KOOP CD REVIEWS
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Rahim Alhaj & Amjad Ali Khan / Ancient Sounds (Ur Music) Middle Eastern
Iraqi ex-pat Rahim Alhaj is a Grammy-nominated master of the oud; Amjad Ali Khan is a recognized master of the Indian sarod. This collection of duets with accompanying percussion indeed has an ancient, and decidedly non-western, sound to it. The pieces are all long (with the exception of “Missing You,” #6) instrumentals and seemingly repetitious, that is, to a western ear. In fact, playing as background music, you’d have a hard time distinguishing one track from the next. As such, it serves as excellent meditation or trance music but probably not attention-grabbing radio material. Still, it would be nice to have more cultural diversity on the airwaves, and these tracks could serve as music beds during announcements or mic breaks. And who knows? Ravi Shankar seemed to have a pretty wide following (befriending the Beatles didn’t hurt); perhaps this style of eastern classical music could catch on again
Paul Borelli 9/30/09
Bearfoot / Doors and Windows Bluegrass
Although there are bluegrass instruments here, this is not a bluegrass album. It doesn¹t pretend to be though. There are some cuts with the kind of grit one might associate with roots music (2, 5, 6, 9 & 11) and even banjo on one cut (5), but other cuts are a bit new agey for my taste. (1, 3, 4, 8 & 10)). 7 is a pretty nice Beatles cover. 11 is a nice a cappella ending to the album. For Strictly Bluegrass programmers I¹d recommend 2, 5, 6 and 9 with the caveat that they¹re more nearly old timey than bluegrass.
Tom Pittman 8/1/09
Bio Ritmo / Bionico (Locutor) Latin
The fifth album by this Richmond, Virginia-based octet is a healthy serving of hard salsa spiked with vintage 70s electronics, resulting in a mixture of solid Latin grooves with something a little different. The key to their success is that the salsa always remains the firm foundation, and the touch of electronics is never overbearing. It is used most prominently on the opening sketch of unrequited love, “Lisandara,” which, like all the vocal tracks here, is sung in Spanish. “Shoe Shine” (#2) is based on a classic salsa montuno piano riff, but allows keyboardist Marlysse Rose Simmons to interject a harpsichord-like solo before the horn section returns the piece to its roots. “Seguiras Crticando” (#4) likewise starts with NuYorican percussion and horns but evolves into an Earth, Wind & Fire-like breakdown halfway through. “Sombras” (#5) features extended solos by drummer Giustino Riccio and conga player Gabo Tomasini. “Chuleta” (#6) takes us back to EWF territory and adds some spacey electronic effects. The instrumental “Bionic Boogaloo” (#8) bears the hint of Bionic Man-era soundtracks, while “A La Cha” (#9) weaves Egyptian influences into its groove. There is also an unnamed tenth track of goofing around in the studio that is frankly embarrassing in its lameness, proving that Bio Ritmo may be crack musicians, but they’re no comedians. Stick to your strength, guys.
Paul Borelli 8/29/09
Black Moth Super Rainbow / Eating Us (Graveface) Rock
The fourth full-length from this Pennsylvania-based ensemble (they also had a split CD with Austin’s Octopus Project) continues their psychedelic, vintage-synth, mellotron-laden, and vocoder-vocal sound with songs about bubblegum, sunshine, smiles, lemonade, and sticky things, but if this is your first taste of the rainbow, be warned that the aforementioned topics are not-very-thinly-veiled references to psychedelic mind-altering substances, not the happy, bouncy (and frequently lascivious) themes of classic bubblegum and sunshine pop. New on this album is the big beat sound of a live drummer, rather than the programmed, more reserved drum machines of past efforts, resulting in a sound that some have described as more pop but is definitely an appeal to a broader audience, perhaps the result of their experience opening for The Flaming Lips. However, if the group is trying to reach out, they forgot the hooks to make their sticky concoctions stick in their listeners’ ears. The intentionally obtuse and repetitive lyrics also fail to take hold, though “American Face Dust” (#11), which unexpectedly includes a banjo, sounds like a late Obama campaign theme song, with lyrics like “Change is the change that’s changing you.” Still, if you’re after a soundtrack for trippy mind excursions or a slowed-down rave, this will fill the bill.
