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Candi and the Strangers: 10th of Always

February 3, 2011 /


RIYL: Blondie, Cocteau Twins, Lush

Forming a dream pop band is one of the ultimate acts of devotion one can commit. No band in the genre ever rose above cult status in terms of sales, but the ones that have done it well will live forever. You have to think that Austin quiintet Candi and the Strangers knows that their commercial potential has a visible ceiling, but God love them for reaching for it anyway. The band’s sophomore effort, 10th of Always, is like listening to the thoughts of a cool girl in love. She feels the same things that everyone else feels but refuses to let it show, so even when the songs swoon – and boy, do they swoon – it’s done so with impeccable taste and composure, and perhaps a bit of detachment. Cool girls don’t lose their shit, you know.

Candi_and_the_Strangers_edit

Fans of Blondie are going to lap up this album, and not just because “Femme Sonique” is a toned-down re-write of “Atomic.” “Nico Regrets” captures both the smooth and edgy aspects of Blondie’s sound, and the epic closer “The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful” is like the Jesus and Mary Chain getting their hands on some lost girl group song and turning it inside out. “Glide,” meanwhile, is positively blissed. There are times, though, when singer Samantha Constant’s vocals are a bit too far down in the mix, and despite the album’s consistently strong songwriting, it takes several listens before some of the songs leave a visible footprint. But such is love, even with a cool girl – you take the good with the bad, and with 10th of Always, it’s all so pretty that complaining about imperfections seems petty. (Candi and the Strangers 2011)

Click here to download Candi and the Strangers – Nico Regrets

Candi and the Strangers MySpace page
Click to buy 10th of Always from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dream Pop, Melodramatic, Pop, Rock

Over the Rhine: The Long Surrender

February 3, 2011 /


RIYL: Lucinda Williams, Joni Mitchell

“The Laugh of Recognition” is the pretty, mellow song that begins the new Over the Rhine album, The Long Surrender. With layers of piano, echoed guitar and the drummer chugging along with brushes on the snare, the song sets the mood for this collection of lovely music from the underground folk rock band.

The songs of The Long Surrender are country-based, atmospheric treasures full of passion and featuring nothing but the finest musicianship from Karen Bergquist, her husband and band mate, Linford Detweiler, their producer Joe Henry, and the fine musicians he’s helped assemble for this album. Upon first listen, you may think the album could use a rocker or two, something a little upbeat, but repeated listens reveal that the album doesn’t need it. Bergquist sings with such conviction and the lyrics are so intricate that the songs demand attention rather than too much foot tapping.

What separates Over the Rhine’s music from so many of the singer/songwriter “Grey’s Anatomy” soundtrack crowd is Bergquist’s unique vocals.  With a slight slur in her voice, it recalls a little bit of Rickie Lee Jones and a touch of Lucinda Williams, who also duets with Bergquist on the track “Undamned.”

If you’ve never heard of or listened to Over the Rhine, The Long Surrender is an excellent starting point. After 15 years of albums and touring, it would be nice if these critical darlings would wider attention from the general public. (Great Speckled Dog 2011)

Over the Rhine MySpace page

CD Reviews, Folk, Pop

White Lies: Ritual

February 2, 2011 /


RIYL: Bands that sound like Joy Division, Joy Division

Ritual, the sophomore album from freakishly pale London post-punkers White Lies, opens with “Is Love.” It is a love song about love that goes into great detail about how damn awesome falling in love feels. Is it a sign that the group of anemic goth London boys are looking up? Maybe they finally got some sun?

No. Don’t worry. While “Is Love” does extol the virtues of falling in love, nearly every other track on Rituals is a counterargument to that upbeat track, explaining in great detail why love is a hideous monster filled with dread and despair, and something that should be avoided at all costs.

On “Bigger Than Us,” lead singer Harry McVeigh worries that his significant other may be leaving him because she’s taking a different way home from work, “You’ve never taken that way with me before / Did you feel the need for change?” The somber tone of “Peace & Quiet” is a little more abstract, but its a safe bet that when he bemoans a “great pressure coming down on me,” he’s talking about love. He’s definitely talking about love on “Streetlights,” which opens with the oh-so-cheerful lyric “Hold tight for heartbreak, buckle up for loneliness.”

