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Sarah Jaffe – Suburban Nature

James Brady — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:43:38 +0000

I’m writing this review amidst my third listen of this album. Sarah Jaffe’s debut full length Suburban Nature, available in stores May, is one of many emotions, defiance, complacency and an attitude brought to the forefront either from experience or years of refining fake emotion.

With Sarah, it certainly feels like the former. She prides herself on not having many barriers in her music, prides herself in singing truth and nothing else. Define it what you will, she says, but within all definitions remember that she sings what comes naturally, and has come naturally to her ever since she was very young. I’ve found that when life experiences and natural talent combine it results in a voice that sounds sweeter, a medley that accentuates with more finnese, and a message that delivers with pointed accuracy.

When it comes to the music, it meets the expectations above, but I have to make one thing clear before I continue. This album is a grower, in its entirety. I found that from the first track to the end, it got progressively better, and listening to the album on loop the first track sounded better than it did the first time around. My initial feeling was that this CD wasnt for me, but it grew on me, and fast.

Sarah Jaffe is a singer-songwriter and Suburban Nature easily falls into the indie/folk category, but it was a lighter, less charistmatic branch that I’ve never felt at home listening to. It’s a testemant, then, to just how good Jaffe’s voice is and how…. inrtuiging it ends up being in the end. I will usually recommend things “to fans of the genre” but in this case, I wasn’t, and I enjoyed it. So what then?

Well I’ll talk a little bit more about specific tracks. I believe the biggest flaw with Suburban Nature is how it begins. The opening track seems completely out of place, and is the only of the 14 tracks that I can say I wouldn’t recommend. But it’s not a blight on the album itself, it’s just generally important for say, people who don’t research and read reviews to be hooked by the opening track. I assure you it’s nothing but better from here on.

“Clementine” is a track to listen to if you’re wondering whether or not you’ll like the album. It’s got some pace to it, and Sarah’s voice is accompanied by a nice musical line to go along, something that not every track on the album has. By this I mean, it’s very obviously her voice holding it all together throughout the album, the highlight of each track.

It’s not a bad thing, her voice is fantastic and moving, and I’ve mentioned it several times thusfar and hope that you take note of the fact when I say I have to wonder about the composition on some levels. A few of the tracks such as “Pretender”, “Stay WIth Me”, and “Wreaking Havoc” seem almost incomplete at times.

But for every one of those tracks, you have one like “Vulernable” and one like “Swelling”, which feel exactly what Sarah hopes them to be. They are emotional, they hook you and convey feelings with ease, and both are carried solely on the brunt of Sarah’s soft voice. The instrumentals are second fiddle throughout the album, and on some tracks it’s not so good while on others it wouldn’t work any other way and is fantastic.

“Vulnerable” and “Watch Me Fall Apart” are my favorite tracks on the album. They’re simple tracks, with a simple message that may or may not be cliche to you. It was to me, but that didn’t matter one bit, I sat back, I bobbed my head along slowly and enjoyed every second.

To summarize, Suburban Nature is an album I was able to get behind with just a short bit of patience and an open mind. Fans of hers will be absolutely ecstatic with, what would be a perfect album to them. Fans of the genre would do well to pick this up and give it a few listens. She is a great talent, and in making music that speaks to her, makes music that speaks to everyone. is probably a buy for those of you already familiar with Sarah Jaffe, and something you should check out either way if you are a fan of the more subdued indie and folk music.

VERDICT

River City Extension – The Unmistakable Man

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:36:12 +0000

The release of The Unmistakable Man is not just another album that will be floating around in obscurity. This will put this New Jersey eight-piece band on the map, likely skyrocketing them to new heights they’ve never dreamed of before. For as much heart and soul they convey on this record, they deserve every last bit of it.

We begin with an ambient intro titled after the album’s namesake, with string instruments resting on sound clips from old-timey speeches, similar to the atmospheric touch that Titus Andronicus was going for in The Monitor. However, what follows, is one of the strongest opening tracks I’ve heard all year, truly grabbing your attention with the storytelling lyrics.

