Okay Thursday — Fun in Flats
Produced and Engineered by Eric Edmonston at Fallen Angel Records in Quincy, MA
Assisted by Bill Powers and Justin Doty
Mixed and Mastered by Taylor Barefoot at Barefoot Studio in Brighton, MA
Fun in Flats is a peppy and poppy pill of a record, a sunshine filled Thursday where maybe you get out of work a little early for a quick and breezy drive home. Standing at the forefront of Okay Thursday is lead singer Sarah Korval, who champions the entire effort from start to finish. Korval’s vocal tone is an interesting one; she has the soft-yet-impassioned vocal delivery down cold. Korval’s voice puts a fine finish on the music, which does, on occasion, lapse into the area of simply being OK.
For the most part, the band’s performance on Fun in Flats is full of jump; chordy guitars dance around over standard pop-drums and a buried, “must be in there somewhere” bass. While crystal clear production might detract from the soft edges of Korval’s voice, the recording does seem to have a somewhat muddy sound at times. The problem with this is that it throws the occasional sonic veil over the sound of this relatively new band.
Fun in Flats is rife with strong tracks that reveal the songwriting chops of the group. “All Grown Up” has some really nice, basic-yet-nonstandard chord changes that alter the shape of the chorus. The band also shows some nice range in terms of overall sound, cutting things down to vocals and acoustic guitar for “Estelle,” a rollicking janglefest of acoustic guitar and vocal.
Fun in Flats ends strongly, with the short set-up of “Tina Fey” leading into closer “I’m Here.” The penultimate “Tina Fey” is a 1:45 ode to the bespectacled Saturday Night Live player/writer, a possible patron saint for the intelligent sass of Okay Thursday. The final track approaches almost Portishead-like proportions of depth and moodiness, trading in jangling Fender guitars for an echoey, plaintive electric piano, matching Korval’s almost-whispered vocals. Perhaps the most intriguing track on the record, “I’m Here” makes Fun in Flats a complete record, and leaves us waiting for what next Thursday may bring. (Self-released)
www.okaythursday.com -C.D. Di Guardia
Doug Hewitt — Picasso Tomato
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Doug Hewitt at Watercourse Recording, Amherst, MA
Although Picasso Tomato has about as much to do with jazz as Picasso did with tomatoes, it is certainly eclectic, which was Doug Hewitt’s intent. Despite the influence of Pat Metheny and some jazzy voicings, like the nice chromaticism in “Antarian Blues,” Hewitt’s three instrumentals don’t swing, develop a pocket, or necessarily demonstrate an extensive jazz knowledge. “Antarian Blues” is essentially a slick blues in A minor. After an acoustic interlude, a rock jam oversimplifies the feel, although a welcome George Harrison influence is apparent. The title cut, “Picasso Tomato,” has some jazz touches, like a walking electric bass and a drum accompaniment on the third beat of each measure, plus a small bit of free playing by each instrument at the end, but that’s about it. And “Pickled Jam” isn’t jazz — it’s rock, with a couple of the players just hacking around.
The ballads are Hewitt’s best material. They complement his gentle tenor with intelligible lyrics, and the themes are clearly developed. “What to Look for in Your Eyes” is a lonely guy’s fantasy about a waitress serving him dinner. He imagines where he’d see her again — crossing the street, at the corner book store (“Would you be in new or used?”), hoping he hasn’t misread the cues in her face.
In “The Man You Need Me To Be,” there’s great singing, and lyrics that capture all the ambivalence and pain of making the decision to end a relationship (“If we stick together, I can’t go on being me”). The arrangement — a mournful violin solo with conga and woodblock — enhances the sorrowful feel.
“Stealing Dreams,” reminiscent of “I Am The Walrus,” has disjointed images and themes — everything from music theory to marching penguins. Occasionally, though, the song’s unintelligible lyrics turn dreams to nightmares. “Holes in Heaven” is a cross between a Springsteen arrangement and a rock musical finale. It is musically dull, built on about five chords, adding variety only with a pretty fiddle solo and some nice sax obbligato.
