Category: CD QuickTakes (Page 116 of 149)

House of Badger: Death Birds

October 3, 2008 / James B. Eldred

House of Badger describes themselves as a pop/electronica/experimental band, and as vague as that categorization is, it actually sounds about right. This is a weird band that writes weird songs and performs using weird instruments. However, they still have one foot (barely) in the pop realm; they’re the Talking Heads by way of Portland, Oregon. I mentioned the weird instruments, right? In addition to guitar and keyboards, singer Amanda Kelly also plays mandolin and Turkish saz (another plucked string instrument – thanks Wikipedia). Bass player Charlie Gallipeau rocks out old-school electronic sounds thanks to his Moog and theremin skills, while drummer Liam McNamara puts down his sticks on occasion to play the guiro as well as “the pans,” which I can only assume is a pan flute. How an unsigned indie-rock band can afford all these instruments is a mystery, but they certainly know how to use their unique instrumental capabilities to craft beautifully odd pop songs. “Vultures” and “Away” combine stark riffs with subtle ambient electronic effects to stunning effect, while the more upbeat “You Give Yourself Away” and “Into the Sun” crank up the rock and focus on the spectacular voice of Amanda Kelly, who has the ethereal quality of Siouxsie Sioux with the power of Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls. Clocking in at only 30 minutes with seven songs, the only fault of Death Birds is that it leaves you wanting much more. (Self Released 2008)

House of Badger MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica

Wunderbugg: Written in Flesh

October 3, 2008 / Captain Capm

On Written in Flesh Wunderbugg has created an electronic mix of impressive proportions. A little electroclash here, a smidgen of ambient there, some dance and house beats sprinkled throughout. “3 Molecules Away” opens the album on a fuzzy, jagged note where the sublime mixes with the crunch of synths whirring away. “Infected with Hope” sounds like its title might suggest; an ethereal space-age sort of breezy groove with a bit of a dark undertone running down the middle. “Heartworm” approaches the New Age side of the yard, and “Overdose No. 5” features raging beats that would please any of those 140-BPM-and-higher fans. Like many electronic-based groups, Wunderbugg’s repertoire doesn’t come off entirely clean over the course of this album, but what’s good here is very solid, indeed. It just seems a little faceless at times. (Self-released)

Wunderbugg MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Pop

Whitley: The Submarine

September 26, 2008 / Jeff Giles

Whitley (a.k.a. Melbourne singer/songwriter Lawrence Greenwood) lies at the junction of Nick Drake, Paul Simon, and bedroom-electronic pop acts like the Postal Service and Cassettes Won’t Listen, and his debut effort, The Submarine, is filled with husky-voiced, mostly acoustic goodness for lovers of any of the above named artists. It’s an uncommonly assured debut, one that resists showiness in favor of gently catchy melodies and thinly layered arrangements. At first listen, The Submarine might sound like just another album of wispy navel-gazing from just another indie-pop songwriter, but give it time to sink in – there’s more going on here than may initially meet the ear. Greenwood has a gift for production, and a knack for grafting small, subtle bits onto his deceptively simple songs; plug in your favorite pair of earbuds, and you can easily get lost in the soundscapes he paints here. Toss in a cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Mojo Pin,” and you’ve got an undeniable magnet for the hoodies-‘n’-iPods set, but something with crossover appeal for fans of good old-fashioned singer/songwriter stuff. Whitley won’t kick your doors in, but if you sit still long enough, he just may end up becoming one of your favorite musical discoveries of the year. (Dew Process 2008)

Whitley MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Pop

Mark Geary: Opium

September 26, 2008 / Lee Zimmerman

Born in Ireland but a New York City transplant since 1992, Mark Geary has quietly worked below the radar while fashioning an eerily hypnotic musical motif. There’s always been something both confessional and contemplative about his material, a shadowy aura that casts him at a distance. With Opium, his fourth album, Geary takes steps to remedy that elusive stance, thanks to a set of songs that’s beautifully beguiling in its sensual, seductive appeal. The music is framed with his usual hushed ambiance, but it finds its footing in muted tones, plaintive vocals, gentle entreaties and wistful sentiments that soar with a quiet resolve. The delicately percolating rhythms of “See-Saw (Houpacka),” the kinetic urgency of “Not on Your Life” and the easy shuffle of “Tuesday” ensure a steady foundation rather than an aimless drift and an array of organic instruments – acoustic guitars, violins, clarinet, flute and piano – combine to create some lovely soundscapes. Ultimately, this Opium proves as addicting its title might imply. Sonablast Records

Mark Geary MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Emo, Folk

Murry Hammond: I Don’t know Where I’m Going but I’m On My Way

September 26, 2008 / Lee Zimmerman

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It stands to reason that when the bass player of a successful band opts to make a solo album, he’d choose not to compete with his day job. So you won’t find Murry Hammond following the lead of his longtime collaborator Rhett Miller and recording a solo set that suggests his regular gig with the Old 97s is a superfluous sideline. Despite its exhaustive title, I Don’t know Where I’m Going but I’m On My Way offers a rootsy respite, one that shares its foundation with the Old 97s’ alt-country core, albeit at a more essential level. In fact, there’s more than a hint of Johnny Cash in these meditations and ruminations on mortality, spirituality, the railroad and the hereafter. Hammond takes a solemn and scholarly approach to these themes, and if some seem rather solemn and austere, the heartland authenticity remains true to tradition. Happily too, there’s enough sentiment stirred in the folk-like flourish of “In The Shadow of Clinch Mountain,” “Wreck of the 97” and “Life is Like a Mountain Railroad” to provide compelling listening, with acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonium, yodeling and whistling ensuring authenticity. It all adds up to an impressive solo foray and one that also ought to raise the worth of his stock in his regular band as well. (Hummingbird 2008)

Murry Hammond MySpace page

Americana, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Folk