“Friends & Family” seems to be almost a soliloquy of thoughts that not only the musicians in RCE might have, but could also be interpreted from a perspective that many people could relate to, for non-fans and long-time followers of Folk music alike. The presentation is incredible, hooking you immediately along, as if someone was extending their arm out and grabbing you aboard a train ride of an experience.

The instruments plateau to a climax towards the end of the song, as Joseph Michellini bellows out in pure emotion “Please forgive me,I wanna go home!” it is one wild, adrenaline-rush of a song.

This musical journey doesn’t let up with the next track either, “Something Salty, Something Sweet” channeling the first of many orchestral harmonies and melodies to greet us along the way. It almost reminds me of a more high-tempo, cheerful Arcade Fire in certain sections. The chorus slipping out into the distance, allowing the guitars, horns, and percussion to take center stage, all the while the vocals slowly seeping back in again.

You can’t help but feel the urge to sing or whistle along to the tune! “South For The Winter” gives us a look at the softer, more intimate side of the group. “Sun’s gone down on every hope and dream, and I’ve yet to figure out just what’s been eating at me / I’ve been seeing things fine, but it’d be fine if I could see this clear” the voice states in a hopeful, yet also melancholic demeanor.

No longer than about a minute and half in the song, the tone is completely raised, capturing the audience with their presence once more. “Sometimes all I want is a job, and a god, and a wife. Lately, I’ve been thinking some stability would probably be nice! Another moment and I don’t know what to say / I’m not in love, and I’m not inspired by today.” the singer pontificates. We follow this passionate speech with powerful guitar chords, as if it was ripping into the hearts and minds of thousands of like-minded youth out there.

Clapping sound effects opens up the following track, “Our New Intelligence”, which is the first of a few songs to feature a female vocalist on the album. Together, the two harmonize pleasantly.

Suddenly, an almost barbershop quartet-esque chorus line is heard in the background, piercing through and captivating your interest once more. This song is the most well-executed on the entire album in the directional sense, as it’s ambition allows it to really go all over the place, and boy does it deliver! The album takes a more dramatic turn after this with the woeful anthem “If I Still Own A Bible”. The theatrics, the sorrow, and the bitterness that emits from this song is almost overwhelming. You can really tell that these songs must have come from the heart. “Don’t put your trust in anyone or anything”, states the song, followed by some very eerie feedback.

What could be the presumed single for The Unmistakable Man, “Adrianne” strikes next, which is essentially a hard-hitting tale about a woman named Adrianne who apparently knows nothing about the true nature of herself or the narrator of this song. Regardless, this is definitely a more than appropriate choice for a single. It’s in your face, accessible, and for lack of a better word is really badass! An Hispanic twang obviously opens the following track “Mexico”, and you can really tell everyone is just having a lot of fun in the studio at this point, a slew of feel-good moments that you could easily find yourself dancing to or bobbing your head along to in this one. The saxophonist instrumentals here are just killer, great guitarmanship as well.

Not letting up, what could easily be heard in just about any Irish pub in the Northeast, “Too Tired To Drink” is something you’d expect they got some influence from straight out of the Flogging Molly catalog. Makes sense that they’ll be opening for them in a few weeks. You practically feel like your at the bar throwing down some cold ones and jamming right alongside them!

“Holy Cross” introduces us with a few stationary piano notes, before the vocals and remaining instruments follow suite. The piano guides us, as you can tell the album is slowly drawing us to the curtains closing, the final points being set in motion. “Holy Cross” seems almost haunting at times, denying the point of religion with statements like “Remember when we used to give a ****, well I don’t think the lord understands.” The overall message sent here seems to often be detachment from the rest of the world.

“Today, I Feel Like Evolving” is a mostly acoustic piece, continuing to reflect upon things like purpose, dreams, and why we do the things we do. “And since then I’ve been more careful, bout the things I do or say / I will keep my lover close to me, until I see the day / That I must answer for my words and gain perspective on my placement in the world.” One of the definitive lyrics of The Unmistakable Man . The emotion soars to the highest point here, the feeling of being united by the fear of the unknown seemingly the message they are trying to get across.