All in all, this diverse CD is a fairly mixed package. But if Hewitt isn’t a jazz player, that’s okay. Picasso probably didn’t grow tomatoes, and when he stuck to what he was good at, he produced some damn fine paintings. (Self-released)
www.hewittunes.com -Roanna Forman
Jim Wolf —
No Sleep What-So-Ever
Produced and mastered by Bryan Milkie and Jake Eskedal, Quanzar Studios
Remastered by Soundlab
Fellas, get ready to roll your eyes, because your girlfriends are gonna swoon over this one — unless they’re hard-core indie rock chicks. Even then, Jim Wolf may still manage to win them over. Right out of the gate, the beautiful acoustic/piano/violin intro to opening song “Lighthouse” makes it obvious that this singer/songwriter has an agenda — conquer the world one radio station at a time. If that includes stealing someone’s girlfriend along the way, it sounds like Wolfie’s well prepared — and well equipped — to do so.
You see, Wolf is from Bridgeport, CT, which happens to be the same place John Mayer got his start with a band called Villanova Junction. And it just so happens that Wolf’s older brother, Rich, was the bassist for Villanova Junction. Little Jimmy apparently tagged along as much as possible, like any annoying teenage brother would, which probably means he still has to pretend to like that damn “Your Body is a Wonderland” song, even though he’s heard it 10 times more than the rest of us.
But, more importantly, hanging out with Mayer and soaking up that “signature sound” of his obviously had a big influence on Wolf, as the music on No Sleep What-So-Ever sounds like it could have been pulled from a Room for Squares practice session. On “Right Side of the Bed,” Wolf even slips into a perfect imitation of Mayer’s talky, breathy vocal style, which is the only time things really go overboard.
Otherwise, No Sleep is a solid collection of catchy gerialtrock songs waiting for an A&R guy to scoop up and exploit. The Matthews/Mayer plucked guitar style is relentless, the tempos stay upbeat and bouncy, and sweet harmonies abound. Wolf’s lovesick lyrics do get headshakingly grating after a while, and unfortunately, the violin and cello disappear after a few songs, not to resurface until closer “The Story of My Life,” which is bound to end up on a WB soundtrack soon (if it hasn’t already). Despite these shortcomings, however, the album still manages to hit the mark, the sum obviously being worth more than its parts. (Self-released)
www.jimwolf.com -Brett Cromwell
The Blizzard of ’78 — Where All Life Hangs
Produced by the Blizzard of ’78 and Paul Q. Kolderie at Camp Street Studio, Cambridge, MA
The Blizzard of ’78 gets instant New England street-cred for its name alone as most local hipsters were but twinkles in their mid-Western parents’ eyes back in 1978. Where All Life Hangs is a real-deal record with atmosphere, scene and outstanding performance on all fronts, even when the arrangements get a little heavy. First track “Show Me” is an example of the Blizzard’s arcing abilities in terms of arrangements, moving from bare drums and piano through guitars and even into full string arrangements in the chorus.
Most bands of the shoegaze-gone-powerpop movement don’t have a true balance of downwards and upwards motion in the music. The Blizzard of ’78 seems comfortable at both speeds, as is evidenced from their quick shifting into second track “Give,” a soaring and mobile second punch to the record’s opening. Vocalist Paul “Pip” Everett doesn’t miss a note; his voice soars and swoops with the music with seemingly infinite range, even in the more difficult singing parts such as the octave jump in “Give” or the immediate gymnastics of “Left Without the Air,” which also features tasty melodic tension in the world of minor thirds and dominant sevenths in the chorus.
