Review by Gears
Grungy dirty Croatian rock. Think of the Pixies fronted by a
legend who sings in a made up language (mix of English, Croatian,
Italian, and German) with a voice like Tom Waits and the looks of
Frank Zappa. Most songs could be classified as straight up punk
rock. Other songs have a stronger balkan folk music influence.
Another little gem by our Croatian friends! We have a bunch of
these guys cds in the library. Play them!
Picks: 7,8,1,2,12 *** No FCCs ***
*1. grungy, trudging bass, makes me wanna drink beer and get into
a bar brawl
*2. spoken intro then nice punk rocker: kind of reminds me of
Greek band Trypes, anthemic chorus
3. more straight up rawk and rall, faster tempo here
4. version of 3: a demented piano bar parody
5. bluesy slow, fuzzy, nice...
*6. faster, drums at intro, definitely like the pixies...
**7. version of 6: with xylophone and piano, quite strange...
**8. starts with a hard thudd thudd, but then changes into a kind
of ska tempo with crazy organ sound. chorus sounds like surf
rock.
9. acoustic version of 8, only vocals, organ, mandolin, spooky,
ghostly sounding... like a circus theme...
10. nice driving bass, anthemic punk rock
11. slower, spoken vocals, very sludgy, grows in intensity
*12. balkan folk rhythm rock and roll... interesting
Review by Gears
Psychedelic pop. Ninth full length from this experimental NY
based trio and boy is it good! For those of you who know AC well,
just play any song without hesitation. For those of you who don't
(like myself), here is a short description: these guys take all
the pop elements from bands like the Beach Boys, the Beatles,
maybe Piper at the Gates of Dawn era Pink Floyd, and some Syd
Barrett, throw in some african funky rhythms and some cool
electronic effects, add in a pinch of acid, mix it all in a
shaker and: voila! Animal Collective! You have it all here:
treated multilayered guitars and electronics, pulsating bass,
kick ass percussion, and an excellent vocal delivery by both lead
singers. PLAY IT, PLAY IT, PLAY IT!
Picks, 2,4,8,10,11 *** No FCCs detected ***
1. strange throbbing intro into blissful psychedelic pop trip.
abruptly explodes with energy in the middle, makes me wanna
dance
*2. swirling intro melody, beat picks up and backing female
vocals, an anthem for a sunny day
3. more reverb, psychedelic bliss, pulsating bass
*4. nice dancey intro pulse, crowd samples, lots of effects
5. nice little organ sound, a slower piece
6. slow dreamy start... pulsating synth sound, spacey...
7. nice intertwined vocal delivery, another little pop gem
*8. nature samples at intro, very droney... pure bliss
9. didgeridoo sample (?), kind of tribal rhythm
*10. more quiet, chilled, wow, i love this record...
*11. strong african influence, another great dance song
Review by Fo
CLAYTON BROTHERS: Brother to Brother artistShare, 2009
CLASSIC JAZZ – The Clayton Brothers (John, bass & Jeff, alto
sax) pay tribute to some of the great brother acts in jazz,
particularly the Adderleys and Hank/Thad/Elvin Jones. They were
clearly inspired by the concept: this disc swings with verve, and
it’s good fun.
* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 2, 4, 6... maybe 1, 5
1. 7:50 – funky strut dedicated to Elvin Jones; bluesy solos
2. 10:23 – catchy blues march, soloists bring plenty of
grease
3. 9:15 – interesting rework of a classic: slowed-down and
tackled sideways
4. 7:29 – bouncy Adderley-style hardbop groove, good swinging
solos
5. 9:38 – bass/piano feature: warm, low and lazy... niiiice
6. 4:24 – novelty storytelling song, good-natured and goofy
7. 6:45 – sweet ballad... too sweet, actually...
8. 7:48 – upbeat rolling groove, well-crafted harmony &
solos
[ Fo ] 02/13/09
Review by Fo
JOLLE LEANDRE & KOSH S.: Kor
Leo, 2008
IMPROV – Far-out duets between bassist Leandre and reedist kosh
Szelevnyi, a mix of the sparse intimacy you’d expect from a duo
and a surprisingly full, multi-layered sound spiked with vocal
growls and grunts. Bristles with raw energy... this will
definitely get their attention.
* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 6, 7
1. 13:28 – bowed bass & clarinet overlap like a chorus of
frogs; barks & squeaks; 2nd half very quiet w/bell, big
pauses, then screeching sax
2. 9:00 – starts with rustling/breathing/groaning; then sax
tiptoes, skronks & screams over churning waves; becomes calm,
then downright evil
3. 1:59 – plaintive horn wails over low bass drone, like a
muezzin’s call
4. 5:27 – vibrating flute drone interacts with high bass
squeaks
5. 14:00 – melodic solo sax, then close interplay with thin bass
(like two flies, aimlessly buzzing). Becomes skittery, then
pained, very quiet at midpoint, then inquisitive in second
half... ends on a drunken note
6. 3:13 – impressively creaky bowed bass solo: remarkable free
technique
7. 4:21 – low drone with whispers; becomes quicker/more sinister,
settles back
[ Fo ] 02/13/09
Review by Craig Matsumoto
Playful jazz, a medium sized combo with lots of horns. Mostly
upbeat, but with some free-jazz tendencies -- I'm reminded of old
TV jazz with a drunken warble to it. Tracks are upbeat with an
almost tropical/calypso feel to the way the horns are written.
Quite accessible and nicely creative.
1- Freeform intro with spoken chatter. Free, grumpy sax solo.
Nice midtempo ending phase
2- Upbeat, finger-snappin' goodness.
3- Like a fast magic puppet theme, plus angular jazz lines.
Open-ended, avant-garde soloing.
4- Mid/fast, snappy bass/drums with lush horns.
5- Mid/fast, chugging theme.
6- Happy. Kind of like a '50s TV theme, in goofy off-colors. Calm
midtempo pace.
7- Drunken sorta-tropical theme. Warbly, playful. Cool exotic
flute solo. Ends with chuggy, chattery writing.
8- Free-jazzy. Silly swinging theme; some nice open soloing
9- Lower-key, but fairly fast. Nice post-bop sound, not silly.
Drum solo. Angular themes to end it.
10- Upbeat chugging
11- Mysterious and creeping. Growly middle, improvvy.
Review by Fo
BILLY HARPER: Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 2
Talking House, 2008
MODERN JAZZ - This muscular Coltrane-school postbop & poetry
set proves that saxophonist Billy Harper remains a powerful
creative force. The music has a retro-but-edgy “black
consciousness” feel, with unpolished rhythms and intonation just
outside the comfort zone of mainstream jazz. And Amiri Baraka’s
jazz history poems fit perfectly.
* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 2, 3, 5, 8, 9
1. 16:43 – awkward theme turns heavy & passionate with a
great Amiri Baraka poem about black history (music based on two
Coltrane tunes)
2. 9:06 – DEEP jazz history poem over a lopsided yet soulful
stride... whew!
3. 4:33 – thumping midtempo, simple but compelling theme &
killer drums
4. 5:37 – soulful ballad: sax/piano duet, adds wordless vox &
synth
5. 5:15 – thoughtful midtempo: direct horn statements &
gospel-tinged piano
6. 7:46 – plodding theme, but sax & trumpet solos have fire
in the belly
7. 4:04 – Harper sings! Right outta the church, includes overdub
duet w/sax
8. 12:27 – it’s all in here: sturdy theme, fiery horns, heavy
chords, spirit & soul
9. 6:15 – perky hardbop and another spoken-word lesson in jazz
prehistory
[ Fo ] 02/13/09
Review by Fo
DAVE PIETRO: The Chakra Suite
Challenge, 2008
WORLD/JAZZ – Friendly suite incorporating elements of Indian and
Brazilian music, with lots of odd meters and an airy contemporary
feel. Guitarist Rez Abbasi provides his usual sinuous touch,
while Pietro mixes it up on various saxes. The most heavily
Indian-leaning tracks (like #7) are generally more compelling,
but it’s all well-played.