‚ÄúLetter To Lainie‚Äù is another song with a piano introduction, the first thing that comes to mind is if Spoon did a country single, this is what it would sound like! Could definitely have some second single potential with this track.

Finally, the sound effects of what appears to be a train leaving for it‚Äôs next destination, leads to the closing song entitled ‚ÄúWaiting In The Airport‚Äù. It is genuine, heartfelt, and comes off as very sincere. This is the perfect ending to one of the most solid efforts I‚Äôve heard this year thus far.

Everything seems to come together in The Unmistakable Man. Pacing? Check. Authenticity? Check. Even the production value seems stellar. If this album is any indicator, expect great things to come from River City Extension for a long, long time to come.

VERDICT

Review By: Kevin Crawford

Marching Band – Pop Cycle

jakemayer1973 — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:30:56 +0000

So I got my hands on the new album Pop Cycle by Marching Band, and, eager to find out whether the cycle continues or derails completely, I gave it a spin. After listening, I can only vouch for this album being a catchy, intricate work of love and labor by a band who knows exactly what they want to be.

Marching Band is an indie rock/pop duo from Sweden, consisting of Eric Sunbring and Jacob Lind who have received considerable praise from some major media outlets as of their 2008 release Spark Large, which reached an impressive #52 in top album downloads for emusic. Spark Large brought a very refreshing brand of psychadelia to the pop genre and it continues through Pop Cycle with a new, distinguishable personality thrown into the mix.

The album begins with instrumentals designed to take you to another place, inviting you to step into a world more suited for… well, pop. The mood is set immediately with “Another Day”, a high point on an album full of high points. It’s immediately clear that the album flows naturally for the band. The medleys and beats seem to make themselves and transition smoothly, as if the band never had to consider just how one song should sound, but instead let the pop easily make itself with a seemingly effortless quality that only comes from a couple of guys who are the defintion of “naturals.”

“It Is Hidden” is the next track that I feel like needs to be talked about. If you want to gauge whether or not you’ll like this album, it’s exactly the kind of personal, hooking track you should give a listen to. Arguably the simplest song on the album, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s what pop always manages to do… if done right.

“It’s Not Your Dream (But His)” feels long a song about discovery. I found myself with alluring imagery of something bright and pleasant, and more importantly, found my foot tapping and my head bobbing in time, by the second chorus I found myself singing along easily, putting this song’s words to events and times in my life from morning, sunset walks to late night star gazing with someone close. It’s a song that, to me, speaks rebirth and is a definite mood-changer for the better.

You have a couple songs that I feel are a bit misplaced while not being detrimental in between the previous track and the next one I noticed as a benchmark track in “Okey”. It has this “old-time” feel, akin to some of Dr. Dog’s older music.

The album finishes on “Everyman” (unless the B-Side “Something Stops” is included) and it’s the kind of grandiose piece that needed for Pop Cycle to finish on a strong point. If you’re able to get your hands on the B-Side (be it from another distribution or what have you) I strongly recommend it for anyone.

Pop Cycle is an album that will give its intended listeners everything they expect from it, and then some. For me it’s already a candidate for album of the year much like Spark Large was before it. Musically it’s much more refined and personal than the previous release, and it benefits well. If Spark Large was a ten, then Pop Cycle is an eleven, and I say that without any reluctance, having given out scores I’ve not felt strongly about before (think of it as musical ADD) and that isn’t the case here.

The pop fans will be more than pleased, the indie crowd will eagerly have this on their lists for “must listen” in 2010 and it will deserve every recognition it gets, so long as it’s represented as a catchy, intricate album with only one or two tracks that wouldn’t be instant hits which is crafted in spectacular album form that starts and finishes flawlessly with a bliss-inducing ride up in the clouds of catchy pop throughout.

VERDICT

Downtown Eatery closes; new venue to take its place?

James Brady — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:28:39 +0000

A new restaurant is said to move into the Downtown Eatery location and will possibly continue to play live music. Reports have not been confirmed, but a few different sources have stated that the next restaurant will also be a venue.

According to Redding.com, Nathan Peterson, owner of Sherven Square Building, said he “hopes the next restaurant that opens in the building will offer live music”

We will keep you updated as the situation progresses.

