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Welcome to A&A. There are 12 reviews in this issue. Click on an artist to jump to the review, or simply scroll through the list. If you want information on any particular release, check out the Label info page. All reviews are written by Jon Worley unless otherwise noted. If you have any problems, criticisms or suggestions, drop me a line.
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A&A #266 reviews July 2005
 AnnieAnniemal (Big Beat/676/Atlantic) I can't wait to hear the jibes. Yes, Annie is just another Eurotrash girl (Finnish, actually) glomming onto Madonna's vapor trails. In fact, her one big hit up to this point (1999's "The Greatest Hit," which is included on this album) rips a loop from "Everybody." But if it works, it works. Take the lead single for this album, "Heartbeat." It sounds like a Pet Shop Boys tune that never was, though strangely enough it doesn't really resemble Tennant and Lowe's own "Heartbeat." Annie's voice isn't particularly strong, and when she tries to hit the higher registers it almost fuzzes out completely. And I happen to think that sounds almost unbearably cute. Annie's future will be tied inextricably to her ability to find producers who are able to create slick yet interesting songs. I wouldn't want to bet the farm on her future. But she is a DJ, so it's more than possible that she'll be able to replicate the sophisticated music on this astoundingly fun--if ephemeral--album. C'mon. It's summer. It's time to screw around and listen to cheesy pop music. I'm all for that--I might even plunk myself down in the grass when Earth, Wind and Fire and Chicago come to town. Annie makes cheesy pop music that sounds good to my ears, and that's all I require. Laugh all you want...I'll still be smiling.
Black SundayTronic Blanc (Dirtnap) Dirtnap bands are usually fuzzy, raucous beasts. Black Sunday fits right in there. But the sheer sonic inventiveness of Alicja (who, for all intents and purposes, is Black Sunday) is astounding. There's psychedelia, new wave, pop punk and experimental electronic punk as well--and often enough, more than one of those styles in a given song. Focus, focus, focus. Black Sunday does not have it. These songs and the music within them are all over the map. I applaud the desire, and my intellect is most gratified by the unwillingness to pander to pop dorks like my decidedly dull emotional side. When the energy stays solid (which is most of the time), the visceral thrill of power is able to carry the day. Black Sunday needs to figure out how to keep that wire live all the way through. If it does, I'd have to predict (sadly) that Dirtnap will not be big enough for its future. Black Sunday has more potential (a good portion of it almost realized) than anyone I've heard in some time. This album is rough, ragged and often inexcusably messy. A fine wallow, if you ask me. A bit more attention to detail, and the world will not be big enough for Alicja and Black Sunday.
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 Frank Carillo and the BandolerosBad Out There (Jezebel) If you've been listening to recent Bob Dylan, you know the man has been steeping his sound in the blues, even while retaining his own remarkable feel for American music. Frank Carillo does much the same thing here. He's a bit more Tom Petty than Dylan, perhaps, but he sure knows how to rock out the blues. And not in that dreadful, ponderous white-boy blues style that is just far too tiresome. Most folks would probably through Carillo in Americana, that alt.alt.country catchall category. And while I wouldn't argue--these songs use rock and roots rather than blue conventions--I still say Carillo's heart is in the blues. Much like Americana icon Whiskeytown (when there was such a thing, of course), Carillo infuses his songs with so much feeling and blue atmosphere that it's hard to imagine these songs existing without the likes of Muddy Waters and Leadbelly. Simply lovely. In a kinda depressing, are-you-sure-it'll-be-alright? kinda way. Carillo makes good music. Call it what you want; I'll be listening to this puppy many more times.
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The ChurchillsThe Odds of Winning (Near) Grabbing as many cool pop ideas as they can, the Churchills have the stylings and feel of a globetrotting band. There's a little Kiwipop, a chunk of emo, a bit of the Britpop and just enough raggedy roots to dust up the final product. All that probably has something to do with how these guys got their songs placed in places like the TV show "Scrubs"--and their t-shirt on "The Sopranos." The songs are awfully perky (a nice confluence of the Brit and Kiwi, I'd say) without getting saccharine. Many times, the boys dance right up the precipice before gracefully gliding back into coolsville. Which isn't to say these guys plan to be indie heroes for very long. This ambitious album is a calling card, one that ought to be well-received in many major label A&R departments--if it hasn't been already. The Churchills won't have to change their sound at all. This stuff is ready for the major leagues right now. And it's still good. Exciting, in fact. There are a couple spots where I think I can hear echoes of excised, more experimental, ideas. But editing isn't a crime if the music turns out fine. And it sure does here.