Paul Borelli 8/29/09
Boxcar Bandits / Smells Like Grass Bluegrass
Despite the title, the music on this disc is not very close to bluegrass. The accordion, prominently mixed drums and tambourine and vocals make it more Jug Band than Bluegrass. It¹s long on enthusiasm and short on polish. The vocals range from endearing to awful. Cuts 1, 5 & 7 are the most nearly Bluegrass. Cuts 2, 4, 6 & 7 are instrumentals.
Tom Pittman 7/21/09
Buena Vista Social Club / At Carnegie Hall (Nonesuch) Latin
The triumphant Carnegie Hall concert captured in Wim Wenders’ film Buena Vista Social Club is finally released ten years later in this live double CD as a final salute to the revered & aged Cuban musical icons marshaled together by Ry Cooder, three of whom have since passed away—vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer, vocalist/guitarist Compay Segundo, and pianist Ruben Gonzalez. And since this preview version of the album does not include the retail booklet and liner notes, it’s difficult for anyone not already intimately familiar with these musicians to figure out who sings on what. But the music itself is splendid, solid, heartfelt, and occasionally fiery. Disc 1 opens with the group’s hit from their eponymous album “Chan Chan” (#1), but I actually prefer the brighter “De Camino a la Vereda” (#2) and the 8-minute but lively “El Cuarto de Tula” (#3), which features the album’s lone guitar solo by—I’m guessing—Segundo. Pianist Gonzalez leads the instrumentals “La Enganadora” (#4) and “Buena Vista Social Club” (#5), followed by Ferrer’s bolero “Dos Gardenias” (#6). The group’s lone female, Omora Portuondo, sings the familiar “Quizas, Quizas, Quizas” (#7, a hit for Nat King Cole decades ago), before a duet with one of the male singers on “Veinte Anos” (#8). She also finishes off disc 2 in a duet with Ferrer on the bolero “Silencio” (#8), while that disc opens with a swinging number from Segundo, “Orgullecida” (#1), that seems to include steel or slide guitar. Other highlights from disc 2 include the sizzling Afro-Cuban workouts “Mandinga” (#4) and “Candela” (#7). Too bad that whole Cuban embargo thing kept this music from American shores for so long, but thanks to Cooder and producer Nick Gold for capturing these performances before it was too late.
Paul Borelli 9/30/09
Elli Fordyce / Songs Spun of Gold (self-released) Jazz
The followup to her 2008 debut (at age 70) by the New York-based vocalist shows that the septuagenarian singer continues to be an expressive interpreter of the classic American songbook and bossa nova classics such as “Desafinado” (#2) and “Wave” (#10). Though her singing career spans decades, it was interrupted for extended periods twice, to raise a family and to recover from a debilitating auto accident, but the experience of that service and hardship has only imbued her vocal style with more understanding and maturity. Fordyce particularly shines when accompanied by guitarist Ed MacEachen (#1, 10, 15, 17); these cuts remind me of the classic Beverly Kenney-Johnny Smith collaboration from the ‘50’s. However, when he joins her and vocalist Jim Malloy on “Oops!” (#8), along with tap dancer Max Pollack, things veer a little too close to kitsch for my taste, as Malloy breaks out his Louis Armstrong impression. Pianist Jeremy Manasia provides the instrumental accompaniment on the remaining numbers, and though a fine player, occasionally the tone smacks a bit of supper club fare rather than classic jazz territory; his best cuts are “Desfinado” (#2), “Pick Youself Up” (#7), “My Heart Stood Still” (#11), “Everything Happens to Me” (#12), “I’ll Remember April” (#14), “Where or When?” (#16), and, my personal favorite, the bossa-nova-flavored “I’m Old Fashioned” (#15). There are many clichés one can slap on Fordyce’s late-in-life success, but her ability to fill each of her efforts with real feeling is as genuine as pure gold.