* * * | Fo’s Picks: 1, 3, 7
1. 7:51 – delicately spinning feel, nice guitar, then tumbling
under exotic sax
2. 7:25 – light bossa jazz, a soft breeze with fragile middle
section
3. 6:32 – upbeat: tightly entwined sax & guitar, then
undulating solos for each
4. 8:07 – softly shimmering ballad: bright sax, quiet bass solo,
picks up at end
5. 6:34 – Brazilian rhythm: perky sax solo, sneaky accordion
6. 2:25 – slow, droning introduction to...
7. 7:08 – cool, exotic: “sitar guitar,” accordion, 11-beat cycle,
vocal percussion
8. 8:04 – tinkly intro, relaxed ballad with a straight jazz feel,
lifts at the end
[ Fo ] 02/13/09
Review by Gabe Gopen
Jenny Lewis is the heartthrob, former child actor who fronts Rilo
Kiley. On this solo effort, she employs many famous and talented
friends to contribute to lush pop songs. The good news is the
songs stand up well and the all-star accompaniment blends fairly
well. Elvis Costello guests and several musicians from the
Impostors appear. Genre hops from country to blues to pop with
many tracks backed by strings.
All FCC Clean
1. (2:54) Somewhat repetitive piano driven number builds as it
adds strings
***2. (3:47) w/ M. Ward on guitar. Sweetly sung melody over
acoustic guitar.
3. (8:45). Bluesy electric guitar and driving beats accompany
soulful vocals. Apparently, Jenny’s dad wasn’t the best.
4. (3:41) A veritable torch song with piano strings
5. (3:50) Heavy on the rhyming, this acoustic guitar driven
number with a harmonized choruses tells Lewis’ tale of early drug
use.
***6. (3:34) Driving, bluesy rock song with and surf guitar feel
and strong chorus.
7. (4:33) Soulfully sung ballad with piano strings.
***8. (3:34) w/ Elvis Costello. Catchy pop number with Lewis and
Costello trading verses.
9. (3:07) Lewis and female back-up signers (Jenny’s sister, Zooey
Deschanel) belt out this soul tune over strings and piano
chords.
*** 10.(5:27) Piano blues, gospel chorus then a southern fried
rock meltdown.
11. (4:09) Really heavy sentiment that goes over the top. Skip
it.
Review by Walter E. Gogh
A beautiful collection of solo home-recordings consisting of
haunting melodies often coarsely reflecting on death. Hudson
plays guitar on all of the tracks, adds other instruments which
also plays himself and over-dubs his own voice for backing
vocals. Combines the simplicity singer-songwriter elements with
recording tricks.
Fun facts: After self-releasing 13 albums, this is Hudson’s 1st
to be put out on record label. Says he wrote the record to keep
from killing himself. Also a published author.
FCC Violation on track 4.
***1. (6:36) Fingerpicked guitar with over-dubbed choruses.
Haunting in tone.
2. (3:35) Woodblock keeps time over acoustic guitar strumming and
wordless chanting. The album’s liveliest track.
3. (4:48) A constant stream of rhyming couplets over a gently
strummed guitar.
4. (6:28) FCC warning: audible swear word. A dark song with
Hudson accompanying himself on vocals.
5. (3:11) Accoustic guitar instrumental.
***6. (9:00) A witty, winding ballad. Sparse and moving.
7. (4:21) Instrumental finger picked guitar.
***8. (4:40) Haunting, finally captured vocal broken apart by
intentional studio noise and clicking. Don’t adjust your
dials.
9. (3:55) A bluesy-guitar lines with over-dubbed
vocals.
Review by Walter E. Gogh
Byrne & Eno get back together to work on some of Eno’s spare
instrumental tracks that Byrne put lyrics to (read the liner
notes if you want the whole story). Elaborate production but not
the ambient weirdness you’d expect from Eno. Goes from melodic
songs to electronic beats. Byrnes lush vocals fill up every
track.