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HalfwayFarewell to the Fainthearted (Laughing Outlaw) So can you call it Americana if the band is Australian? Why not? Seven guys in the outfit, and enough pedal steel and dobro to take me down the road apiece. Indeed, I can name a couple dozen bands around my little corner of North Carolina who would love to make music this good. The songs are impressive, but I think I like the collective feel of the album the best. When you've got seven members (and a lengthy list of guests), a genial, collaborative sound often results. These ideas have been bounced off any number of folks, and they came back improved. When I go to the beach later this summer, I'll be packing this disc, a bottle of the finest bourbon and as little else as possible. Keep it easy, and make sure the ice cube bin stays full.
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Sara HamiltonCall My Name (Saricana/Red Eye) Sara Hamilton has that Mary Chapin Carpenter mid-alto range, and she knows her way around writing songs as well. This album is set up to feature those two things, and those two things only. Which is how I would have produced it as well. Hamilton is obviously angling for a Nashville contract, though I'm not sure she's got the glitz and firepower. Maybe she really is aiming for the AAA country-folk-pop submarket, that commercial side of alt.country where Carpenter and Rosanne Cash (another obvious influence) reside. Her stuff is good enough, and like I noted up top, producer Jesse Dayton makes sure to dress up the music without distracting the listener from Hamilton's voice and ideas. The album sounds lovely, as it should. I always get a little bummed when I hear such a fine album and yet can't quite envision commercial success. Only a little, though, because most musicians never make an album as fine as this.
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 Gordon
B. IsnorCreatures All Tonight (Lord Sir Skronk) Remember those faux new wave pop bands from the late 70s and early 80s? The Cars were probably the best known, though I was thinking more of the Tubes, Tommy Tutone, etc., one-hit wonders (or two, at most)--even though it sounded like most of those songs might well have been recorded by the same producer. Isnor has a terrific handle on the cheesy keyboard riffs, the processed guitar sound and the offhanded hooks that defined this sound. This is sophisticated cheesy pop. And damned proud of it. Yes, you have to be in the mood. And it helps to have actually liked the stuff back when it was current (and since we're talking more than 20 years ago, that does exclude more than a few readers). Geezer pop for aging geeks. Or something like that. And since I'm a rapidly-aging geek who can't resist a nicely-turned pop hook (no matter how cheesy), this album utterly charmed me. Wistful smiles all around.
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KingsleyKingsley (Blood Orange) Some lovely fuzzed-out rock. Kingsley reminds me of many excellent bands from the early 90s, but the one that most comes to mind is Brainiac. Maybe the second or third album, before the boys (and by then, they were all boys) became full-on electronic math freaks. No, Kingsley is all about the rock, with some classy keys on the side. And damn, if the stuff doesn't just fall into place. These anthemic piece could sound ponderous or overblown or simply turgid, but Kingsley always remembers to step lively. The energy level never flags, and the songs remain in full flight. Plenty of reviewers will likely reference the Kings of Leon and a few other modern rockers, and that's cool. Others might mention that guitarist (and songwriter) Harris Thurmond served in Hammerbox and other outstanding Seattle bands. There's lots to mention, like the fact that Kingsley always keeps things tight and stylish--and that's the only way to play this particular musical game. The songs are sharp, but the arrangements and performances are what make this disc. One or two steps off the path, and this material would sound generic and dull. Thankfully, what we have here is fresh and invigorating. Quite the solid effort.
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 Monster-0...And Then There Were Zero (Omega Point) Few labels would have the courage to release one Monster-0 album. Daemon Hatfield writes some of the most incisive and attractive songs I've ever heard, but he seems to insist upon some of the strangest arrangements possible. Almost all of them involve some sort of rock-electronic hybrid, but rarely does he repeat himself. So if you're able to sit back and simply rock out the bones of the pieces, you're cool. Likewise if you simply like to hear great music put into some of the strangest positions imaginable. Those in-between, well... Luckily for Hatfield and Lindsay Williams, his new partner in Monster-0, Omega Point insists on releasing unusual--but always exceptional--electronic music. The sound palette for Monster-0 albums is breathtaking, and the results--once you've steeled yourself--are similarly impressive. I like weird stuff, and I also like picking music apart. This stuff is perfect for my ear. But it should be accessible to any vaguely adventurous listener. My only advice is to let the songs come to you. Trying to scale the ideas perpetrated by this album would be a true feat of genius.