Paul Borelli 8/29/09
Sarah Jarosz / Song Up in Her Head Bluegrass
The long awaited debut album from Wimberly¹s premier multi-instrumentalist. Not really bluegrass, but closer to that than anything else. All cuts are worthy of airplay but for the Strictly Bluegrass show the vocal cuts that would be most appropriate are those where she plays banjo (3, 5, 8 & 10) and the instrumentals (4 & 7). Bluegrass royalty abounds--Tim O¹Brien, Stuart Duncan, Chris Theile & Mark Schatz among others. A great album.
Tom Pittman 8/1/09
Mariza / Terra (World Connection) European
This Mozambique-born, Portugal-raised singer is the undisputed champion of the traditional Portuguese folk song known as fado. At least, she is without question the most popular worldwide. The theme of fado can be summed up in one word—yearning. Yearning for a loved one, for the homeland, for whatever is absent. Accompanied gypsy acoustic guitar and a bevy of supporting instruments, Mariza’s voice perfectly conveys the dramatic melancholy of pain and desire on songs like “Ja Me Deixou” (#1), “Recurso” (#4), and “Alfama” (#8). But she is also known for mixing in other styles with fado, as she does here on the slightly more up-tempo, waltz-like “Rosa Branca” (#3), the sprightly piano & percussion lilt “Fonteira” (#7), the jazzy “As Guitarras” (#12), or the flamenco-flavored “Pequenas Verdades” (#13). She also shares vocal duties with Concha Buika on “Pequenas Verdades” and with Tito Paris on “Beijo de Saudade” (#5). All of which keeps this, her sixth album, from becoming a one-dimensional affair. She provides just enough variety to keep the unremitting sadness of fado, though certainly beautiful, from becoming an unbearable weight. And just for a touch of irony, she finishes off the disc with an English-language version of the American Songbook standard “Smile” (#15).
Paul Borelli 8/1/09
Steve Martin / The Crow Bluegrass
This is a banjo album performed and (mostly) written by comedian Steve Martin. He has been playing banjo with varying intensity for his whole career, but has finally decided to make an entire album. It is surprisingly good due in part to participation by Tim O¹Brien, Peter Wernick, John MeEwen, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Tony Trischka, Jerry Douglas, Earl Scruggs and many more. His own contributions hold their own, though. Cuts 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 & 16 are instrumentals in the Scruggs Style, 10 & 11 are frailing instrumentals, and the rest are vocals featuring mostly others. Cut 4 seems to be the only Martin vocal. Very good throughout, well varied.
Tom Pittman 7/21/09
Mew / No More Stories Are Told Today... (Columbia) Rock
The fifth album from the Danish trio (once a quartet) is described by their promotions company as “experimental dream pop.” Another equally apt description might be Yes meets dreamy indie rock a la Blonde Redhead, because Mew blends jagged song structures, highly personal/opaque lyrics, and beautiful, high-pitched vocals for a prog-meets-indie effect. The Yes influence is most evident on “Introducing Palace Players” (#2), a herky jerky time signature executed by Steve Howe-like guitar figures. “New Terrain” (#1) employs back-masking to create an undulating, wave-like atmosphere, mimicking the lyrics “When we’re young, we get seasick.” “Beach” (#3) provides the most hit-worthy indie pop moment—you can almost feel it playing behind an overly sensitive youth TV program. “Repeaterbeater” (#4) begins with hard-edged guitar chords before settling into pounding dream rock. “Tricks of the Trade” (#11) combines club beats, hand-claps, and spacey synths. The difference, however, between Mew and prog bands like Yes is the personal nature of their lyrics—the stories that Mew tells are of one-on-one relationships, deeply personal, deeply felt, self-referential and telegraphic, as opposed to the sweeping epic nature of traditional prog. But the overall effect on the listener is similar—a beautiful, pleasant musical experience despite the fact that the songs lack a lyrical connection to the listener. You may be able to memorize the words and sing along without really grasping their meaning. Tracks 5, 8 & 12 are short, instrumental snippets.
