Author: Captain Capm (Page 6 of 118)

Laura Roppe: Girl like This

December 19, 2008 /

On the cover of her new CD, Laura Roppe is pictured standing in the middle of a dirt road in a little black getup, and heels posing rather defiantly. Yes, it’s another bid on the indie circuit for some soundalike Hollywood Nashville pop. And it’s every bit as mediocre as you might imagine. Roppe’s main problem is that she doesn’t have the voice to carry strong pop country tunes. It sounds like she’s really forcing it on the title track, almost missing her marks in a number of places. It gets a little worse on “Mama Needs a Girls Night Out” where her voice starts sounding a bit more Kermit the Frog and less country diva. She tries to bring the sass to “Ooh La La,” and sounds like she’s painting by numbers than putting anything honest into her performance. And by the time “Crazy about You and Me” arrives, you wish she’d just sing it straight without the affected twang in her throat. This may have been a nice vanity project for Roppe, but for the general listener, there’s far better stuff out there to be heard. (self-released)

Laura Roppe MySpace

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Pop

Peel: Die in June

December 19, 2008 /

Average, darkly melodramatic modern rock fills out this four-track EP. If there weren’t already so many bands out there currently who mine a similar vein of this kind of music (think Incubus, among others), these guys might actually be hailed as something a bit more exciting than they actually are. But perhaps the local scene in Scandinavia doesn’t have as much of this sort of thing as we do here in the States. The problem is, at only four songs, Peel don’t have a whole lot of space to stretch out here. So the dark undertones that color “Falling from Grace” are pretty much the same ones that fill “Second Man on the Moon.” It all sounds very brooding, yet with that glimmer of hope way off in the distance. The kind of thing that would probably not be out of place in some superhero movie over the summer. But again, there are plenty of other bands out there doing this same thing who are just as mildly interesting. (Peelgrim Records)

Peel MySpace page

CD QuickTakes

Rhett May: Calcutta Boy

December 19, 2008 /

Hoo boy. From the silly cover art down to the synth bass lines and programmed drums, everything about this EP by Rhett May just screams embarrassing. Definitely one of those discs that should have just been given out to friends and left at that, but undoubtedly there was someone out there who told Rhett to go for broke and let everyone else hear this stuff. Well, suffice it to say it’s a complete train wreck, with some of the worst canned, DIY production to be heard in a long time. Is this guy country? Is he pop? Who knows? It’s just tough to listen to a song like “There’s a Little White Powder” or “African Queen” and not think you could be listening to something – anything – better than this. On the third track, May asks “Have Your Arms Been Missing Me?” I can’t answer that question, but I can say that my ears won’t be missing the auto-chord settings on Rhett’s old clunky keyboard. (self-released)

Rhett May MySpace page

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Pop

Cantinero: Better for the Metaphor

December 12, 2008 /

Christopher L. Hicken, the man behind the Cantinero name, has quite possibly created the best indie sleeper hit album of 2008 with Better for the Metaphor. It’s obvious Hicken has not only the talent but time and money to put behind his project, as the production and mix on this CD is near flawless. The songs are top notch, too, with the opening “My House” reminding one of the great Thrillcat from many years ago. Hicken has a playful way with his pop, and “Goodbye Life” explores this quality in a most winning fashion with its retro feel and Gershwinesque bounce. Even on a semi-morose tune like “Medicated,” Christopher manages to plant tongue in cheek and have some fun with it. Hicken’s softer side as heard on “Sometimes” is just as engaging. And “Thinner” is both stately and pure pop at its best. This is truly a fascinatingly satisfying pop album and Hicken will certainly be an artist to keep your ears on as he goes along in his career. Great stuff. (Tinkle Tone Records)

Cantinero MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Valerie Mih: Meridians

December 12, 2008 /

There’s something very calm and elegant about the title track from Valerie Mih’s new release. It sounds very much like something that goes perfectly on an autumn’s day with its somber but moving melody. Mih is a pianist who basically works in the instrumental mode, letting her keyboards tell the story. Unfortunately, like other artists of this style, Mih doesn’t escape the scene without a lot of this disc sounding the same. After the great opening title tune, the trio of “Flow,” “Little One,” and “Interwoven” are almost interchangeable if you’re not paying close attention. “Reflections” goes for a bit more of a sparse sound and works better, sounding like something between Vince Guaraldi and John Costa. “Saturn’s Rings” employs Mih’s accordion and also is a welcome sound. Everything on this album is very delicate yet not too ornate. It’s certainly better than other albums I’ve heard lately that fall into the same sort of musical category, but Mih could definitely stand to change up the atmosphere a bit more. (self-released)

Valerie Mih MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Instrumental

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