On the whole, the band sounds like a more exciting, less depressed incarnation of famous mope-rockers such as Coldplay. Whereas Coldplay can easily put a listener to sleep, the Blizzard of ‘78 encapsulates actual humanity in their songs. Even at their most downcast, they manage to enervate as they do in the sweetly slow standout “Ordinary Day” or the Mellotron-soaked “You Slip Away,” a song in which it sounds like Everett’s plaintive vocals are coming through the Mello-tape, matching the morose mood of the track itself. Where All Life Hangs is worth getting bundled up and traversing, a crisp, snow-smelling breeze that showcases a band that not only has definite ideas as to what sounds good, but one that is able to see those ideas through to satisfying, snowy fruition. (Killing Floor Records)
-C.D. Di Guardia
Whoa! Man! Jesus! — Must I Holler
Recorded at Middleville Studios in North Reading, MA
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Chris Rival
Anyone familiar with the film Ghost World might remember the scene with the exquisitely bad bar band, Blues Hammer. The performance is so shatteringly bad, that the very words “Blues Hammer” have become shorthand amongst some musician circles for painful bar-band style blues honkers. Whoa! Man! Jesus! is the anti-Blues Hammer. With an understated, yet authoritative delivery, this Cambridge trio digs deep into the genre’s roots and presents a traditional, yet forward looking record. Tones, feels and licks may hail from another era, but lyrically this record plants a foot in the here-and-now.
Low-key slide guitars are tone-perfect, and the playing is top-notch. Lead vocalist Wayne Rhodes and Julian Jefferies share six-string duties. The two work well together, intertwining slithering leads and dropping into lockstep when appropriate. Jason Beek’s field drum thump moves the songs along at a loping, head-bobbing pace.
The band never breaks a sweat — there are no histrionics, no revival tent shouts. This is music played on the front porch. Whoa! Man! Jesus! won’t shout at you, just pull you aside and quietly speak the truth. Must I Holler is a hypnotic record, flying at the same altitude from beginning to end, yet not to its detriment.
Rhodes’ vocal delivery is Dylan-esque — not in the sense of being overly nasal, but terse and direct, in a rambling sort of way. Lyrically, themes of politics and religion rear their heads between well-chosen covers.
“Oh Rosalyn” opens the disc with a lazy guitar riff lingering long enough for drummer Beek to drop on top of it. Familiar themes of love and longing spread out over the generous, deep backing track — though backing track may be the wrong description, as these songs are complete cohesive performances that retain the feel of a live band in the room, and belie the modern practice of separately recorded vocal tracks.
The second track on the CD jolts the listener with the opening lyrical salvo of “Jesus was not American.” This lament on the hijacking of religion, and name-check of some serious do-gooders in the world, juxtaposes their historical significance with the country’s current jingoistic state, as Rhodes comments on Jesus and Ghandi not being American.
Even when expounding on modern topics, Rhodes has a delivery that doesn’t feel forced. The modern references sit in the mix naturally, not pulling the listener out of the experience. Somehow working “Occam’s razor” into the tune “Honey Hurry Home,” Rhodes is a modern thinking man, hashing out the harsh realities of life with the time-worn tradition of the blues.
A sense of world-wariness is peppered here and there with glimpses of humor. Rhodes’ deadpan delivery in the slacker lament of “If I Had a Hammer” matter-of-factly thumbs its nose at the sentiment of the original.
But then they pull it back into the swamp with “Down South Blues,” truly representing what this disc is about — great blues played well.
On Must I Holler, Whoa! Man! Jesus! simmers, never boiling over. It’s this cool delivery and avoidance of overt clichés that makes this disc something special. (Self-released)
www.whoamanjesus.com -RL Hulsman
Thousand Days — Headlight Waves
Mastered by Joe Gastwirt
Engineered by Nate Dube at Rear Window Studios
Produced by Paul Kimble
Being friends with Pardis Sabeti must be pretty intimidating. As if contributing lead vocals to Thousand Days — a band that doesn’t suck — isn’t gratifying enough, Sabeti has gone and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard Medical School. If that doesn’t sound impressive, keep in mind she’s only the third woman since 1945 to scale that hurdle. And did I mention she’s in a rock band?
Sometime between scoring a $2 million grant from the Gates Foundation to study infectious diseases (!) and acing her finals, Sabeti and her cohorts in Thousand Days managed to cut an EP with producer Paul Kimbler, former bassist for Grant Lee Buffalo. Headlight Waves, the band’s third EP since forming two years ago, is a varied collection of guitar-heavy pop music that brings back fond memories of girl-fronted ‘90s bands like Belly and Throwing Muses.
