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Mini-Mansions: Mini-Mansions

November 9, 2010 /


RIYL: The Beatles 1967-1969, Donovan, Fountains of Wayne

Mini-Mansions is the side-project of Michael Shuman, the latest bass player in the revolving door line-up that makes up Queens of the Stone Age. But don’t pick up his side-project group’s self-titled debut expecting stoner metal from the school of Josh Homme. Instead, expect some Sgt. Pepper/White Album-era Beatles tunes – and nothing else.

Mini-Mansions have a very psychedelic and ethereal sound, about as far away from the metal Shuman is known for as you can get. The only reminder of his main group’s genre is the slight creepy and menacing sound that occasionally sneaks its way in, thanks to the oddly threatening yet still appealing vocals of Shuman.

Its hard to say that much else about Mini Mansions. They sound so much like the Beatles that if you tried to pass off some of the tracks, such as the brilliantly-titled “Crime of the Season,” as long-lost Beatles tunes, some people would probably believe you. They’re not trying to show they’re influenced by the Beatles, nor are they even trying to do a pastiche of the fab four – these guys are straight-up mimicking the Beatles. They get credit for being ballsy, that’s for sure. But when I literally mistook a portion of album standout “Kiddie Hypnogogia” for the chorus of “She’s So Heavy,” I realized that perhaps they’re taking the whole thing a little bit too far. Does it sound good? Sure. It sounds like the Beatles after all, but there’s not much to it, especially since every track not only sounds just like the Beatles, but a very specific era of the Beatles. It wouldn’t have hurt for them to throw some Revolver or Rubber Soul in there for variety’s sake. (Ipecac Recordings 2010)

Mini-Mansions MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Psychedelic, Rock

Nitzer Ebb: Industrial Complex

November 9, 2010 /


RIYL: Depeche Mode, Combichrist, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

Nitzer Ebb’s last album was Big Hit, which came out in 1995. Since then the group both broke up and got back together with hardly anyone noticing. It makes sense; they weren’t exactly superstars. Even at the peak of their popularity with tracks like “Join in the Chant” and “Fun to Be Had,” they were also-rans in the industrial/electronic scenes. They never got the success that groups like Depeche Mode enjoyed, and they never enjoyed the cult success of more abrasive and harder-sounding groups like Ministry and Skinny Puppy. So the fact that we’re even talking about Nitzer Ebb in 2010 is pretty amazing, and the fact that were talking about a great new record by Nitzer Ebb in 2010 is freaking mindblowing.

Nitzer_Ebb_01

Seriously, where the hell did this come from? This is one of Nitzer Ebb’s best records to date. While it can’t top their earlier records in terms of originality and innovation, it can certainly hold its own against them when it comes quality. In fact, some of the tracks on Industrial Complex, such as the killer opener “Promises,” and the eerie ballad “Going Away from Me,” might be some of the best tracks the group has ever released.

Many of the best tracks on Industrial Complex owe themselves to the suddenly powerful vocals of Douglas McCarthy, who spent much of the ’80s and ’90s growling and yelling through the band’s best tracks. Here, he’s actually singing, and singing damn well at that. But fans of the ridiculous shouting matches of Nitzer Ebb old like “Join in the Chant” shouldn’t be too worried; McCarthy still howls his head off a couple times on Industrial Complex, like on “Payroll,” a sick and sleazy track that combines not-too-subtle metaphors about sucking with aggressive dance beats and a hard house sound ripe for remixing.

If you’ve been eagerly awaiting more Nitzer Ebb since their breakup in the ’90s, then your wait was well worth it with Industrial Complex. And if you’ve never heard the group before, then this is a shockingly great jumping-on point. (Artists’ Addiction Records 2010)

Click here for a free download of Nitzer Ebb’s “Promises”
Nitzer Ebb MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Industrial

Bleu: Four

November 8, 2010 /


RIYL: Jellyfish, Dan Wilson, Mike Viola

For a man as talented as Bleu (William James McAuley III to his mother) is, his solo albums were downright exasperating to listen to. For every sky-high pop classic like “Get Up” or “We’ll Do It All Again,” there were three songs that sounded like they were written to be a hit at that very moment, all post-nu metal ballad-y bluster (think Staind’s “It’s Been Awhile”) and no soul. His label refused to even release his second major album A Watched Pot, and once it finally dropped last year, we could see why – the damn thing was stuffed to the gills with more of those silly ballads. Between the songs mentioned above and Bleu’s efforts as ringleader of Alpacas Orgling, the Jeff Lynne tribute album from one-off indie pop supergroup L.E.O., it’s clear Bleu knows how to turn things up a notch. So why hasn’t he?