FCC Violation on track 2
***1. (5:06) Strumming guitar and electronic noises with Byrne’s
anthematic vocals.
2. (3:19) FCC warming: audible swear word. Guitar and piano
backbone to ballad with a country/ western feel.
3. (6:24) Dissonant piano notes and tribal beats hold up
xenophobic sing-speak verses and chanting choruses. The talk-rap
fails to deliver even when boosted by guitar power chords.
***4. (3:43) Strummed electric guitar and tinkling piano keys
segue into melodic verses and big choruses.
5. (3:43) Funky rhythms and multi-layered instrumentation sound
tastefully and self-reflectively dated.
6. (2:26) Feels very Talking Heads. Tale of everyman sung over
multi-tracked instrumentation.
***7. (4:16) Self-reflection about the disco rhythm “This groove
is out of fashion. These beats are 20 years old. The single if
there was one.” Don’t shy away just because it’s got catchy
sing-a-long choruses.
8. (5:06) Downbeat electronic beats, the most head-boppin’ of the
album. Harmonized choruses and big, full sound.
***9. (4:54) Melodic vocals over a steady beat and strummed
guitars.
10. (4:17) Aggressive electronic beats and noise with
synth-altered vocals of Byrne switch from high to low and left to
right. Electronic sounding horns punch it up.
11. (3:46) The big, sweeping, melodic ender.
Review by Decca
Wonderful mix of old standards and originals, gypsy jazz at
heart, but with a contemporary flair and even hints of chamber
music. Expertly played by O’Connor on violin, Frank Vignola
guitar and Jon Burr bass. Energy, style, class. It pays homage to
gypsy jazz but takes a fresh pass at it. Watch for applause.
*1. Sweetly swinging, bright, w/good solos & a no-frills
style.
*2. Starts midtempo, gets fast & furious. O’Connor smokes on
this one!
3. Like a sleepy Southern summer, lyrical & languid.
Bayou-esque.
4. Starts slow, picks up, gets lazy again. The classic
updated.
5. Midtempo rag w/sweet violin in a restrained arrangement.
*6. Midtempo, quirky contemporary gypsy jazz swing.
*7. Slow, plaintive, like a pioneer’s song of home.
*8. Upbeat toe-tapper with a Romany folk flair. So good!
9. Relaxed classic, sleepily charming and stylish.
10. Mid/upbeat w/some wicked fast strings. Yow!
Review by Walter E. Gogh
Cardinology goes from twangy “alt-country” songs to soulful
ballads with Adams’ songwriting and voice at the center of each
track. Themes of hope, healing and heartache prevail. The
melodies and the musicianship are consistently strong. Adams’
lyrics get lost in themselves at times.
All FCC Clean
1. (2:17) Twangy and hopeful ditty built on acoustic guitar.
*2. (2:56) Rocking, soulful with pedal-steel guitar, backing
vocals and pianos.
*3. (2:58) Big guitars and big vocal lines.
4. (2:18) Crunchy hard rock guitar line, a little “we didn’t
start the fire” wordplay.” Catchy, but not painfully so.
*5. (3:57) Countrified rock number with multilayered guitars.
6. (4:21) Pedal steel and guitars build up to sing-a-long
chorus.
*7. (2:43) Stripped-down acoustic guitar and piano vocals. Simple
yet powerful.
8. (3:38) Ballad leaning towards the sappy side.
9. (3:42) Piano and pedal steel mix nicely but the wordplay gets
a little too cute.
10. (3:35) Choruses sung in harmony. Song has a very light
touch.
11. (2:31) Very easy-going throwaway track.
12. (5:34) Heavy drug-kicking work-it-all-out song. Pulls out all
the musical stops.