Paul Borelli 11/9/09
The Muggs / On With the Show (self-released) Rock
On their second self-released disc, this Detroit power trio shows that its members are curators of the thick, muscular hard rock their hometown is famous for, circa 1972. After a short, bluesy prelude (“Motown Blues,” #1), the band launches into a classic 70s riff on the propulsive “Slow Curve” (#2).Thundering toms and dense “Stranglehold”-like guitar kick off and drive “Just Another Fool” (#3), a song about a duplicitous relationship with a substance abuser. “All Around You” (#4) starts and ends with cowbell & guitar-riff hard rock, but midway through, the groups slows things down and guitarist Danny Methric multi-tracks intertwining guitar leads a la The Allman Brothers. “Somewhere Down the Line” (#6) turns down the guitar assault just a tad for some nice melody and harmony vocals but still with plenty of umph. “Down Below” (#8) returns to Nugent- & Kiss-inspired riffery, while the 8-minute “Never Know Why” (#8) is a slowed-down, heavy shuffle. “Get It On” (#10, not the Motown hit by Marvin Gaye), starts with train sound effects and then chugs like a locomotive with a hiccup. The closing reprise of “Motown Blues” (#11) lets Methric rip off some burning blues leads, showing that he can do a little more than just rock n roll all night. Despite touching all the bases of classic hard rock and song titles that sound a bit overused, The Muggs take on classic rock is anything but stale. This is high-energy, blow out the speakers rock just like they made in the good old days, but with enough unexpected twists and turns to keep it fresh. Rock on, my brothers, rock on.
Paul Borelli 8/1/09
The Pinker Tones / Wild Animals (Nacional) Pop
Often labeled an electronica act, Barcelona duo Salvador Rey and Alex Llovet actually compose and perform multi-hued pop songs that rely heavily on electronic instrumentation but ultimately have the structure and sound of traditional pop. True, several cuts on this, their fifth, album unabashedly reference retro electro-pop, but they’re still fundamentally pop songs. Rey & Llovet continue their kitchen-sink approach to instruments, styles, and languages, veering from slightly funky 80s anthemic pop (think Eurythmics) on “Hold On” (#1) to humorous (but too lengthy) electro-pop on “S.E.X.Y.R.O.B.O.T.” (#2) to sweeping French chanson on “On Se Promenait” (#3) to bouncing, quirky dance music on “The Whistling Song” (#4). But while the duo are experts at blending disparate musical parts, the lyric-writing on this effort is thin and repetitive, lacking the philosophical underpinnings of their 2006 masterpiece Million Colour Revolution. They strive for some of that relevance on the coming-of-age anthem “24” (#7), but the theme seems little more than “it’s hard growing up” and falls short of more poignantly stated predecessors like Alice Cooper’s “I’m 18.” Like many groups that blaze onto the scene in a flash of glory, the Pinker Tones are having a hard time matching the high standards they set for themselves, first by following up Revolution with a remix album and now this less-than satisfying effort. They still make fine ear candy, but their fans have come to expect something more substantial.
Paul Borelli 8/29/09
The Raveonettes / In and Out of Control (Vice) Pop
The fourth full-length from the Danish duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo continues their affinity for classic pop melodies and dials down their trademark noise to a few well-chosen spots. But underneath the pretty melodies are dark themes of drug addiction, rape and suicide, like a bon-bon hiding a razor blade. The irresistibly catchy opener “Bang!” (#1) is a mess lyrically, combining masochism with dancing in the streets, but the sweet melody and harmonies will have you singing along no matter what the words mean. “Last Dance” (#3) uses the same formula to twist “Save the Last Dance for Me” into a co-dependent nightmare swathed in beautiful melody and glockenspiel. “Heart of Stone” (#5) is a simple, catchy, minor-chord mild-rocker about a lost love that can’t be forgotten. On “Suicide” (#7), “D.R.U.G.S.” (#8), and Breaking Into Cars” (#9), the group tries out a new (for them) New Wave sound, a little more angular in melody with pounding drum tracks. They also try softer ballads on “Oh, I Buried You Today” (#6) and “Wine” (#11), which, though not especially memorable, nonetheless provide dramatic counterpoint to the punchier pop numbers. As with most Raveonettes albums, there are a few gems (1, 3, 5, 7) combined with the remaining solid, not spectacular fillers. Still, 4 out of 11 is a pretty admirable batting average.
