Category: Pop (Page 92 of 216)

Cameron Matthews: green. blue. white.

January 30, 2009 / Michael Fortes

Twenty-year-old Cameron Matthews is not much for pop hooks, but he sure has a gift for understated lo-fi beauty, not to mention confident, uncluttered vocals. Playing less like an album and more like a collection of his 15 latest musical loves, green. blue. white. effortlessly glides from the ‘50s R&B style of “Today I Love You,” to a the domestic Dylan exercise “Bungalow,” to the humorously titled but no less seriously excellent “Give You Up For Lent,” and even that “through the telephone” spooky blues effect on “Make it Rain.” The album really starts to approach classic touches by the fifth song and never looks back, culminating in the 6/4 rocker “Mirror” that channels Jeff Buckley filtered through Joseph Arthur in a jam with his bandmates – bassist Patrick Crecelius, drummer Danny Sher and guitarist Nicholas Risler – that breathes with the kind of dynamics one expects from veteran professionals. This talented Midwestern kid sounds like he has an earth-shattering album slowly gestating inside of him, and if green. blue. white. is any indication, he’s well on his way there. The fact that he’s more of a natural singer than most indie rockers will surely work in his favor in the long run. (self-released 2008)

Cameron Matthews MySpace page

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Various Artists: Blue Skies Daisy Days

January 30, 2009 / Lee Zimmerman

Most compilations are derived from some conceptual design, designed either as a tribute to an iconic artist or outfit, or as a live set showcasing a particular venue. Then there’s wholly ordinary idea of the label sampler which spotlights a group of musicians whose only common bond lies in the fact they all represent the same record company. Sure, it’s self-serving, but when there’s a good cause involved, the added benefit of charitable support makes the opportunity to hear new music an added advantage. That’s the case with Blue Skies Daisy Days, a generous 21-track collection featuring the cream of the Planting Seeds Records roster (as well as notable outside guests) and the promise to donate part of its proceeds to the Keep a Breast Foundation. Granted, one has to look below the surface and do some exploration to uncover the more notable names – the International Jetsetters, for example, feature members of the Jesus and Mary Chain and Ride, while the Primary 5 and the Loose Salute represent expatriates from Teenage Fanclub and the Mojave 3, respectively – but even so, the music alone provides plenty of incentive. The tunes contained herein are as uniformly sunny as their banner implies. Blissful, sweetly ethereal, lush and melodic without exception, the quality is consistent throughout, ensuring any time spent listening is well worth the effort. (Planting Seed Records

Planting Seeds Records website

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Dear Future: Can’t Wait Any Longer

January 29, 2009 / Mike Farley

Dear Future is one of those bands that right now is garnering a lot of record label attention, and for good reason. It might seem that there are a lot of Radiohead clones out there, and while that’s a comparison that borders on copping out for lack of a better one, the fact remains that Bends-era Radiohead coarses through the collective vein of Dear Future. And that’s not a bad thing at all. These guys from Illinois are back with their sophomore release, Can’t Wait Any Longer, and it’s likely that some label will do just that. Sure, the brooding tenor and moody arrangements are something you’ve heard before, but these guys get that the songs have to be there too, giving them a nice accessibility factor. And there is a nice little roller coaster ride, from the poppy title track to the darker but melodic “Eden” or “You Are Loved” to the bonus piano track, “Twenty.” Hopefully the slopes of the coaster will continue to be fun for these guys and that tons of adoring fans will continue to find them, because in a somewhat crowded genre, Dear Future is a band to keep on your radar. (self-released)

Dear Future MySpace Page

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State Shirt: This is Old

January 23, 2009 / Michael Fortes

Songwriter Ethan Tufts is, by his own account, making music when not doing “nerd shit” behind a desk. His musical guise, State Shirt, definitely bears some of that nerdy aesthetic – electronic percussion textures and synth washes, meticulously tracked backing vocals, and a sense of angst that’s polished up Los Fucking Angeles style. And “polish” is the key word here. Though he lists influences like Mogwai, Sebadoh, Fugazi and Neil Young on his MySpace, State Shirt’s music has far more in common with mainstream modern rock. Imagine if Linkin Park decided to buy some indie cred and collaborate with the Flaming Lips and Radiohead. Actually, it’s not quite as outrageous as that description may sound. In fact, this mix of styles is pretty solid, which is just what expressions of hopelessness like the title track (“The finest things in life I will always refuse / The worst things in life I will always abuse”) and “I Hate California” call for. (Los Fucking Angeles 2008)

State Shirt MySpace

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Mobile: Tales from the City

January 23, 2009 / Michael Fortes

The Juno Award-winning “Best New Artist” of 2007, Toronto-by-way-of-Montreal rockers Mobile step up their game on their second album. Not content to follow the lead of their critically acclaimed contemporaries back in Montreal, the band’s tack is decidedly mainstream, with Killers producer Jeff Saltzman (not to be confused with Portland, Oregon producer Jeff Stuart Saltzman) in tow. In reality, though, their sound hasn’t changed all that significantly – if anything, the precise, danceable rock beats typical of the band (and of Franz Ferdinand, and, naturally, the Killers too) are even more firmly in place, and the dark dramatic sweep of their productions are more pronounced. Some of the album’s most successful moments are when drummer Pierre-Marc Hamelin gets to breathe with some fills (especially on “No Tomorrow” and in the midst of the ‘80s pop synth beats of “Gravity”), though to their credit, the band does manage to humanize dance rock with just enough dark moods to keep it interesting without devolving into self-parody. They’re at their best, however, when they buck the formula – “All is Forgiven” is a surprisingly unpretentious, low-key three-part epic (who knew such a thing existed?) that bridges the gap between Muse and ‘80s Genesis. Tales from the City may not be earth-shattering, but it does continue to provide evidence that the musical grounds up in the Great White North are still fertile. (Universal Music Canada 2008)

Mobile MySpace page