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Silent TypeHot and Bothered (self-released) So if I happened to mention that the Silent Type and Kingsley (reviewed earlier in this issue) were two sides of the same coin, would you castigate me for fomenting a cliche? Yeah, I guess so. And you should. Nonetheless, there are a lot of similarities in philosophy, even if the execution couldn't be more different. Basically, the Silent Type crafts some wonderful anthems and borrows a good amount of its sound from the early 90s. But rather than crafting its sound, including deftly-placed keyboards, these boys decided to simply amp up the attitude and the energy. Strangely enough, though, Brainiac is one of my main touchstones for these boys. And like Kingsley, we're talking about earlier rather than later. There's plenty of GvsB and other fashion punk stars as well--including a surprising dollop of emo here and there--but in no way can these guys get around the fact that they're playing sharp, cerebral rock and roll. I suppose that sort of compliment is akin to the kiss of death. I'm sure it doesn't matter that this stuff gives me a visceral rush that is at least the equal of the intellectual satisfaction these songs give me. Whatever. Let's just slap a "good music" sticker on the Silent Type and call it a day.
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Zom ZomsOne Brain (Omega Point) Self-referential to the extreme (three of the 10 songs have "Zom" in their title somewhere, and most of the others mention "Zom Zoms" at some point) and manic to the point of apoplexy, Zom Zoms bliss out in some alternate electronic universe only known to the Residents and a few other brave souls. Zom Zoms prefer to make bad jokes--sometimes building entire songs around these lame concepts--than worry too much about where the music is going. The boys seem to think that if they keep it fast and lean, then everything else will fall into place. It's amazing how right they are. One of the stranger acts on the Omega Point roster (which is saying something), Zom Zoms are frighteningly charming. Stupid at times, of course, but always engaging. Generally enthralling, actually. Give your mind over to the madness. You know, I'm not sure if this stuff is stupid for a reason (like some greater joke or some different meta concept) or the guys are simply lame. It doesn't matter, because everything is so over the top that the album charms for almost imperceptible reasons. Or something like that. Once you do let the madness overtake you, even the most basic forms of thought become quite difficult to accomplish. All you know is that you need another hit, even if it will kill you. And rest assured, repeated exposure to Zom Zoms will do you harm. Me? I just don't care. I'm mainlining once more. Contact:
 ZoxThe Wait (Armo) So I'm reading some reviews of Zox's first album, and they all seem to make mention of some mind-bending elektro-violin playing. I don't hear a whole lot of that here. Not as much as it seems the first album contained, anyway . In fact, it seems to me (just judging by what I read, since I haven't heard that disc) that these boys really streamlined their approach for this album. And while that probably won't make the fans of that first album particularly happy, I think it probably helped Zox make this album as good as it is. The songs are tight, generally in a slightly trippy new wave-punk-ska sound that has "tomorrow" written all over it. The playing is energetic, and the production is ultra-clean. This sound is certainly good for getting major label attention. Zox won't have to clean up much if they get a deal. I'm sure a big label would want simpler songs--you gotta have a single, man--but the sound is radio-ready. And I mean that as a complement. Zox is mainstream in the most interesting ways possible. Right. So that I don't insult the boys any further, let me get out of here by saying I really enjoyed the disc. That's unqualified praise, by the way. Zox rocks. Oh my God, did I really say that? Somebody shoot me... Contact:
Also recommended: Casionauts! Bailamos
Morimos Juntos! (Omega Point)
The Charming Snakes Ammunition (Dirtnap)
Michael Dean Damron A Perfect Day for a Funeral (In Music We
Trust)
Jascha Ephraim Jascha Ephraim (self-released)
Felt 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet (Rhymesayers)
High Tension Wires Send a Message (Dirtnap)
Lunascape Reminiscence (Noir)
The Makers Everybody Rise! (Kill Rock Stars)
Midnight Syndicate The 13th Hour (Entity)
The Mispent All There Is, Is Now EP (self-released)
psi Artificially Retarded Soul Care Operators (Evolving Ear)
Sleeping People Sleeping People (Temporary Residence) |
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