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Periphery – Periphery

jakemayer1973 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:25:38 +0000

2010 is shaping up nicely for music. Usually in the first four months of a year I won’t get something that I can say “this will be album of the year candidate.” As of right now I have five of those, and Periphery’s debut full-length self-titled album is the latest in a string of candidates.

Periphery is a band that received a notable fan following before ever doing anything of note, and it’s served to get them signed and get their album released. Guitarist Misha Mansoor has gathered himself quite an internet following via his soundclick page for his other musical project, Bulb, and other such things. Periphery has been his baby, however, and after years of touring and shuffling vocalists, the band finally inked a deal and a new lead singer in Spencer Sotelo.

Over the years Periphery has been classified as nu metal, experimental metal, mathcore and so on. They’ve settled nicely somewhere between the latter two and I’ve gotta say, it works well. Vocalist Spencer Sotelo is a great fit for the band, he fits their musical style perfectly. I’m not privvy immediately to who exactly is growling and who exactly does the singing at every part, but from a vocal standpoint, Periphery is great. Soaring choruses and death growls accentuate cryptic lyrics and badass instrumentals.

The album begins with some fantastic drumming and a great vocal showing with “Insomnia”. The chorus is fantastic, and the band finds an early balance between growling and actually singing. The track continues on its experimental path, with electro influences mixed in, and finishes strong after being a consistently awesome head-banging/jamming track throughout.

“The Walk” comes next and is your standard fare hardcore metal, though it isn’t bad in being standard. The band does well with it, and it segues nicely into “Letter Experiment”, which itself is an odd precursor to “Jetpacks Was Yes!”, a track heavy on the electro influences with soaring vocals, belted out perfectly and purposefully. It is a high point of the album and illustrates just how talented these guys are and what kind of range we’re working with.

“Light” and “All New Materials” are probably the high point of the album, and they conveniently sit right in the middle. The vocalist and the instrumentals seem to battle constantly throughout this album for important so I can’t tell you “this is a vocally driven album” because there is a great balance. Everything is great.

If I had to come up with some complaint about the album, I’d probably be lying to all of you. The fact is that this album does everything I was hoping it would do, it plays very well and is a fantastic addition to the 2010 lineup. It has everything you look for in a metal album. For those of you who aren’t a fan of growling, each track features some clean vocals at points and it’s fantastic. It has mathcore and experimental overtones and they work fantastically. It has progressive influences. It has hardcore influences. It’s all over the spectrum while not sounding “out there.”

I cannot stress enough that this CD is one of the better metal albums I’ve heard in years and is an easy buy for anyone who likes loud music. Periphery does everything right throughout the album. They transition well, they have a great backing bassline and the drummer tees off when he needs too without sounding too ridiculous. They display amazing range from “All New Materials” with its soaring chorus to “Zyglrox” and its death growls. I never offer up this much of a recommendation but it would be a huge injustice to metal if you didn’t pick up this album in some form.

VERDICT

Jimi Hendrix – Valleys Of Neptune

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:04:33 +0000

Valleys of Neptune is the 11th studio album of Jimi Hendrix. Amazingly enough, this is also the eighth posthumous album containing original material and the first since 1980‚Äôs Nine to the Universe. For fans of Hendrix, young and old, this is as classic Hendrix as you can get. However, this ‚Äúnew material‚Äù is nowhere near the level of Are You Experienced? nor Axis: Bold as Love.

The entire album is less adrenalin pumping as his past work, but anybody who knows the slightest bit about music can immediately recognize the guitar as Hendrix until affirmed once he begins wailing into the mike.

It starts off with an alternative version of “Stone Free”. Definitely not as good as the original incarnation, but played off with much more artistic liberty. This is followed by the titular track, “Valleys of Neptune”. Easily my favorite of the ‚Äúnew‚Äù songs, with simple chords and the typical psychedelic lyrics, which made Hendrix the icon, he was in the late 1960‚Äôs.

“Bleeding Heart” (an Elmore James cover) follows up next, where Jimi pours his heart through his guitar to get his woman back. The scratching shows up well against the drums (and for the solo of course), showing is discourse.

