New Music Reviews
Reviews Archive |
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| N.E.R.D. Seeing Sounds    |
The Fratellis Here We Stand |
Los Lonely Boys Forgiven |
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| The Black Ghosts The Black Ghosts |
The Charlatans You Cross My Path (Deluxe Edition) |
Mötley Crüe Saints of Los Angeles |
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| KRS-One Maximum Strength 2008 |
Scarlett Johansson Anywhere I Lay My Head |
This Car Up Smile When You’re Alone |
David Bowie: Live Santa Monica ‘72
Foxboro Hot Tubs: Stop Drop and Roll!!!
The Hold Steady: Stay Positive
Julianne Hough: Julianne Hough
John Mayer: Where the Light Is: Live in Los Angeles
Meat Beat Manifesto: Autoimmune
John Mellencamp: Life Death Love and Freedom
Return to Forever: The Anthology
Ron Sexsmith: Exit Strategy of the Soul
Weezer: Weezer (The Red Album)
Bullz-Eye Recommends
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| My Morning Jacket Evil Urges |
Dennis Wilson Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition |
Elvis Costello and the Imposters Momofuku |
Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely
From the Archives
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| The Fratellis Costello Music |
The Charlatans UK Simpatico |
Kenna Make Sure They See My Face |
CD Quick Takes
More QuickTakes / QuickTakes ArchiveThe Black Kids: Partie Automatic
There is a strong case to be made here for the importance of sequencing. The track listing for Partie Automatic, the debut album from Florida synth-rockers the Black Kids, paints the band into a corner before they’ve had a chance to spread their wings. Opening songs “Hit the Heartbreaks” and the title track are serviceable enough, but it’s the third track that throws everything out of whack: The weedier-than-weedy “Listen to Your Body Tonight” has no business whatsoever in the three-hole; that slot is tailor-made for lead single “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You,” which would have propped up everything on either side of it. Instead, “Boyfriend” is batting seventh, behind the girl group-ish “I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again),” which feels like an answer record to the Pipettes. Granted, those two songs work really well together, but is anyone still listening by this point? Lead singer Reggie Youngblood has a few different speeds, but his strained Robert Smithisms dominate the front half, making the album a more laborious listen than it needs to be. Our suggestion: re-sequence the album, and replace “Listen to Your Body Tonight” with their cover of Sophie B. Hawkins’ “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover.” Everyone loves a cover version, right? (Columbia)
David Medsker
7/18/2008
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Jon Peter Lewis: Break the Silence
Yeah, he was a contestant on “American Idol,” but don’t expect Manilow levels of showbiz schmaltz from Jon Peter Lewis’ sophomore release, Break the Silence – for better or worse, he identifies far more strongly with slightly rockin’ singer/songwriters like Richard Marx. Fortunately, he’s absorbed more from his influences than the ability to be tasteful; Silence is stacked with unexpectedly ingratiating melodies, put across by Peters’ clear, graceful vocals and abetted by a band of session ringers that includes drummer Kenny Aronoff, guitarist Tim Pierce, and studio utility infielder Charles Judge. More convincing than Clay Aiken and more entertaining than Daughtry, Lewis should be on the Top 40 instead of selling his wares on a piddling little indie label – really, the set’s only major problem is Lewis’ occasional dependence on platitudes like ”Even in your darkest hour / You’re still beautiful.” Well, that and the fact that he’s the millionth person to cover Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love” – but if you’ve got a weakness for soaring melodies and impeccably arranged pop-rock, you’ll be willing to forgive these minor trespasses. It’s a minor gem, but Break the Silence still shines brightly. (Cockaroo 2008)
Jeff Giles
7/18/2008
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Paper Route: Are We All Forgotten EP
The most shocking thing about Are We All Forgotten, the perky little EP from the Nashville quartet Paper Route, is the label that’s daring to release it. Apparently, Universal Motown didn’t get the memo that, as Eminem once bluntly put it, nobody listen to techno. Their “mistake,” as it were, is our gain, because this is one nifty collection of ambient electronic pop. The title song is the clear standout, armed with a skittery drum track and more jangly guitar than that entire La’s album. Lead singer Chad Howat’s tenor has a bit of Carl Newman to it at times, notably on “Empty House,” and the band is keen to balance the earnestness of the lyrics with plenty of ‘hoo hoos’ and ‘ha has.’ Gorgeous stuff. Looking forward to the full-length album. (Low Altitude/Universal Motown)