In a quick 20 minutes, things constantly shift gears. The title track opens with a short intro of Sabeti’s vocals and a soft electric guitar before crashing in with a heavier wave of guitars and up-tempo drums. True to its chorus line “It’s a weightlessness / It’s a vapor that’s intoxicating,” the beautiful ballad “Absence” coasts on a dreamy cloud of acoustic guitars and piano. A later slide guitar solo and quiet synth accompaniment pack even more punch to an already powerful song.
“Brake” digs a Live Through This-era Hole into things courtesy of its lightning-fast tempo and thundering rhythm section, not to mention Sabeti’s vocals, which actually resemble a less aggressive Courtney Love. “Coming Up” lightens the mood once again, delivering a toe-tapping beat, a catchy chorus, and a blanket of warm background voices. “The Weight” closes the book with a near summation of the four songs preceding it — softly strummed acoustic verses, background “ooo” and “aaa” harmonies, and powerful choruses blanketed by waves of electric guitars.
The one consistent aspect amid the songs’ variances is Sabeti’s vocals. Sweet and sexy with a hint of despair, her voice weaves a common thread through the five songs on Headlight Waves. It’s nice to know she has a successful back-up career in case her attempts at winning the Nobel Prize don’t pan out. (Self-released)
www.thousanddays.com -Brett Cromwell
My Life With Her Ghost — My Life With Her Ghost
Mastered at M Works, Cambridge MA by M. Azevedo
All arrangements by My Life With Her Ghost
My Life With Her Ghost’s self-titled EP begins with a song named “Bloodbath,” and finishes with a song dubbed “Ready to Burn.” The lyrics to “Bloodbath” include the lines, “You’ll wanna bet I have a bullet for you / Fun fucker save yourself.” Essentially, these guys are angry. Very angry.
So angry in fact, that they make what could otherwise be fairly formulaic hardcore/metal into a pretty cathartic listen. The riffs are brutal, the vocals piercing, and the drums feel like they were mixed a little louder than they should be (this is a good thing). For any fan of modern hardcore, this band is probably a step above the rest; for general music fans who may not pay much mind to hardcore, this band may be an exception. They possess a knack for tight, technical musicianship, evidenced in “God Hates Us,” which features a fast thrash-metal riff coupled with a slower hardcore dirge. They are also able to craft songs that fit their themes.
In “Slow to a Crawl,” a droning intro gives way to a slow guitar part that blends with similar drums and bass, creating an almost depressing, claustrophobic atmosphere. The vocals, which never really change throughout the EP, manage to sound the most convincing on this song, as the sludgy riff and manic shouting of the vocalist create the kind of urgency that hardcore and metal are known for. While many modern hardcore bands are angry and urgent because they think hardcore is supposed to sound that way, My Life With Her Ghost is angry and urgent because they really feel that way. The music falls short of true originality, but the band is musically adept enough and filled with enough vitriol and angst to use hardcore as the perfect medium for their consistently angry rants. (Self-released)
www.myspace.com/mylifewithherghost -Bill Dvorak
Scott Gibson —
Escape All Color
Produced by TJ Orscher and Scott Gibson
Theories are made to be tested — oftentimes even changed or improved. It is clear that Scott Gibson knows his music theory, but as a musician, he’s bold enough to deviate from the typical chord structures to play more advanced plucking, strumming, and chord combinations that don’t even exist in the standard school of music — yet.
Gibson is breaking the rules to mold his own unique sound, creating pleasing acoustic rock that never ceases to change and evolve. Although his songs aren’t decorated with more than an occasional snare or other form of percussion, the listener doesn’t necessarily notice the absence of said instruments when hearing Gibson play. His ingenuity on the guitar is enough to both drive and complete the music, as if an entire band is playing behind him.
Unlike so many other singer/songwriters, Gibson sings in a deep, commanding voice that draws attention to his lyrics. The guitarist, who began his music career in hardcore rock outfit In Pieces, has the vocal power of a rock band front man — a welcome change from the archetypal soft-spoken musings of most singer/songwriters.
