On one hand, Baltimore-based songstress Elise Major’s self-titled release may feel a little derivative; on the other hand, it’s hard to imagine her live show leaving anyone disappointed.
Archive for the 'C' Category
Nothing Real Nothing Absent, Transitional’s latest release on Conspiracy Records, is comprised of the kind of dark instrumentals that grew out of punk and hardcore.
Continue reading ‘Transitional - Nothing Real Nothing Absent’
One of the things one does not expect to hear when putting on a Dead Heart Bloom album is Built To Spill. Yet this is exactly what happens in the opening moments of Fall In, the new EP that finds the band throwing everything they can at the wall and seeing what sticks.
This shotgun-approach to style is almost always a recipe for disaster (I’m looking at you, My Morning Jacket), and it’s all the more egregious when the band in question has already settled into a winning formula. Dead Heart Bloom’s previous release, Chelsea Diaries [All of their albums are available for free on their site —Ed], was an intimate, string-heavy collection of acoustic songs that showcased Boris Skalsky’s beautiful vocals, all while tugging gently at the heartstrings.
2007, Andor Music Company
Andor is the new project from Andy Lansangan of Southern Records’ “90 Day Men.”
I must admit that, like many, I approached the concept of a Scarlett Johansson album of Tom Waits covers as one might approach a dollar bill dangling from a shark’s mouth. I wanted to disregard it, pretend it didn’t exist, scoff at anyone so foolish as to go near it expecting anything but an unhappy ending. But in the secret recesses of my mind, I quietly hoped that, despite the odds, the album could actually be good and not tarnish the name of Mr. Waits—my favorite musical artist and one of the most important contributors to the great sloshing pool of noise we call “music”. Having finally listened to the album in all its uneven glory, I can say that the actual product is more complicated than either of my divergent expectations could have anticipated.
It’s clear from the instrumental first track that ScarJo is not the one running this show. That credit belongs to David Sitek, the album’s producer (better known as the guitarist for TV On The Radio and producer for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Sitek infuses the album with that sleepy, sexy, post-modern urban ambiance that fans of TVOTR know quite well. But while TVOTR singer Tunde Adebimpe can turn a detached vocal delivery into a sharpened weapon, Johansson’s detached vocals sound more asleep-at-the-wheel than calm-and-cool, and it is this detachment that plagues the entire album, frequently dragging it through the mud just when it tries to soar.
Continue reading ‘Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head’
2008, Inman Records
The Informati, even with dead language vocals, remains an interesting listen.
Oddly, The Lay of the Land often feels like it was written by someone other than Richard Ford.
Seems like a phishing scheme: packaging the same mastering of an album twice in the same package?
Granted, the first disc is in mono, the second in stereo, but it still seems phishy.
2007, Tsunami Label Group
Yet another posthumous release by Nick Drake suffers from poor sound (and song) quality. In addition, several songs feature Drake’s mother and sister, which goes along with the title but detracts from the fact that it’s a Nick Drake album.
This Indie-punk act is far less annoying than some of the shit bands that unfortunately receive air play these days.
2007, Sub Pop
Low’s latest album is neither great nor terrible.
2007, Saddle Creek
Although it fails to live up to the successes of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Bright Eyes‘ latest, Cassadaga, is not a bad work on its own.
2007, Warp
Clever album title, not a terribly clever album. !!! should take note: the dance-punk revolution is thankfully over.
