juliana Hatfield version on here.
~ Jonathan Tuttle
That's it for Issue 30's CD Reviews. Have you read last month's? Continue reading in Issue 29's CD Reviews in the Archives.
