Cryptacize
Dig That Treasure
Asthmatic Kitty
originally published February 27, 2008
Let's hear it for singers. Not the dude in the band with the "least worst" donkey-bleat, but the bearer of the pipes; the individual who conveys, at least to most listeners, the bulk of the emotional information. We've seen a resurgence of honest-to-goodness vocalists as of late, with folks like the Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth and the heavenly barbershop crew that is Grizzly Bear crooning unapologetically.
Multi-instrumentalist Chris Cohen was the one responsible for the lion's share of the more starry-eyed, tender moments to be found within Deerhoof's early millennial output, but then he quit that band to focus on his own recording project, The Curtains. Mr. Cohen's unabashedly plaintive voice has found a dramatic, often enthralling, match with Nedelle Torrisi, who may be described as the Judy Garland of the Kill Rock Stars set.
The music that Cohen and Torrisi (along with percussionist Michael Carreira) make as Cryptacize crosses myriad boundaries and gets around to its destination quite safely. The songs are "rock," but less "rock" as made by garage-rattling youths and more "rock" as in the polite, cordial take on the genre as heard in musicals. The instrumentation is minimal in keeping with The Curtains' sturdy, jazz-tinged compositions. The word "twee" could be thrown around, but it would be thrown back, thanks very much. These are adults, and I say that because I don't think a young person could sing the way Torrisi does; her vocal chops could stop a listener dead in his or her iPod-propelled tracks, particularly on show-stoppers like "We'll Never Dream Again." To the contrary, Dig That Treasure is an album for modern dreamers, and it definitely comes highly recommended.
Science for Girls
Science for Girls
Independent Release
originally published February 27, 2008
It'll be a surprise (and a crime against nature) if Darren Solomon remains unknown after this first album. Science for Girls is Solomon's creation, but each track features guest vocals of other New York artists including Bronwen Exter, Boots Ottestad, Jean Rohe, Paul Brill, Renee Cologne, Trevor Exter, Alexandra Slous, William Rottman and Hugh Wilson.
Science for Girls can easily be filed under down-tempo/ electronica, but it's the overt intonations of Brazilian jazz and chamber pop that make this album unique. If one could cross-pollinate bands like Air and Nouvelle Vague with singers like Diane Schurr and Jack Johnson, Science for Girls would be the end result. The music is transcendental, and the vocals are simply seductive. The one exception might be "Australia," a quirky departure which is more silly than serious. Utilizing every electronic instrument known to man, and even a few horns, Solomon single-handedly wrote, mixed, recorded and produced everything you hear.
Jean Rohe's cover of Barry Manilow's "Sweet Life" is a particularly noteworthy track. Rohe's mellow, jazzy vocals are perfectly matched against the down-tempo/ trip-hop background, and the scatting she does in the outro is just killer. Another gem is "Sonnet 96," the lost lounge track Trent Reznor never made. Finally, it's hard to resist singing along with closer "Sleepwalking," as the chorus of voices chants enticingly: "They / They're brighter than yesterday / It's okay / You can stay home today." It's the perfect album to get if you're going to be spending some time in bed with your significant other or if you're hosting a really low-key party. Fans of lounge, electronica, trip-hop, Brazilian jazz, and just good damn music will appreciate Solomon's engaging approach and all its smooth charm.
The Billie Burke Estate
Let Your Heart Break
Self-released
originally published February 27, 2008
Chances are you only know Billie Burke as Glenda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz rather than the daffy comedienne she really was. But her more frequent film persona, the well-intentioned but slightly scatterbrained society lady, colors some of the gorgeous tunes on this carefully crafted pop record by the one-man band that takes its name from her New York home. The song “Everybody’s Gonna Die,” for example, cheerfully lists the deceased, then encourages you to “spread some sunshine before the rain” over a bouncy, piano-driven melody. The opener, “99 Liberty Lane,” evokes Harry Nilsson, “Penny Lane” and innumerable musicals. Here the narrator catalogues the denizens of an apartment building as they go about their daily business all while injecting a little venom in the lyrics as the music bops along. Seattle-based Andy Liotta, previously involved with power trios, has eased into song-writing reminiscent of Joe Jackson, Randy Newman and Rufus Wainwright. That is to say it's sharp, pretty, and full of keyboards and interesting chord changes. Liotta's vocal control is especially impressive. His voice wraps around words much like Elvis Costello's circa The Juliet Letters, except Liotta moves more deftly between notes than Costello could manage. Thematically, Liotta has the impressive ability to skate along the thin edge of romance without ever slipping into melodrama. It isn't until “Like I See You” that we see his desire for experimentation. The seven-and-a-half-minute track pumps up the drums and layers vocal upon vocal, creating repetition that captures the circularity of a doomed relationship. That sounds depressing, but Liotta’s touch throughout is too light to ever slide into mopiness. Instead, this is a wonderful and smart album that should attract some positive attention.