Amazing what a little creative freedom and a bunch of Kickstarter cash will do (dude raised over $30K in fan contributions), because Four, Bleu’s latest album and the first to be released on his own label, is decidedly more upbeat than its predecessors. Nothing here matches the dizzy heights of “Get Up” or “We’ll Do It All Again,” but it’s the most consistent and versatile album he’s released to date.

Four also has its share of ballads, but they feel less forced than the ones that clogged his previous two albums. He still can’t help his profane ways, though, taking a lovely Smokey Robinson-ish groove and calling it “When the Shit Hits the Fan.” (Note to aspiring songwriters everywhere: do not ever sing about whether or not someone’s shit does or doesn’t stink. Ever.) “How Blue,” however, could pass for a lost L.E.O. B-side, and “Everything Is Fine” is absulutely gorgeous, a pastoral acoustic ballad filled with strings and what has to be Roger Joseph Manning Jr. on backing vocals (our review copy was a download, therefore no liner notes).

The two songs from Four that will remain standards in Bleu’s live set for time immemorial are “Dead in the Mornin’,” a gospel rave-up where he bequeaths his possessions, and “B.O.S.T.O.N.,” a love song to his adopted home town. The best thing to be said about the album, though, is the absence of that trendy crunch that weighed down Redhead and A Watched Pot – that sound never fit his songs. The production on Four may not be as slick, but it’s more honest. It’s unclear if the solo career is still Bleu’s #1 priority or just something to play with in his downtime – and who would blame him if it weren’t, after penning songs with Hanson, the Jonas Brothers, and Selena Gomez – but better to see Four arrive two albums late than not at all. (The Major Label 2010)

Bleu MySpace page
Click to buy Four from Amazon

Artists, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

Joshua Radin: The Rock and the Tide

November 8, 2010 /


RIYL: Greg Laswell, The Weepies, John Mayer

If Jousha Radin’s latest album, The Rock and the Tide, were a film, it could easily be branded a chick flick.  Radin’s heartfelt songs and whispery (if somewhat effete) vocals convey sensitivity and earnestness that some ladies love from men they consider just friends. That’s not to say that Radin is like that in his personal life, but in his songs he certainly fits that persona.

The album is a mix of mid-tempo songs and ballads that are punctuated with some upbeat tunes that certainly get one’s head nodding.  “Nowhere to Go,” “The Ones with the Light,” and “We Are Only Getting Better” certainly have energy, but the songs lack the right pop hooks to make them memorable – and they don’t have the right lyrical content to connect on an emotional level.

One of the strongest tracks is a “reprise” from Radin’s 2008 album, Simple Times.  “Brand New Day” was a solid song to begin with, but it’s a bit of a puzzler why he included it on this album. Equally solid is “Streetlight,” the lead single from the album. It’s the most radio-friendly of the songs on The Rock and the Tide, and one that won’t disappoint his fans.

So, if you’ve worn out your John Mayer albums and you’re hankering for some new sensitive male singer-songwriters, you might take a chance on Joshua Radin’s latest release, but the odds are good that while you won’t be completely disappointed, you won’t be all that impressed, either. (Mom & Pop Music 2010)

Joshua Radin My Space Page

Adult Contemporary, CD Reviews

Ingram Hill: Look Your Best

November 4, 2010 /


RIYL: Better Than Ezra, Collective Soul, Hootie and the Blowfish

True to form, Memphis rock band Ingram Hill has returned with their third release, Look Your Best.  The group’s debut, June Picture Show, and the follow-up, Cold in California, were released on Hollywood Records in 2004 and 2007, respectively, so this 2010 release (on Rock Ridge Music) is in line with the band’s every-three-years format. And, well, if you’re a fan of Ingram Hill, Look Your Best is pretty much a continuation of their previous work – especially to the debut, since they enlisted Rick Beato to produce once more.  If you’re looking for the next cool thing, you won’t find it here. Instead, Ingram Hill write real songs with real hooks that just have this way of making you feel good – as if you’re in a nostalgia warp of sorts to the bands mentioned above; but also the proximity of the band to Nashville has helped front man Justin Moore and company to continually hone his songwriting craft. 

The key to Ingram Hill, in addition to being a great live band, is the fact that they continue to churn out songs with catchy melodies and huge chorus hooks – ear candy, if you will – and Look Your Best is more of that same formula.  The opener “Broken Lover” is a bit too formulaic, but as you delve deeper into this set, you’ll unearth some gems like the power ballads “Hey Girl,” and “Wish You’d Say,” and the mid-tempo “Come Around.”  Really, any of these could be hits on country radio if things don’t pan out with Ingram Hill.  But sure as it’s hot and sweaty in Memphis, fans of the band aren’t hoping for that anytime soon.  (Rock Ridge 2010)

Ingram Hill MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

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