“Hear My Train Comin‚Äô” seems similar to “Bleeding Heart”, but is overall a bit slower and every chord struck feels a bit more deliberate. Mr. Bad Luck is the next track, but is really overshadowed by the next track, an instrumental version of “Sunshine of Your Love” (Cream cover). It‚Äôs simply a demonstration to tell the listener ‚ÄúYes, this is Jimi ****ing Hendrix‚Äù.

Then comes “Lover Man”, apparently a staple of Jimi‚Äôs when he was on tour and even performed it at Woodstock. This version contains a long, satisfying solo where Jimi struts his stuff.

“Ships Passing Through the Night” comes next, but seems to be another bridge to another version of Fire, which seems a bit more sped up than it should be. Any classic Hendrix fan or new one for that matter should enjoy the classic riffs.

One classic is followed up by another with an eight minute rendition of “Red House”: The soul wrenching blues classic inspired by Jimi‚Äôs first love, Betty Jean Morgan.

Another instrumental song follows up with “Lullaby for the Summer”, which is as classic of an easy Hendrix sound as you will hear. Finally, the album wraps up with the blues track “Crying Blue Rain”. It serves as a fitting closure for the album with a guitar hero track. The seemingly unfinished track fades out until more music is released down the line for what would be the twelfth studio album.

Overall, the album seems like a glorified jam session and a little unfinished at times. But then again, any jam session involving Hendrix equates to something worth listening to.

Reviewd by contributor Nico Lehmann

Isles & Glaciers – The Hearts of Lonely People

jakemayer1973 — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:13:21 +0000

Post-hardcore supergroup Isles & Glaciers have hit the ground running, and how can you not with such a cast? The supergroup’s lineup reads like a future post-hardcore hall of fame inductee list, consisting of members from Emarosa, Pierce the Veil, Cinematic Sunrise, The Receiving End of Sirens and Underminded. That’s just the current bands that the members are in, if you want to add past acts to the list add in Chiodos, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Dance Gavin Dance, Boys Night Out and Foredirelifesake. If you don’t know who any of those bands are, I suggest giving them a listen first because it will enable you to fully enjoy the mash-up of talent that is Isles & Glaciers.

Enter The Hearts Of Lonely People, the band’s debut EP. It came together rather quickly, as did the band’s initial jam session which supposedly was a ‘spur of the moment’ type of deal in between touring for several of the members.

The EP kicks off with the obligatory instrumental intro with “Kings and Chandeliers,” which is catchy enough in it’s own electronic, purpose-inducing way, and functions as a very solid lead-in to the only single from the album “Hills Like White Elephants.” It’s a very good track and a good determining factor for how the rest of the album will sound. One thing that becomes immediately clear is that there is too much of vocalists Vic Fuentes (Pierce the Veil) and Craig Owens (Cinematic Sunrise, The Sound of Animals Fighting) and a serious lack of Jonny Craig (Emarosa, Dance Gavin Dance). Certainly this is this reviewers opinion, but at times the gritty, grunge feel to some of the instrumentals backed with electronic guitars and keyboard are more suited to the scratchy passion that Jonny Craig so loves to belt out.

“Clush” is the next track, and its intro makes it OK to like Owens and Fuentes, because that very high, light voice works so well in the capacity it’s used here. It’s a drum-driven track, the beat perfected for danceable venues and high energy live shows, as is so common in the post-hardcore genre. It works in a home environment though, and sounded great on my Lansing system.

“Empty Sighs & Wine” starts out with some of the best instrumentals from the band, and makes it abudantly clear that it’s not just four great vocalists with some no-name instrument-minders thrown in. The production levels are surprisingly high for such a quick affair, clearly they all have very good chemistry. The album thusfar conveys songs that are upbeat and danceable, while lyrically project heartbreak, confusion, lonliness and insecurity. It brought out the best and worst in me, I found that what some people describe as “emo” to be more of “passionate” kind of thing. For any of you metalheads out there doubting lyrics like “I think I found her but I’ll never let her in/So I guess we’ll never know” and calling them emo, I suggest the next time you’re listening to Mudvayne you pay attention to the lyrics in between those industrial kicks and riffs and you’ll find a lonely, depressed guy singing about his feelings.