Gibson initially moved from hardcore melodic rock to acoustic rock because he chose to go to college instead of touring nationally. Now, after graduating college and releasing Escape All Color, Gibson has matured, mellowed down, and written deeper lyrics. This album is solid from start to finish. Whether you’re an exclusive fan of rock or singer/songwriters, you wouldn’t be unfaithful to your roots if you liked the new Scott Gibson.
Thanks to the production of Escape All Color, the album is full of moments that give listeners a clear glimpse of Gibson’s talent and originality as a guitarist, his fingers running gracefully up and down the neck of his guitar. (Self-released)
www.scottgibsonmusic.com -Lauren Proctor
Brian Kelley and
Social Lubrication —
A Life on the Way
Produced by Brian Kelley
Recorded live @ WGBH Studio One 89.7 FM Radio
Engineered by Alan Mattes
Mastered by Tom Bruhl at Dobo Studios in Rayhnam, MA
Brian Kelley and Social Lubrication hit the jazz soul spot on A Life on the Way. The five numbers featured are all fairly esoteric, and the trio of drums, piano, and bass keep things sparse, but the groove is solid — these cats are really feeling it in this performance.
Unlike many trios, where the piano would take a clear lead, Social Lubrication shares the melodic and harmonic duties fairly equally between bass and piano. As is the case with a lot of combo jazz, the harmonic structure is more important than any melodic hooks, and Kelley and company take that de-emphasis of melody to the extreme. It is often hard to tell the difference between Ken Cook’s soloing and comping on the piano, and Kendall Eddy’s bass is so exposed in this trio setting that his solo and non-solo lines blur in much the same way. This detracts nothing from either Cook’s or Eddy’s performances, as both demonstrate masterful control of their instruments
Control, in fact, is one of the key contributors to the success of the album’s sparse style. The space between the notes is as important as the notes themselves, letting the music breathe. It is not surprising that a trio of rhythm players led by a drummer place such emphasis on rhythm. The performance slides along in an easy groove led by Kelley’s tasteful drumming. He displays impressive technique, without ever becoming unnecessarily flashy. Eddy reinforces the music’s pulse, and Cook adds splashes of color on top of it all.
A Life on the Way may seem somewhat inaccessible to some listeners, and the lack of clear leading melodies may leave others lost, but it is important to take a step back. This is not music that you hear, so much as music that you feel, and Brian Kelley and Social Lubrication provide plenty to please once you attune your senses correctly. (LSK Records)
www.briankelleymusic.com -Brian McGrath
Foreverinmotion —
The Beautiful Unknown
Produced, recorded and mixed by Brendon Thomas
Mastered at M-Works in Cambridge, MA, by Matthew Azevedo
Don’t be fooled by Brendon Thomas’ self-described “acoustic project.” Foreverinmotion presents much more than simple singer/songwriter fare on the genre-stretching The Beautiful Unknown. There is plenty of acoustic guitar and piano throughout, but the layering of multiple other instruments, and the resulting thick textures, create an effect that is much more than the sum of its parts.
Thomas has a voice that is perfectly suited to the music he writes. It is gentle without being weak, smooth with a solid resonant core, and projects strongly at climactic points. He exercises subtle control to present varied timbres, whether in background harmonies, echo effects or in his alternately laid-back and rocking leads. Regardless of what direction the music goes in, Thomas’ vocals are able to blend while retaining their individuality.
But as good as the vocals are, the varied instrumentation and the textures that arise from it are really behind the unique sound of The Beautiful Unknown. Acoustic guitar and piano are often at the heart of things, but swirling around that are a wide variety of sounds — electric and slide guitars, pulsing bass, varied percussion, mandolin, pedal steel, vocal screams, electronic sounds and even the bright twinkling of a music box. Sometimes these sounds are simple highlights; sometimes many different things are going on at once. The arrangements and production, though, are such that there is never chaos, and all the extra sounds add to the whole, rather than distracting from it.