Jesse Flavin
Whichever Way
Independent Release
originally published February 27, 2008
Jesse Flavin, Athens' own guitarist-for-hire, has parlayed his skills into such bands as The Good Ship, Phosphorescent, The Folk Yous and Lovers. Now he has finally graced us with his own solo debut. Whichever Way is one of those albums that refuses to be labeled. Flavin's warm, breathy vocals, the rich melodies and lush arrangements immediately draw you in. The album has a dreamy baroque pop quality about it that would make it seem at home on the shelf next to your Decemberists and Deathcab for Cutie albums. But underneath all that is a real down-home record that captures all the best parts of being from a small town. Flavin's lyrics are subtle and situational; exploring emotional circumstances rather than the emotions themselves. "Morning" is a beautiful piece that starts off like an Explosions in the Sky instrumental until Jesse's vocals come in and kick it up a notch. "The Same Conversation" is one of the strongest songs on the album, starting off sparse and light and then steadily building as female vocals join a wall of guitars, smothering you in a blanket of sound. Whichever Way feels like the first rays of sunlight cutting through the clouds on a rainy day; it's a sign that something good is just waiting to come out.
The Raveonettes
Lust Lust Lust
Vice
originally published February 27, 2008
Oh great, it's that Jesus and Mary Chain tribute band again. Hell yeah, it is! The Raveonettes, a Danish man/goddess duo that sprang from Copenhagen in 2001, have released three albums of Psychocandy and Darklands-inspired noise-pop.
Lust Lust Lust is LP three, and it follows the same mold resulting in dazzling thrills. There's nothing too original about this album (or this band), but The Raveonettes replicate this micro-genre so capably and charismatically that love bursts through like sunshine. It's the same formula: guitar tones fall in sheets of noise like a spring downpour; Sharin Foo moans seductively about current crushes and love lost; and it's all amplified by Wall of Sound-like production blaring from the top floor. The Ronettes and The Velvet Underground don't sound like peanut butter and chocolate, but The Raveonettes make it so.
The Raveonettes' last record, Pretty in Black, strayed into cleaner, more sedate production, and the results were tepid if not disappointing. Lust Lust Lust features the band back on the top of its game with plenty of sparkling highlights. Opener “Aly, Walk With Me” is a film noir soundtrack waiting to happen in creepy, crawling urban ooze. “Dead Sound” mixes the trademark fuzz-pop with '50s oldies for bouncing and bopping's sake. “You Want the Candy,” the album's centerpiece, could have been written by The Shangri-Las if they had been into some decadent shit. Closers “My Heartbeat's Dying” and “Honey, I Never Had You” (bonus tracks on this American release) are stunning in simplicity.
In a word, this band and its latest album rule. Now can someone send me 3-D glasses to have some fun with the cover?
Twin Tigers
Curious Faces, Violet Future
Self-Released
originally published February 27, 2008
At the tail end of Psychic Hearts' existence, the group's New Wave dance beats had melted into droning, abrasive experimentation. Each set grew darker and dirtier than the one before, until the band's final dissolution. As quickly as frontman Matthew Rain sprung back with Twin Tigers, you'd expect his new project to be a continuation of this trend. It isn't.
Instead, Twin Tigers is a totally fresh approach that marks Rain's most triumphant songwriting to date. The band's debut EP is a lush 20-minute medley of ethereal, brooding and biting melodies. Each haunting track seems to transition seamlessly into the next, even as tempos ride up and down in alternating waves of aggression and placidity.
With three bandmembers sharing percussion credits, it's not surprising to hear the relentless pulse of TV on the Radio driving underneath the tracks. But through this steady barrage of beats and synth weaves an intoxicated, slurring, heavily-distorted guitar riff. It stumbles across the otherwise dreamy instrumentation, just waiting to pick a fight. Now, that's not to say it doesn't belong here, but its abrasive shriek maintains a sense of edgy discomfort that keeps you on your toes. It actually provides a delightfully perilous balance between beauty and danger.
Rain also showcases his vocal dexterity like never before. For example, on "Watershed," the verses are sung with urgent impulsiveness, and then he drops to a lower register for the seductive chorus. You can imagine Rain sailing on Bowie's star-ship as he croons, "As I ride away to the sun..."
If a label gets ahold of this EP, no doubt it would be drawn immediately to the radio-worthy "Golden Daze." If you head to the band's CD release show, you'll know this track right away. It's the one you'll be singing after the show is over.
Twin Tigers plays at The Caledonia on Saturday, Mar. 1 with Dead Confederate.
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