White Lies are mopey bastards, brought up in the school of Joy Division, combining sparse yet soaring riffs with dissonant melodies, all while McVeigh does his best to sound just like Ian Curtis. So yeah, they’re derivative without an ounce of originality in them. But they’re still fun in their own “I can’t believe they’re serious way.” Besides, there are far worse Joy Division rip off groups that you could listen to. On a scale of Interpol to She Wants Revenge, they’re definitely a high Editors. (Fiction 2011)

White Lies MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Gothic, Rock

Epigene: A Wall Street Odyssey (The City, The Country and Back Again)

February 2, 2011 /


RIYL: The Who, Rush, Yes

On paper, I should like this album.  It has many of the elements I like in rock music:  big themes, a narrative, and prog-rock flourishes.  But this is quite possibly the worst album I have heard in this genre for a long time – and yet I admire the moxie of Epigene, the husband and wife duo of Sean Bigler and Bonnie Lykes. I mean, who has the balls to produce a two-CD concept album – especially in 2010?  Well, I think we know the answer to that question, but simply producing such an opus of this scale isn’t enough; one has to have substance.  And while the story of A Wall Street Odyssey (The, City, The Country and Back Again) isn’t short on earnestness, it lacks an important ingredient in rock operas: a certain amount of subtly, and a generous helping of hooks and thunderous power chords.

The story follows Yossarian (in a nod to Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22”) from his career as a Wall Street stockbroker, to drug-addicted homeless victim of corporate downsizing, to being saved by his brother and brought to an agrarian commune of left-libertarians where he learns to toil on the land, commune with nature, and find love. After some time has elapsed,  Yossarian finds he’s compelled “go back” to the belly of the beast and tell anyone who will listen about the virtue of land and living simply. Naturally, the sight of a bearded country bumpkin spouting the evils of corporate capitalism, dense urbanism, and the culture it breeds is met with disdain. And even though Yossarian is ostracized for his beliefs, the financial and political apocalypse he warns the city-dwellers comes to pass, and, predictably, a one-world fascist government arises and oppresses the people.  Yossarian (with the help of a bicycle that flies) is able to leave the city and get back to the freedom of the country – believing, in the end, that he has to let each find their own way in the world.

Like I said at the outset, the story isn’t subtle. But it’s not just the story that lacks subtlety. The songs themselves are more mini-sermons than fully formed tunes.  Lacking sufficient hooks, a variation in style, and even some much-needed ambiguity, song after song on A Wall Street Odyssey are exercises in tedium. Alas, it’s a tedium that’s borne out of the best of intentions and ambitions, but falls under the weight of its own bathetic excesses. (Amammi Music 2011)

Epigene MySpace page

CD Reviews, Folk, Melodramatic, Progressive, Rock

Cake: Showroom of Compassion

February 1, 2011 /


RIYL: The Presidents of The United States of America, Ween, Cracker

John McCrea’s deadpan vocals in combination with catchy bass lines and economical but effective horn work make Cake a very unique-sounding band. When you hear a Cake song, you know it’s Cake – there is no hesitation on determining the artist. They flirt with making dance music because the songs are, well, very danceable in a fraternity kegger party way. Showroom of Compassion is the band’s latest and the first Number One (on the Billboard Album charts) of their career. It’s textured and they play with the Cake sound formula and shade it differently, but in the end they build a very solid Cake-like effort.

“Teenage Pregnancy” starts off with some earnest piano recital work before giving way to a deep bass line. Some interesting keyboard work gives off a calliope vibe to create an instrumental that’s equal alternative gem as it is circus music. That track is followed by their latest hit, “Sick of You,” which like “The Distance,” “Never There” or “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” gets stuck in your head and absolutely won’t work its way out. It has that thump and a repetitive but fun chorus that traps you. “Easy to Crash” pushes Cake as far as they are going to go in the rocking direction, which is then followed by the country folk of “Bound Away.” Essentially, that is the beauty of the band; they weave in and out of different combinations of styles but never ever sound like anyone other than themselves. They sound familiar but never boring. “The Winter” features a supporting vocal track that is reminiscent of 10cc, while some excellent Spanish influenced brass is thrown in for good measure. The record tracks in at about 40 minutes and gives you enough. It’s satiating, but leaves you wondering what interesting tweaks and catchy song they will come up with for their next effort. (Upbeat Records 2011)

Cake MySpace page

Alternative, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

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