The lyrics on the album tend towards the idealistic, but remain sincere and avoid becoming sappy. Rather than a political song that critiques the establishment, or uses irony to mock it, Thomas presents “And The King Would Say,” a song that dreams of a wise, benevolent leader. “Hot Air Balloon” paints a hopeful image for someone who is struggling through difficult times instead of painting the bleak picture of his or her struggles. Even “Lonely” is about being okay with loneliness and is not an anthem of self-pity.
Foreverinmotion’s biggest strength is in the way that everything comes together on The Beautiful Unknown. The arrangements and production are at the root of this success, but it is impossible to separate the vocals and lyrics from this, as everything contributes to the whole — a whole that has breadth and depth and which makes a strong case for hope and optimism. (Ocean Fire Records)
www.foreverinmotion.net -Brian McGrath
Carrie Cheron —
One More Autumn
Produced by Gar Ragland
Carrie Cheron’s bio says that she was raised “on a solid diet of Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, James Taylor and Suzanne Vega,” and the influence is immediately recognizable in her classic folk pop sound. One More Autumn does everything necessary to fit into that traditional mold, but it does it well enough to stand on its own. This album is like an old favorite that you can always go back to when you want a comforting, familiar sound — much like Cheron’s childhood fare is for many listeners.
The instrumentation includes the expected lineup of guitar and bass interspersed with percussion, piano, fiddle, mandolin and cello. Whether lilting, frolicking, plaintive, or thoughtful, the musicianship is superb throughout. From the upbeat opening “Goodnight Amelia” to the somber “Arms of Our Brothers” to the hopeful finale “There Will Be Love,” the music has enough variation to go wherever Cheron’s songs need to go while retaining its signature sound.
Ultimately, though, the strength of One More Autumn, as with any good folk album, is in the storytelling. Cheron exercises a comfortable control with tasteful embellishments adorning her gentle melodies. At some points in her upper register, the sound becomes thin, but the majority of the album is in the rich timbre of her mid to lower range. And though she never loses the smooth quality that is central to her voice, Cheron is still able to convey even the most intense emotional moments. The lyrics are well-crafted and remain easily accessible without being frivolous. These are stories that everyone can understand, and Cheron’s poetry raises them to a higher artistic level while retaining their realness.
One More Autumn follows successfully in the folk tradition, while standing firmly on its own merits. The music is new, the voice is new, but the sound and feelings are wonderfully familiar. Cheron has created a new old favorite. (Three Mile Ceiling Music)
www.carriecheron.com -Brian McGrath
Monty Are I —
Wall of People
No production information available
Providence rock quintet Monty Are I has grown a lot since it first made waves as a ska band named Monty’s Fan Club. Abrasive guitar riffs and cascading vocals now comprise Monty Are I’s signature sound, with an occasional trumpet or trombone piece serving as a reminder of the band’s ska roots. Wall of People, the band’s major label debut for Stolen Transmission Records (an imprint of Island Records), proves that the drastic change suits these musicians well, as their well-crafted, emotional and melodic rock plays to the band members’ strengths.
Monty Are I’s strongest assets lie in the intertwining vocals of singers Steve Aiello and Ryan Muir. Their vocals, prominently displayed on the album’s first track, “Between the Sheets,” hook the listener almost immediately by elevating Monty Are I beyond the legions of similar bands.
Also setting the band apart are the power and complexity driving the music. Aeillo’s metallic riffs are noticeably multifaceted, making it difficult to believe that he is the band’s only guitarist — it sounds more like two or three. Likewise, Justin Muir’s drumming is strong and consistent, providing a steady foundation on tracks like album highlight “O Brother.”
Unfortunately, as the album progresses Monty Are I falls victim to a few emo clichés, both lyrically and in song structure. But while the latter half of Wall of People is more formulaic than the first, it remains well-executed throughout. They have created an album that is polished and major label worthy, but not overdone.
Besides horns, the band fails to bring much to the table to break themselves free of the tired and stale emo genre, and a few songs, like “In This Legacy,” sound somewhat familiar because nothing stands out — a defining characteristic of emo. But Monty Are I still prove themselves to be extremely talented, supplying enough musical depth to cancel out lapses in originality. (Stolen Transmission Records)
www.montyarei.com -Ashley Rigazio
Static of the Gods — Cycles Follow Signs (Advance preview)
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Sean Mclaughlin for 37ft Productions
Orbiting in perfect equilibrium between guilty pleasure pop music and cool underground purist fringe rock, Static of the Gods holds a future that looks promising.
