Month: September 2009 (Page 5 of 17)

Dennis Diken with Bell Sound: Late Music

September 24, 2009 /


RIYL: The Beach Boys, The Who, The Smithereens

Here’s reason why one shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss drummers who opt for solo stardom. Okay, so maybe Keith Moon and Ringo Starr didn’t exactly set a high bar when it came to moving from the drum stool to center stage, but given the right instincts and a simpatico backing crew, a drummer can transform a big beat into a superior set-up. Take Dennis Diken, for example. Long known for laying down the rhythms with the Smithereens, he’s obviously absorbed the pop precepts formulated in his day job and turned out a surprisingly accomplished album packed with retro rock finesse. Like his band mates, Diken is greatly indebted to the rock and pop of the mid to late ‘60s, with special nods to the Who and the Beach Boys in particular. Considering the fact that the Smithereens recently retread Tommy, and covered a smattering of Who staples early on, Dikens’ “The Sun’s Gonna Shine in the Morning” and “Long Lonely Ride” make any comparisons with the aforementioned foursome seem quite intentional. The Brian Wilson references are equally informed, with “Standing in That Line” and “Fall into Your Arms” boasting billowy harmonies and the pensive tone that marked “Surfs Up” and “Til I Die.” Likewise, “Let Your Loved One Sleep” carries the sound of a song that’s been around forever.

Diken’s chief foil here is Pete DiBella, whose multi-instrumental abilities help anchor the duo’s easily accessible melodies. In addition, several power pop veterans lend their expertise and add to the ambiance – Andrew Sandoval, Andy Paley, Brian Wilson sideman Probyn Gregory and the Honeys, the vocal trio that includes the chief Beach Boys’ own onetime honey, Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford. How appropriate that with its embrace of nostalgia, Late Music becomes nothing less than a timeless treasure. (Cryptovision 2009)

Dennis Diken MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Power Pop, Rock

Patty Loveless: Mountain Soul II

September 24, 2009 /

It would seem inevitable that Patty Loveless would opt to make a return to her roots via this sequel to 2001’s critically acclaimed Mountain Soul. Like that earlier effort, Loveless tackles tradition, serving up Americana standards that embody her rural Kentucky origins. Loveless’ honey-soaked vocals effortlessly meld with these country classics, whether it’s the mournful intonation of “Half Over You,” “Prisoner’s Tears,” “When the Last Curtain Falls” and “You Burned the Bridge,” the rousing bluegrass romps of “Busted” and “Blue Memories,” or the gospel wail of “Friends in Gloryland,” “Working On a Building” and “(We Are All) Children of Abraham.” Still, what binds this set so seamlessly is a reverence for back porch purity, a down-home sensibility imbued by fiddle-fueled, banjo-driven, mandolin-tinged arrangements and the music’s undeniable authenticity. Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Al Perkins, and Del and Ronnie McCoury each stamp their indelible touch on the proceedings, but its Loveless’ obvious reverence for the material that leaves the most lingering impression. Loveless deserves kudos for discarding commercial concerns and aiming instead for authenticity. (Saguaro Road Records 2009)

Patty Loveless MySpace page

Americana, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country

Third Eye Blind: Ursa Major

September 23, 2009 /


RIYL: Eve 6, Matchbox Twenty, Better than Ezra

It’s amazing to think rock band Third Eye Blind has been around since the mid-‘90s, but they have as their debut was released in 1996 and spawned not only some of their biggest hits, but some of the best songs of the decade in “Jumper” and “How is It Gonna Be?” as well as lesser known beauties like “Motorcycle Drive By.” But this was a case of setting the bar so high, that there was no place to go but down. And while Third Eye Blind is, according to press materials, one of the most sought-after college campus touring acts and also uses technology to further their career, they seem to have lost the focus on the one thing that matters – making good music. On their latest album and first release in six years, Ursa Major, Stephan Jenkins and company deliver a new batch of songs that are really somewhat dull and lifeless. It’s not that the band lacks energy, it’s that the songs make them sound like they are going through the motions. “Don’t Believe a Word” has elements that made “Semi-Charmed Life” a hit, and “Sharp Knife” has flashes of the band finding that sweet spot. But when Jenkins sings “Let’s Start a Riot” in the opener, “Can You Take Me,” it has all the impact of a cotton ball hitting the ground. And “One in Ten” and “Monotov’s Private Opera” are wussy, bland and really kind of annoying. The early stuff from Third Eye Blind was hooky and had so much raw emotion that you couldn’t help but get sucked in, but Ursa Major will suck you in and spit you out before you even finish listening. (LABEL: Mega Collider)