Review by Basil
Peter Bradley Adams “Leave Taking” Subdued folk/alt-country
composed of soft male vocals (Elliott Smith-like), peaceful
piano, acoustic guitar and occasional country instruments
(banjos, anything else that twangs). A soothing, gentle country
album with generally un-clichd love songs. NO FCCs
1) Country-infused folksy guitar chords; sprinklings of piano
& female vocals
2) Slow, melancholy piano about L.A. “healing broken hearts”
3) Empowered post break up song; Upbeat pop-country; twang
guitar,banjo
4)** Acoustic guitar, enchanting chord progressions; v. cute
lyrics “she kisses the scar on my chin”; some female vocals
5) Mellow modern country ballad; Nice banjo solo in the middle of
the song
6) **very soft & slow; simple acoustic guitar ballad; super
subdued but quite beautiful
7) voice sounds like its coming from a loudspeaker; relatively
upbeat; about change
8) acoustic guitar song about rain; simple country chord
progressions/structure
9) ***instrumental: lovely mournful violin, sad piano; ends w/
0:12 left (2:24 total)
Review by Basil
Frontier Ruckus “The Orion Songbook” Young hipsters from Michigan
play a folksy, indie breed of bluegrass music. “Alt-country” at
its finest, with some experimental, spidery banjo lines &
poetic, kooky lyrics (“your tight skin confessed not a vein in
your chest”). Singer’s voice is distinct: harsh & heartfelt
with a sense of immediacy (a la Neutral Milk Hotel, The
Decemberists). Worth a listen, even if just to hear a musical saw
in action! No FCCs (“son of a bitch” on #9)
1) Explores his vocals in a soft song of both love &
remorse
2)** Refreshingly sporadic percussion with some impressive
banjo
3) ***Spooky duet w/ female; yearning harmonica, aggressive piano
& some haunting musical saw. Sounds like Halloween! Lyrics:
“if only you knew what you are”
4) Sufjan Stevens meets the banjo – result is sadly
unexceptional
5)*** Banjo, horns lead this upbeat, jubilant bluegrass fun-fest;
ends w/ :05 left
6) Desperate song; vocals cry out, horns shine w/ deep gloom of
New Orleans
7) slow, acoustic guitar song; more folk than country; voice is
v. Neutral Milky
8) banjo plucks gingerly alongside acoustic guitar & great
piano palpitations
9) ***“SON OF A BITCH” forceful percussion, really rumbly voice,
nice horns
10) starts out with some haunting musical saw & harmonies;
slow acoustic strums
11) **blend of upbeat folk and spooky musical saw; small town
lyrics
12) easy-going travel song about going home, nostalgic banjo solo
& harmonies
13) **Builds to a nice hoe-down in the middle; banjo lick guides
the rest; Tour de force that highlights all of their
instrumentation (6:55)
14) artful acoustic guitar; slow ballad to end the CD
Bailey Richardson baileyr@stanford.edu
Review by Basil
Gori Ussi Winnetou “So Sprach Mil...” Songs progress in
cabaret-esque stylistic cycles, moving from calmer, often folksy
music w/ thick, belly-rumbling male spoken vocals to hard rockin
electric guitars & bellowing yells. Theme of repeated vowel
sounds in choruses. Sings in a mix of languages (Italian,
Croatian, English, German) & singer called “the Istrian Frank
Zappa” NO FCCs
1) Doom vibe of bone-crunching guitars, descending pianos; calms
down to a chipper, harmonized kumbaya sound (7:03)
2) **Talking over crunchy guitars & cymbals about fascism
& Baldini (6:13)
3) Peppy mix of polka & country; cowbell, harmonica progress
to harder electric guitar (6:47)
4) Starts out slow w/ nirvana-esque guitars, “bam bahm” pounding
harmonies, sounds of mourning, yearning (8:03)
5) Up-beat guitar lick drives song a la rage against the machine;
fast & hard rockin; ten dead seconds at end (4:31)
6) rumbling drums & spoken diatribe; sparse harmonica,
guitar; fades for last 0:50 (10:28)
7) *upbeat; punk guitar, relentless drums, hummed classical
chords; last :05 are empty (4:12)
8) * chants, punctuated guitar & drums; slows for a bit; ends
w/ :07 to go (7:11)
9) crunchy guitars, slow & steady drums; picks up tempo
halfway thru (6:59)
Bailey Richardson baileyr@stanford.edu