Category: CD QuickTakes (Page 100 of 149)

BeauSoleil: Alligator Purse

January 16, 2009 /

Michael Doucet’s bayou crew is still going strong after 30-plus years and 20-plus albums – as evidenced by this sprightly 13-song set of new songs, Cajun classics, and unlikely covers. BeauSoleil bills Alligator Purse as “the funkiest history lesson ever created,” and although that’s a pile of publicist hyperbole, this is still a typically strong set, bolstered by appearances from famous names both obviously complementary (Garth Hudson, Roswell Rudd, Bill Keith) and not (Natalie Merchant, John Sebastian). The popular knock on BeauSoleil has always been their willingness to tinker with the traditional Cajun formula, and the band’s detractors will find plenty to grouse about here; Alligator Purse maintains the spirit of freewheeling experimentation that has infused their music since the beginning. The band’s detractors are miserable sticks in the mud, though – every BeauSoleil record is the soundtrack to a party waiting to happen, and this is no exception. Highlights include a woozy take on the classic “Marie” and covers of Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ & Tumblin’” and J.J. Cale’s “The Problem” – not to mention Merchant’s saucy vocal cameo on “Little Darlin’” – but the whole set is stronger than any new album from an act that’s been around this long has a right to be. Never mind the purists – just turn this up and stay awhile. (Yep Roc 2008)

Official BeauSoleil site

Cajun, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews

Paul Van Dyk: Hands On In Between

January 16, 2009 /

Paul Van Dyk has been releasing music since the early ’90s, and in the world of electronic music that’s a very long time. He’s a trance pioneer, but if his 2007 album In Between was any indication, he’s getting a little tired of the genre. This was his most non-trance album to date, embracing house, techno and even some pop-friendly dance music into the mix thanks to guest appearance by Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta. If you thought that the departure from trance was a mistake for Van Dyk, then you’ll probably eat up Hands On In Between, a remix album that trances up the original in a big way, with mixed results. Trance is in its very nature a droning and repetitive genre, and that’s not helped here by the fact that multiple songs are remixed multiple times, while others tracks from the original In Between are left off entirely. Why include two remixes of “New York City” but none of the far superior “Sabotage”? Even more maddening is the snub of “Fall with Me,” the David Byrne-featured track that served as a perfect closer to the original album. It’s a scientific fact that David Byrne makes everything better, so why he was needlessly cut out here is insane. But even though Hands On In Between is Byrne-less, it should still satisfy the fans of Paul Van Dyk, even if they were lukewarm on the original version. (Mute Records)

Paul Van Dyk MySpace Page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica

Friendly Foes: Born Radical

January 16, 2009 /

Just a couple years old and enthusiastically brewing up some fresh power pop noise, current trends be damned, Detroit trio Friendly Foes come out swinging on their first album, and it’s clearly a first. “Full Moon Morning” opens the album with the band’s story in song, a song that’s more for themselves than the rest of us. With that short burst of intra-band self-reflectivity out of the way, we hear a group that is still very much rooted in the present – at no other time would a power pop trio be heard playing a song called “Couch Surfing.” Singer/guitarist Ryan Allen achieves an irresistible vocal blend with bassist/vocalist Liz Wittman (especially on the album’s standout, “My Body (Is a Strange Place to Live)”), who herself turns in a confident, elastic lead vocal in the tradition of indie power pop forebears like Juliana Hatfield and Kay Hanley on “Get Ripped.” If Cheap Trick ever decides to tour rock clubs again, this band should be at the top of their list for potential opening acts. (Gangplank 2009)

Friendly Foes MySpace

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

Lioness: Lioness

January 16, 2009 /

Lioness is a three-piece electronic act from Toronto who combine ’80s-influenced alt-rock and 90s electronic music successfully on their five-track self-titled debut EP. Unlike many other Canadian rock bands who have sucked the power and emotion out of their music with their desire to be hip and indie, Lioness is a powerful and bombastic band that oozes energy thanks to killer electronic beats and powerful vocals by lead singer Vanessa Fischer. While the music of Lioness is good, it’s Fischer that makes the band, bellowing and moaning with fierce intensity. Her power lies in the fact that she doesn’t sing like a rock singer, instead she gives songs like the fast-paced “You’re In My Heart” and beat-heavy “Haunted Magick” an funky jazz/blues vibe. If Beth Gibbons from Portishead screamed more, she’d sound like Vanessa Fischer does here. Lioness has crafted quite a tease with this short EP, it will be interesting to see if they can carry it for a full album. (New Romantic)

Lioness MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica

Rivers Cuomo: Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo

January 9, 2009 /

Someone in a popular men’s print magazine recently said something horrible about the latest Weezer album, something to the effect of, “If Rivers Cuomo burned down a hospital, it wouldn’t be the worst thing he did in 2008.” As harsh as that may sound, that critic probably hadn’t heard Cuomo’s latest batch of home recordings, sharply titled Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. Cuomo is one of those songwriters that you might call prolific, and he’s been known to literally use computer formulas to create those songs. The problem is that whatever formulas he’s using are not very good, and if his “best” stuff is being released on the Weezer albums, why would anyone want to hear this schlock? Okay, it’s not all schlock – tracks like “I Was Scared” and “My Brain Is Working Overtime” sound like classic Weezer. But that’s two tracks out of 19. Everything else ranges from bad to downright painful, especially “Please Remember” and “Can’t Stop Partying,” on which Cuomo’s raw, pitchy vocals effectively marry nails and chalkboard. And he sounds like a whiny emo kid from 1999 on “My Day is Coming.” So before we all start hating Weezer, whether we were fans of the band before, let’s hope Mr. Cuomo goes on a long vacation, or does something else newsworthy so we can forget about these awful home recordings. He doesn’t have to burn down a hospital, but robbing a hot dog cart wouldn’t be a bad idea. (DGC Records/Interscope)

Rivers Cuomo MySpace Page

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

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