Instrumentals being fantastic or not, the band is still very clearly vocally-driven, and with a cast including Owens, Craig and Fuentes how can it not be? You’ve got the highs in Fuentes and Owens, and you have the someone who is fantastic alone in Craig, but seems to fill the backup role flawlessly as his assitance accentuates every soaring chorus, every screaming romp in the sack that is a verse from these guys.

It’s not all perfect though. Sometimes they seem almost vain with their voices, and needlessly alter it in ways they shouldn’t, assuming that it will go over well with fans regardless. The penultimate track “Viola Lion” is a Craig track, and with absolutely no bias it really did redeem the track. It starts off almost grating the nerves, and in fact, inbetween each chorus is a verse that doesn’t seem to fit. It’s almost as if the band decided “hey lets see if we can progressively get higher each verse until people think this track features a female.”

All in all, the band works very well together. They have chemistry, and have a strong three lead vocalists. The thing about it is, there’s only seven tracks, and two of them are an intro and an interlude. There’s so much talent there, and any one fan of any of these people will be left dissatisfied by not having “enough” of that person. One person may be a huge Pierce the Veil fan and they get a taste of what the Fuentes brothers can do with even more talent at their disposal, or one person might be a Jonny Craig fan (guilty) and be disappointed that he really only shines bright on two tracks. It’s a great ride, but I’m anticipating a full release in the future once these guys are able to get together again.

For fans of the post-hardcore genre, The Hearts of Lonely People is a must have in your collection. There IS something here for you, and the price tag is easily warranted, just so long as you’re well aware that this is an EP and not something that you can sit and listen to for an hour. Still, you should be able to spin it a good number of times. “Empty Sighs & Wine” never stops being catchy, and it holds it listening value throughout its span. It’s an energetic, soaring album full of hooking choruses, electronic keyboards and guitars held firm by a fantastic drummer and three vocalists who compliment eachother well. It’s a great buy.

Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:14:10 +0000

Shame, Shame is a coalescence of Beach Boys harmonies, pop melodies, and experimental embellishments that evokes an emotional response, yet still manages to remain cheery and, at times, lighthearted. Dr. Dog stated that this album would be their most emotional, and they certainly did not lie. Unfortunately, the music sometimes sounds much too cheery to leave a lasting effect on listeners. It seems like everything the co-lyricists Scott McMicken and Toby Leamen are trying to achieve gets obstructed by the circus-like instrumentals and the almost too happy harmonies.

The music itself is unquestionably catchy and accessible. Every song is easy to listen to, and although this makes the album sound a little safe at times, it also makes the album very consistent and pleasing. The experimental elements are still present; it just doesn‚Äôt alienate anyone by being to far ‚Äúout there.‚Äù Those who were hoping for a spacier Dr. Dog will be disappointed, but even they should still enjoy the album for what it is ‚Äì a collection of catchy pop songs with slightly clich√©d lyrics and effects reminiscent of The Beatle‚Äôs Sgt. Pepper‚Äôs.

The opener, ‚ÄúStranger,‚Äù is a lighthearted sounding song, but upon further inspection, has emotional lyrics about how ‚Äúthe good old days have passed/ and the good times after that.‚Äù The juxtaposition between the lyrics and the instruments is further implemented in the devious way the chorus of ‚ÄúI do believe that there‚Äôs no more tricks up my sleeve‚Äù is sung. Perhaps this is meant to mock the phrase, as it‚Äôs apparent throughout the album that they do indeed have more tricks up their sleeve. The next song, ‚ÄúShadow People,‚Äù is arguably the best on the album. The Neil Diamond-like singing and lyrics somehow feel original, and you can hear the distress is his voice when he sings ‚Äúhere we go again.‚Äù It‚Äôs the 2nd most emotionally charged song (behind an unfortunately corny ‚ÄúStation‚Äù) on the album, but the music actually matches the lyrics, making this particularly impressive and memorable.

