Category: CD Reviews (Page 237 of 399)

The Watson Twins: Fire Songs

June 20, 2008 /

They may have shared top billing with Jenny Lewis on her Rabbit Fur Coat album two years ago, but to a not-inconsiderable number of people, Leigh and Chandra Watson came across as a sort of backwoods version of Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls. What could be hipper, after all, than vaguely creepy-looking twins in evening gowns? The Watson Twins did more than just add a “Shining” vibe to Lewis’ album artwork, though; the Kentucky natives had been bumming around Silverlake since the late ’90s, and their roots and background helped Lewis anchor her solo debut in authentic Southern harmony. That being said, a word of warning is in order: Fans looking for Rabbit redux – or even a record with more than the occasional slightly up-tempo track – will be disappointed here, because the sisters’ full-length debut recalls nothing so much as a Natalie Merchant solo album. The harmonies are lovely, and the songs occasionally strike melodic paydirt (opener “How Am I to Be” and “Map to Where You Are” come to mind), but the above-average moments are too few and far between to recommend the album to anyone who doesn’t have a closet full of billowing floral-print skirts. (Vanguard 2008)

Watson Twins MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, Pop

Various Artists: Music from the Motion Picture The Love Guru

June 20, 2008 /

Mike Myers’ latest “comedy” about an American-born, India-raised self-help guru will surely go down as one of the year’s worst movies (read BE movie critic Jason Zingale’s one-and-a-half-star review here), and for the sake of consistency, Lakeshore Records issued an equally bad soundtrack to go with it. This is instrument-of-torture bad, combining Myers’ Hindu-accented versions of pop songs “9 to 5,” “More Than Words” and “The Joker” (seriously, who asked for those?) with – sequenced in order, no less – Big Boi, Robbie Nevil, and Celine Dion. There are three dialog tracks peppered throughout; they’re not funny. The only song that rises above the dreck is George Clinton’s “Guru Vindaloo,” with Danny Saber’s “Mathar” not far behind. The rest of the album is an unholy combination of the offensive and the boring. There is no reason for anyone to own this album, and you get the sense that even the distributors of the soundtrack knew it – they misspelled Mike Myers’ name in the artwork for the promotional copies. (Lakeshore Records)

Love Guru soundtrack MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock, Songs

The Ting Tings: We Started Nothing

June 20, 2008 /

As the late Ted Knight once said, the world needs ditch diggers too, meaning that not everyone is meant to change the world. The Ting Tings, the Salford duo of drummer Jules De Martino and guitarist/singer Katie White, are ditch diggers of sorts, specializing in club pop that is by and large disposable, but every once in a while, they elevate disposable pop to an art form. Even with a running time just under 38 minutes, there is a fair share of chaff on We Started Nothing, the band’s debut, but the wheat is some of the sweetest wheat you’ll find all year, starting with the instant classic, “Rapture”-esque “Shut Up and Let Me Go.” “Great DJ” is armed with one of those unforgettable – but ultimately annoying – hooks in its chorus, “That’s Not My Name” gets by on sass alone, and “We Walk” works a tad of widescreen pop into the mix. The rest of the album will seem cute enough while it’s playing, but will be forgotten the second it’s over. (Columbia)

The Ting Tings MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Pop, Rock Babes

The New Frontiers: Mending

June 20, 2008 /

It’s tough to make genuinely beautiful music in the post-ironic world – most bands that try it seem to either fall victim to the temptation to mess it up with inscrutable lyrics and needlessly tricky chord changes (Wilco) or drown in a sea of slick production and Hallmark platitudes (the Fray). Texas’s New Frontiers have drawn comparisons to both bands, but in a strange way, Mending is actually closer to an old Dan Fogelberg or Crosby, Stills and Nash record – the melodies are gorgeous, the harmonies are ethereal, the production is perfectly down to Earth, and on every song, hearts are worn proudly on sleeves. Music this wonderfully open and sincere comes along so rarely that it’s easy to write off the New Frontiers as a bunch of sad-sack posers – easy, that is, until you’re about halfway into the album, at which point you’ll have to check your suspicions at the door and just give in to the music’s beauty. Perfect for rainy days, bruised hearts, and anyone with a weakness for an honest-to-goodness pretty song. Can’t wait to hear what these guys come up with next. (The Militia Group 2008)

The New Frontiers MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Pomegranates: Everything Is Alive

June 20, 2008 /

Their intermittently chirpy vocals and occasionally prickly arrangements have drawn comparisons to Modest Mouse and the Shins – and you can hear shades of both bands on Everything Is Alive — but really, the first full-length effort from Cincinnati-based quartet Pomegranates beats with the jangly lo-fi heart of an early ‘90s alt-pop record. Recorded and mixed in just over a week – without, praise the Lord, the use of pitch correction – these 11 tracks give off the faintly dusty aroma of music that’s been sweated over in garages and rehearsal spaces, performed the old-fashioned way, and allowed to stand on its own merits, warts and all. Ultimately, these songs act as more of a serviceable business card for the band’s live shows than a truly unforgettable album, but the chiming guitars and sunny melodies create such a wonderfully warm vibe, you may find yourself putting the whole thing on repeat even if any of the tracks fail to leave a deep impression on their own. A trifle, perhaps, but one well worth owning. (Lujo Records 2008)

Pomegranates MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, Pop

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