Third Eye Blind MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Power Pop, Rock

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson: Break Up

September 23, 2009 /


RIYL: Aimee Mann, Mark Geary, Nicole Atlkins

When most people wake up from a deep sleep with a sudden strange and creative urge, little ever comes of it. Then again, Pete Yorn isn’t most people. As he tells it, Yorn awoke just needing to make a duets album, and lucky guy that he is, he’s a personal friend of the beautiful Scarlett Johansson, who proves to be a true chanteuse. Together they recorded a nine-song set of ingenious lo-fi pop, simple in their beauty and deeply resonant on the personal side, and Break Up was born…in 2006. Why this sat for three years gathering dust is beyond us. Yorn described the process of this album as one of the most intimate and controlled on his part, so it took the urging of friends to get him to revisit and release it. We should all send those friends a note of thanks, because this album is like nothing else out there.

Opening with the single “Relator,” you immediately hear the uncharacteristic synth line that bee-bops along until Johansson’s smoky, almost husky vocals hit the ear like a fine shot of bourbon hits the throat. It sounds like some kind of effect was used, but Yorn insists that it is Scarlett au natural. She blends perfectly with Yorn’s classically pained and scratchy growl, and the chemistry between them is obvious. It infects every song with an emotional immediacy. “I Don’t Know What to Do” takes a slight, very slight, country tinge where Johansson is unfortunately relegated to back up, because when she sings, the whole song lights up.

It really is Scarlett’s addition that pushes this album from good to great. “Blackie’s Dead” starts out like something right off of The Day I Forgot until the harmonies of Johansson transform it into something ethereal, carried along by an a haunting steel guitar riff. This kind of song redeems Adult Contemporary because it is grown up, without being safe or boring. A perfect example is “Clean,” which features a more R&B sound, just enough to make Johansson simply ooze through the headphones with a subtly hollow sadness brought forth with the echoing production. This is mature songwriting that loses none of the passionate impact of Yorn’s earlier work.

As the second release of 2009 for Pete, he has completely redeemed any missteps he may have taken with the earlier solo album, Back & Fourth. Both that and Break Up are his self-proclaimed attempts to be more personal and direct with his music, but the latter succeeds far beyond the more prosaic Back & Fourth. Working with Johansson, Yorn has created a a gorgeous album, far beyond anything one would normally expect from a hazy, sleep inspired creative whim. This is art. (Rhino 2009)

Pete Yorn MySpace page

Adult Contemporary, Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Paul Westerberg is a musical outlaw

September 23, 2009 /

Paul

While guys like Jandek painstakingly live by the restrictions of outsider art, Paul Westerberg has found a way to stick it to the music industry on his own terms. Frankly, he’s just not as weird as Jandek, and that’s more appealing to guys like me who like a certain amount of normalcy in their favorite musicians.

Last year, Westerberg dropped his full-length album, 49:00, out of nowhere. The digital album was originally sold on Amazon for 49 cents (the idea that you paid a penny a minute), but legal ramifications quickly marred the release. Since one currently can’t buy the album anywhere, it’s quickly become a collector’s item. (Actually, since a tangible format doesn’t even exist, I don’t know if we can call it an “item.” Somebody out there has those mp3s!)

Sticking to his do-it-yourself ethos, yesterday Westerberg self-released a new EP, entitled PW & the Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys. You can buy it here. Thankfully, the EP comes in both digital and disc versions. No press release; no promotion; no nothing. He just did it.

Here’s the tracklisting…

1. “Ghost on the Canvas”

2. “Drop them Gloves”

3. “Good as the Cat”

4. “Love on the Wing”

5. “Gimmie Little Joy”

6. “Dangerous Boys”

and some YouTube uploads from 49:00…

Artists, News

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