As the album progresses, it maintains the same style, never diverging too far from the formula. Fortunately though, the formula works, and they get everything out of it they can. Some noteworthy songs beyond those two are ‚ÄúLater,‚Äù ‚ÄúWhere‚Äôd All The Time Go,‚Äù ‚ÄúMirror, Mirror,‚Äù and ‚ÄúJackie Wants A Black Eye,‚Äù but honestly, there are no bad songs on the album. Every song is enjoyable, and I wasn‚Äôt inclined to skip any of them as I was listening. Despite all the slightly familiar sounds, cheesy lyrics, and similar structures, every song has its own distinguishable personality. Dr. Dog manages to sound both nostalgic and new, and that truly is the best part of the album ‚Äì the melding of old and new, happy and sad. Unfortunately, the album never quite reaches the point of ‚Äúgreat.‚Äù There are far too many blemishes for Shame, Shame to be considered a great album.

It‚Äôs obvious, though, that Dr. Dog has finally reached musical puberty. Despite the unoriginality of some of the lyrics, they‚Äôre nowhere near bad. In fact, overall, they are quite good. The combination of mature, moving lyrics with the cheerful, almost playful harmonies makes for quite an interesting product. Their maturation is obvious, especially in the subject matter of the songs. The whole album has themes of moving on, trying to get by, and growing old, with a few more specific tracks like ‚ÄúStation,‚Äù (which as a side note has a suspiciously similar intro to Lour Reed‚Äôs ‚ÄúWalk on the Wild Side‚Äù) a song about the emotional strain of constantly touring. Dr. Dog, after a lot of tours and a lot of living, has finally been able to write about those experiences effectively.

Although nothing on the album in necessarily great, there‚Äôs nothing particularly bad. It‚Äôs a fun listen that may serve well as a remedy for a bad day or something to bring your spirits up when you‚Äôve gotten down. Given the lyrics and instrumentals, that is exactly what they were going for, so they‚Äôve succeeded in that regard. Overall, I recommend it to anyone, Dr. Dog fan or not, simply because it‚Äôs so smooth and listenable. Most will enjoy listening to Shame, Shame, but very few will absolutely love it.

Reviewed by contributor Nick Colarossi

Broken Bells – Broken Bells

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:52:36 +0000

When I first heard James Mercer of The Shins and Brian Burton (more famously known as Danger Mouse) were working on an album, I wasn‚Äôt quite sure what to expect. Burton‚Äôs been one of the most sought after producers ever since he produced Jay-Z‚Äôs The Grey Album and collaborated with Cee-Lo Green to create Gnarls Barkley. Mercer has had critical success as the front man of The Shins, an indie/alternative band. What happens when these two arguably revolutionary artists meet? Broken Bells happens.

The album is a mash-up of Burton‚Äôs hip-hop drum beats, bouncy synthesizer, and occasional orchestral pieces and Mercer‚Äôs clean voice, low-key guitar, and existential lyrics. At its best, Mercer and Burton connect together very well, creating one musical entity. At its worst, it‚Äôs a sloppy cross between soft spoken singing and sporadic drums that seem to contradict rather than compliment each other. The album starts off at its highest point with ‚ÄúThe High Road.‚Äù Simple drums add to the catchy melody and emotional singing instead of distracting us from them. ‚ÄúCause they know and so do I/The high road is hard to find,‚Äù Mercer sings as he discussed the apparent meaninglessness of life and what we do to cope with it. The next song, ‚ÄúVaporize,‚Äù keeps the album flowing nicely. Mercer sings about the difficulty of realizing our dreams and trying to avoid living a ‚Äútypical life.‚Äù Melodically, it‚Äôs another catchy song with a nice, but somewhat unoriginal slowdown towards the end of the song.

Lyrically, the album touches on thought-provoking subjects such as love, naivety, and seeking the truth of life itself. This is where Broken Bells really shines, too. Every song has unique, clich√©-free lyrics, something many bands are lacking nowadays. The lyrics are, in truth, one of the best aspects of the album. Unfortunately, this album is not without its mistakes. Some of the songs toward the middle tend to mesh with each other, and every song tends to follow the same song structure. All the songs are about the same length, and every chorus is basically the same ‚Äì directly after a verse sung by Mercer, a chorus of people sing with him in staccato fashion in a slightly higher pitch than him. That pattern appears in almost every song, and it makes the songs feel a little too familiar and homogeneous.