David Medsker
7/18/2008
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Greg Laswell: Three Flights from Alto Nido
The six-song EP Laswell released earlier this year, How the Day Sounds, suggested vast landscapes of promise for Greg Laswell – so much promise, in fact, that it seemed altogether unlikely he’d be able to fulfill it all with the full-length follow-up. He doesn’t buck the odds here — Three Flights from Alto Nido is solid overall, and even close to brilliant in spots, but wide swaths of it are perfectly unmemorable in a perfectly pleasant way. Musically, Laswell is a blend of Ron Sexsmith and Coldplay, but he lacks the immediate emotional resonance of either; too much of the album glides past without lasting impact. But when he’s on, he’s on – “ “How the Day Sounds” is the greatest song that U2 never wrote, and tracks like “That It Moves” and “I’d Be Lying” soar on the strength of Laswell’s airy vocals and way with an elegantly catchy melody. For songs about such profound emotions, though, these recordings are curiously stately – almost airless. Part of the blame can be lain at the feet of Laswell’s fondness for GarageBand recording, but that’s just one symptom of a larger problem. There’s a bleeding heart lurking beneath all these layers of cool porcelain; with enough time, here’s hoping Laswell learns how to let it show. (Vanguard 2008)
Jeff Giles
7/18/2008
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Hit the Lights: Skip School, Start Fights
There is an episode of “The Simpsons” where a record producer has Bart, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph sing into microphones that are hooked up to a machine that makes them sound like N’Sync (“Thank you, NASA,” the producer says). After listening to Hit the Lights’ Skip School, Start Fights, you will be inclined to believe that this machine actually exists, and nearly every emo band that put out an album in the last five years has used it. The problem is that instead of sounding like Justin Timberlake, you get a nasal, whiny, pinched tenor (must still be in the beta testing stage). Hit the Lights are not awful, mind you; they’re just unoriginal and derivative. Their songs are a series of Something Corporate-style vocals melded to breakdowns straight from your favorite My Chemical Romance song, so if you like that sort of thing, then odds are you’ll like this, too. But don’t let that album title fool you: the last thing these boys want to do is cause trouble. They sing of sobering up and staying out all night, getting you to break up with your miserable whore of a girlfriend, and getting out of “this bitter town,” presumably the band’s hometown of Lima, OH. They’re trying to sound like angst-ridden tough guys, but they’re far too cute and harmless to pass for menacing. It makes you wonder if they are even aware that their band name is a Metallica song. (EastWest)
David Medsker
7/18/2008
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Wes Montgomery: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery – Keepnews Collection
It’s all too easy to forget what someone like Wes Montgomery meant to the guitar itself, and not just jazz guitar specifically. Concord’s Keepnews Collection, spotlighting milestones in the career of jazz producer Orrin Keepnews with 24-bit remastered sound and new liner notes from Keepnews himself, slips out a reminder with the series’ entry for The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery. Traditionally cited as Montgomery’s best studio album, it’s easy to hear why. Unlike his later recordings for Verve and A&M, which were often bloated by strings and other extraneous elements for a more pop-friendly sound, this landmark 1960 session finds Montgomery backed by a crack rhythm section – pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath – and nothing more. The quartet storms through six originals and two standards, and Montgomery’s trademark flying octaves are all over the place. His leads always sound effortless and simple, but just try playing them yourself with the style and grace with which Montgomery applies. He was one of a kind, and an inspiration to countless jazz guitarists for reasons that Incredible Jazz Guitar articulates clearly, succinctly and enjoyably. (Riverside/Concord 2008)
Michael Fortes
7/18/2008
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