Paul Borelli 11/9/09
The Sacred Shakers / s/t (Signature Sounds) Gospel
This debut effort by the Sacred Shakers offers a swinging new take on traditional gospel country and blues. While taking advantage of modern recording equipment to give updated versions of traditional gospel songs, The Sacred Shakers honor the spirit of the originals with a simple, roots-based sound. Though they are not breaking any new ground, the Shakers accomplish the impressive feat of making each song distinctively their own, eschewing formulaic instrumentation. The opening track “I’m Gonna Do My Best,” captures the early Sun Records gospel sound, with its driving rhythm section and Carl Perkins-style guitar work. Folk singer Eilen Jewel transports the listener with her heavenly vocals in “Ready to Go Home” (#3), a journey’s end, old-time spiritual. “Taggin’ Along With Jesus,” with its driving country shuffle beat, sounds more like a Johnny Cash cover than a George Jones original. “Jordan is a Hard Road To Travel” (#2) and “Prayer Bells of Heaven” (#13) utilize banjo rolls and fiddle breaks to relay the rustic spirituality that underlies bluegrass gospel. “Gospel Plow” (#12) is my personal favorite, with its lone fiddle crying out in a minor key as if a desperate soul in search of a note of resolve.
Betsy Shepherd 7/1/09
Spinnerette / s/t (Anthem) Alternative
The initial full-length from Brody Dalle, formerly of punk act The Distillers and wife of Queens of the Stone Age front-man Josh Homme, has a mainstream-oriented alternative rock flavor but still with a little edge and enough variety between songs to keep things interesting. Most of the songs rock hard and feature Dalle’s ragged vocals, a trait that seemed a little repetitious on first listen but was less noticeable on subsequent plays. “Ghetto Love” (#1) features fuzz bass, pounding drums, and laser-like guitar work on a song that equates seeking love with a kind of persecution. “All Babes Are Wolves” (#2) turns up the tempo and distorted guitars but descends into cliché and raspy vocals on the refrain. “Baptized by Fire” (#5) keeps the pounding rhythms, but this time sounds more like Blondie-era new wave disco. “A Spectral Suspension” (#6) alternates between more thumping disco and raving alternative rock. “Distorting a Code” (#7) mixes a moderately driving beat and heavily chorused guitar with minimalist lyrics about leaving the past behind. “Sex Bomb” (#8) layers big beats, distorted guitar, and more ragged alt-rock vocals. “Impaler” (#12) provides a change of pace with acoustic mandolin-like string-work and breathy vocals backed by thumping toms and cryptic lyrics—“I’ll take your head off tonight / Vlad impaler style.” “A Prescription for Mankind” (#13) is a slow, heavy, bluesy head-bobber that goes silent at 4:30, comes back a minute and a half later for an unnecessary finish. It works better without the gap and reprise. I’ve added two bonus tracks from the group’s 2008 “Ghetto Love” EP.