After a great start and a slightly above average middle, the album picks up again at the end with ‚ÄúOctober,‚Äù ‚ÄúMongrel Heart,‚Äù and ‚ÄúThe Mall and Misery.‚Äù Those three songs, particularly ‚ÄúThe Mall and Misery,‚Äù stay with you and distinguish themselves better than most of the other songs. Unfortunately, they still don‚Äôt bring anything completely new into the mix. Surprisingly, the biggest problem with the album is what both members usually excel at ‚Äì uniqueness. The songs all have a similar structure, Mercer’s singing is almost always the same (with the exception of ‚ÄúThe Ghost Inside‚Äù), and the drums have almost no distinguishable properties. It feels almost like Mercer and Burton didn‚Äôt make this album because they wanted to make a great album, but because they wanted to work together on something. That‚Äôs not necessarily a bad thing if it doesn’t show on the album, but, unfortunately, it shows on this album.

This could‚Äôve been great. It could‚Äôve been something we‚Äôd be talking about for years to come. Both musicians have the ability to make great music, and there are times when, together, they do just that. It just doesn‚Äôt happen nearly enough. There are too many times when it feels like ‚ÄúJames Mercer and Brian Burton‚Äù instead of ‚ÄúBroken Bells.‚Äù The whole time I was listening to this album, I was thinking of one phrase ‚Äì wasted opportunity. They have the potential to release something great together, but, regrettably, Broken Bells is not it.

Reviewed by contributor Nick Colarossi

Spoon – Transference

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:38:58 +0000

Transference is a gritty, sometimes raw expression of self-doubt in the realm of love with simple and steady rhythms that would fit ideally in a dimly lit intimate caf√© or bar. From the sudden and succinct fall from grace of “Before Destruction” to the more reserved and buoyant “Nobody Gets Me But You”, Spoon‚Äôs new album covers a wide range of emotions in their own subtle fashion.

“Before Destruction” begins with an eerie sound, forewarning the listener of the emotions that lay ahead, setting up the rest of the album as if it were a musical. Everything changes as the beat hastens with “Is Love Forever?” questioning both the listener and the singer with a chord, exuding confusion and panic.

It‚Äôs followed by more comforting orchestral instruments and smooth chords in “The Mystery Zone”. Filled with upbeat lyrics describing a fantasyland, it ends abruptly with a stereotypical ‚ÄúIt was just a dream‚Äù ending mid-sentence to begin the light and semi-trippy “Who Makes Your Money”. Next comes my personal favorite, the seemingly tawdry “Written in Reverse”, where lead singer Britt Daniel shows true emotions of suffering. It’s a song I feel best exemplifies human emotions and thoughts when they become stronger than they should. We‚Äôve all been there.

“I Saw the Light” continues the confused human emotions, but begins with more direction. Lyrically, it becomes more straightforward and more organized towards “Trouble Come Running”, a more poppy song that seems like it was written by someone trying to shed a forlorn image. Then comes a very relaxed track that provides a relief from emotional duress, “Goodnight Laura”.

Entering the final act is “Out Go The Lights”, where everything just feels as if you accomplished a hard days work, lie in bed with the person you love, and take a nice deep breath of relief. This is followed up by “Got Nuffin”, the band‚Äôs hit single from 2009. It feels slightly out of place with the draw of the rest of the album until it fades into “Nobody Gets Me But You”. The final track is the conclusion to a long thesis, bringing in the chords of confusion, strong lyrics, and emotionally charged vocals.

The entire album flows together nearly seamlessly with instrumentals that are noticeable but nowhere near as powerful as the lyrics.

The first time I heard this, I wasn‚Äôt impressed. Digging through the second, third, and consequently fourth time, I experienced the feelings expressed within the songs. It didn‚Äôt hit me until I had the album on repeat and listened to the first track after a full play-through how far it travels.

Reviewed by contributor Nico Lehmann.