Having just released a three-track advance preview of Cycles Follow Signs, this rock ensemble is laying down a solid foundation before releasing their debut album of the same title. The group has already been featured in Performer and received critical acclaim for their EP, but this is just the beginning.
Sticking to the blueprint of what’s been successful in regards to catchy guitar hooks and infectious melodies, Static of the Gods delivers a product with definite mass appeal and ready-for-radio singles.
Jen Johnson fronts Static of the Gods with a voice erupting with truth, desire, and emotion. Already successful in her solo career, the Karen O-like Johnson is now letting loose with a bustling rhythm and guitar section.
The album deals with adolescent-like topics in a sophisticated manner that’s alluring to those who have experienced life, love, and breakups. Johnson’s lyrics are sprinkled with dazzling contradictions and raw emotion. This theme is most evident on the first track, “User,” with its bustling melodies and lyrics that ask, “Why do I want to be, the thing that you want?”
“Natural Law,” the CD’s second track, is perhaps the most compelling. It begins with an ardent Johnson crooning about the natural law of giving and taking. As she becomes more personal with her claim, the guitar and snare pump up to match her disconcerted and unsettled mood. Varying between soft vulnerability and aggressive determination, the track crescendos into a forlorn and love lost chorus where Johnson tells her former lover that no matter how much he’s hurt her, she won’t accept anything less than she deserves.
No doubt, Jen Johnson and Static of the Gods will spread their striking pop rock with the anticipated full-length release of Cycles Follow Signs. (Del Verano Records)
www.staticofthegods.com -Lauren Proctor
Michael Alan Snyder — Purifier
Composed, arranged, performed and produced by Michael Alan Snyder
Ready for an escape into a state of complete sensory stimulation? Check out Michael Alan Snyder’s latest album, Purifier. This CD is made for nights when nothing seems more fitting than lying back on the bed and becoming immune to the world, completely submersed in the array of colorful sounds coming from the stereo.
Snyder suffers from both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but has found that he can express himself effectively through poetry, art, and music. Snyder deems these challenges an asset that allows him to present an entire array of emotional extremes foreign to most.
Everything Snyder creates begins with his metronome. He develops a rhythm on his keyboard, records it onto his synthesizer, and builds off of the base he has created.
The tracks on Purifier result in an Asian-sounding atmospheric foundation overflowing with other keyboard produced loops, chimes, and sound effects to cement the imagery Snyder illustrates through his music.
Having already named the tracks of 17 albums prior to the release of Purifier, Snyder has perfected the art of naming his songs. These pieces of descriptive, fragmented reality such as “If Sound Grew Fleece,” “Shiver Tide,” and “Painting with Ice Pops” are effective in showing us what each song will sound like and the feeling they will evoke.
“Cracked Mirror Restoration” is an excellent example of not only Snyder’s ability to use descriptive titles, but also to convey a mood and an image. The track begins in medias res. Loops and tracks come from every direction in brouhaha, as if a mirror has just cracked. Dissonance dominates the introduction. The track continues in a fast paced laborious manner, as if hundreds of people were working to restore the mirror. Before long, Snyder hints at uniformity. As the sound comes together, so does the mirror. By the end, the track is reduced to one pleasant cadence — a completeness and a restoration.
“Gnomes Chanting in the Cookie Sack” is one of Snyder’s friendliest tracks on the album. It begins with a light and lofty treading along — a gathering of sound and voices. Then, as if the gnomes start to converse, Snyder adds more parts to his keyboard. The track switches from jovial to overcoming, and then back to jovial. Finally, the end is a spacey chord that expresses victory and happiness, the kind of tranquility that Snyder hopes to convey to his listeners. (Self-released)
No contact info available -Lauren Proctor
Mark Nelson —
World Gone Cool
Mastered by Jerry Perron at Music Center Studios
Arranged, recorded, mixed and produced by Mark Nelson at Phaedo Studios
In an industry full of singer/songwriters, it must be difficult to try and distinguish oneself, short of performing in the buff or biting the head off a bat (wait, that’s been done). It probably doesn’t hurt if you write, record, produce and mix every song on your albums, which Mark Nelson does on his latest, World Gone Cool.