Paul Borelli 9/30/09
Summer Cats / Songs for Tuesdays (Slumberland) Indie Pop
After their well-received 2007 EP Scratching Post, this Australian quintet returns for their first full-length effort with a baker’s dozen of short, up-tempo indie pop thumpers. The first three tracks—“Let’s Go,” “Hey You,” and “Super”—feature more punchy, rock-oriented guitar and an almost punk-inspired pogo pace, which abates slightly (though not much) on the more jangly, indie pop feel of the remaining cuts. “Super” may, in fact, be the perfect transition between the two styles in that its melody evokes early R.E.M. The group also features a Farfisa-like organ on many tracks, and vocal duties are traded off between male and female members, none of whom are particularly gifted singers, but this doesn’t pose a real problem except on the regrettable “St. Tropez” (#12). “In June” (#5) has a somewhat more introspective feel with jangly, chorused guitar and a good beat, a la the Sundays. “Waking Up” (#11) weds that Sundays sound with a bit of Belle & Sebastian, though always with a more accelerated tempo. The group has also drawn comparisons to country-mates The Go-Betweens and Cub, but Summer Cats have a younger, happier vibe than the former and a thicker, harder rocking sound than the latter. This is music suitable for jumping around or driving fast.
Paul Borelli 9/30/09
Tiempo Libre / Bach in Havana (Sony) Latin
The idea of combining the cerebral classical works of Johann Sebastian Bach with the smoking rhythms of this Miami-based, 7-piece, Afro-Cuban timba band was initially intriguing. Certainly classical works have been blended with other forms of popular music, such as 50s rock n rollers Bumble Bee & the Stingers or, more recently, Canadian twang-guitarists the Baronics. But this Latin effort doesn’t quite hit the mark, never quite melding the two styles seamlessly. Each track seems to waft back and forth between pure Bach melody or unadulterated timba; like oil and water, they just never seem to mix. Make no mistake, Tiempo Libre is a supremely talented Afro-Cuban band, and they shine on those pieces that hew most closely to their native strength, particularly “Tu Conga Bach” (#1) and “Clave in C Minor” (#4). But on tracks such as “Minuet in G” (#7), the Bach melody lines stick out like a sore thumb—perhaps too recognizable to blend in with the Afro-Cuban rhythm. Even worse is the Kenny G-like bolero interpretation “Air on a G String” (#3) guest starring Paquito D’Rivera on alto sax. And the synthesizer piano and faux strings throughout go down like Velveeta. Still, this concept album does have its moments (as in the aforementioned recommended tracks), but overall I hope it’s a concept they won’t recycle.
Paul Borelli 8/1/09
Rhonda Vincent / Destination Life Bluegrass
Rhonda Vincent is one of the busiest and most successful performers in bluegrass music, and controls most aspects of her busy career. In addition to being selected the IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year 7 times in a row, she is also a stellar instrumentalist and band leader. Save for the fiddler and bass player, she has an all new band on this album, but there is no loss of quality. Highly recommended. Cuts 1, 4, 6 & 8 are all upbeat, 2 & 3 are slow bad relationship songs, 7 is a quasi rhumba beat remake of an old country standard, 10 is a mid tempo gospel song, 11 an instrumental and 12 an a cappella gospel piece. No bad cuts and no FCC issues.
Tom Pittman 7/21/09
The Vox Jaguars / s/t (Anodyne) Rock
The debut 4-song EP by this California quartet shows a group able to mine the spirit and “Swagger” of classic punk & garage rock groups like the Standells without getting hung up on the formula. The opening aforementioned cut announces their intentions with pounding toms and overdriven guitar chords and vocalist Jordan Topf’s rough, nasal delivery. The rock keeps on coming over the next two tracks, with “Song for the Girl” (#3) establishing a classic rock groove that stays fresh because the song-writing never sticks to the expected but keeps searching for new territory. “Homesick” (#4) starts with a jackhammer beat but doesn’t get stuck in it. Likewise, the group uses the classic Farfisa organ sound, but sparingly, keeping it hidden in the background most of the time, bringing it forward occasionally for a little flavor, always restrained because the twin guitars are the engine for this rock n roll machine. Knowing that two of the band members are still in high school makes their sense of nuance in the midst of a full-out rock assault all the more impressive. The only question remaining is, Have they already peaked? Or are there bigger and better things to come?
Paul Borelli 8/1/09