Of course, that’s all for naught if the music sucks. Fortunately for Nelson, World Gone Cool contains several memorable tunes, and even a few outstanding ones. The irony lies in that the most successful songs are those in which Nelson turns it up a notch, proving that singer/songwriters don’t always have to be lovesick saps with nothing but an acoustic guitar and half a pack of Camels.
Although a few of the acoustic numbers shine — namely “Not,” with its beautifully-layered guitars, and “So Often,” with its accompanying piano and background vocals — the real standouts feature drums, bass, and more aggressive guitars. The album’s best tune, “Most,” echoes fellow singer-songwriter Damien Jurado circa Breaking Chairs, the album in which he, ironically enough, ventured into more rock oriented territory. With its relentless melodies and aching “You don’t want me” and “You don’t know me” refrains, “Most” paints a delightfully tragic picture before ending abruptly with guitar strums flittering into silence.
Elsewhere, Nelson surfs a Jack Johnson wave with “Remain,” a head-bobbing rumination on hidden memories, and successfully incorporates a drum machine on the simple but effective “Egress.” Interestingly enough, just about the time the dude-with-a-guitar thing wears thin, dude drops “Sophist,” a radio-ready anthem with a chorus that’s begging to be shouted from stadium bleachers everywhere. It’s further proof that, in order for Nelson to distinguish himself in a time when singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen, he needs muscle in more than just a few of his songs. (Phaedo Records)
www.mark-nelson.com -Brett Cromwell
Professor Murder — Professor Murder Rides the Subway
Recorded by Joshua Ryan and Eric Emm at Brothers Studio
What do you get when the bassist of a math rock band and a techno producer come together to produce a dance album? Professor Murder’s debut EP, Professor Murder Rides the Subway.
Produced by ex-Don Caballero bassist Eric Emm and techno producer Joshua Ryan, this EP could easily be labeled as a dance-rock or post-punk album, but there is more going on here than these sub-genres suggest. Take for instance “The Mountain,” which features a bass line reminiscent of dub or reggae, and then breaks down into a cacophony of bongos, melodica and cowbell, or “Champion,” which employs disco bass and sampled sound effects. It would seem that Professor Murder is successful at side-stepping any pigeonholing as another new wave/dance-punk throwback, as they continuously throw something new or unexpected into the mix. Despite this, it is fair to say that having an arsenal of different instruments at your disposal does not necessarily make you a great songwriter.
While each song on this EP offers something unexpected, the songs often grow tiresome after the first few listens. Aside from the use of sounds from different genres, there is little else going on in terms of song structure behind the pulsating beats. The vocals sound more or less like the sassy, shouted vocals of LCD Soundsytem or Les Savy Fav, and feel almost as though they were added on as an afterthought. In fact, the lyrics often come off as shallow and uninspired, with Michael Bell-Smith shouting “That’s right, we came to party / Street by street, block by block” on “Champion.” While these vocals and lyrics may sound powerful during a live set, hearing them on your iPod speakers and trying to absorb the meaning behind them will leave you feeling numb. Point in case, “The Mountain” features the lines, “Hey you girl with the tied up trouse / Everytime you pass me you get me aroused.” Humorous, but these lyrics do nothing to further the direction of the song.
But perhaps that’s the point. After all, if Professor Murder’s purpose is to make you dance, and they pack the percussive punch to do so, then who has time for serious lyrics anyway? If anything, Professor Murder creates fun, unique dance songs that are perfect for any booze-fueled dance party or show, and while the songs and lyrics may not hold up after repeated listens, the fact remains that Professor Murder can keep up the right beat when called upon to do so. (Kanine Records)
www.burncopy.com/pmurder -Bill Dvorak
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