music reviews
\nby Kent Manthie<\/p>\n
Will Thompson (Alarmist Records)
\n A pretty new face isn\u2019t pretty for very long, but a creative, talented sense of music is a trait that lasts forever and can leave a legacy that lasts long after one passes from the earth. Introducing Will Thompson, a singer\/songwriter who, on his eponymous debut wows us with an understatement of 11 mellow, acoustic tracks, no doubt written by a highly sensitive, introverted shy guy who maybe had a bad relationship or some tragedy in his life and through writing songs and recording them gives him a release, a catharsis from the demons that have been festering inside for so long.
\n Again, while listening to this relatively brand new album, new to me for sure, I suddenly got the sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu that I sometimes get from listening to music I\u2019ve never heard before on at least one track, \u201cLeave Me Alone\u201d, song number two. It\u2019s got a catchy hook to it and lush harmonies which may be why it has a familiar ring to it. Another catchy tune is the closing song, \u201cWalk Away\u201d, which is succeeded by an unlisted, untitled 37-second track that sort of wraps it all up neatly. But, anyway, \u201cWalk Away\u201d is a good tune, a mellow but powerful song.
\n I appreciate the heartfelt lyrics, the personal statements, the introversion and the confessionals; the backbone of the songs on this CD. Track 8, \u201cThe Attack\u201d is a piano-driven ditty. Track #9 is a nice little piano & acoustic guitar instrumental that is an extended prelude to another pretty little song, \u201cHow This story Ends\u201d (#10) which, with the quiet, dry piano providing melody as well as rhythm and harmony too. (http:\/\/www.willthompson.net or http:\/\/www.alarmistrecords.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Divided by Zero: \u201cThe Black Sea\u201d (Sik World Records)
\n Frankly, I\u2019m suspicious of any CD when I open up the jewel box to retrieve the disc and on the inside part of the sleeve there\u2019s an advertisement for \u201cprovocative clothing for men & women\u201d. I guess it\u2019s for stuff like crotchless panties or edible underwear or some such novelties. Crass commercialism doesn\u2019t go with music. The most obscene image you could put on a record sleeve is an ad!
\n There\u2019s a cool tune on \u201cThe Black Sea\u201d, the latest (debut?) by Divided by Zero, a fairly heavy metal band; it\u2019s called \u201cDrowning, Not Waving\u201d \u2013 not to be confused with the Julian Cope song, \u201cNot Waving But Drowning\u201d (from \u201cPeggy Suicide\u201d) \u2013 it caught my attention, not just because of the title, but also due to a catchy hook, an infectious groove that kept popping up. That was one of the high points. Actually, the next cut also stands out. \u201cHelicopter\u201d is a little slower, has a bit more soul to it than the mostly high-energy metal record; for instance, the cut after \u201cHelicopter\u201d is called \u201cDouble Negative\u201d and this one has the feel of a System of a Down song; for one thing it has that juxtaposition from speed metal riffs for a chorus and slowed-down dirge-like verses, something S.A.D. use a lot in their music.
\n All in all, I would say that DBZ are nothing overly groundbreaking, but they do make a splash here and there. If you are a headbanger and have been known to frequent events like the Warped Tour, Ozz-Fest you\u2019ll be all over Divided by Zero for sure. (http:\/\/www.sikworld.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Big John Bates: \u201cTake Your Medicine\u201d (Devil Sauce Recordings)
\n Think of the difference of it all if Elvis Presley had been from Texas instead of Tupelo, Mississippi. Anyway, Big John Bates, from Vancouver, Canada, has spawned this record, \u201cTake Your Medicine\u201d \u2013 the grooviest thing I\u2019ve heard all year; a party record if there ever was one.
\n The sound is that infectious \u201cpsychobilly\u201d that the Cramps made famous \u2013 and you can see the influence by the cover they do of \u201cGoo Goo Muck\u201d. \u201cSalome\u2019s Last Dance\u201d and \u201cGothsylvania\u201d also stand out.
\n Bates has a big, brash, ballsy sound, with a tinge of New Orleans thrown in for good measure. There is a party feel to it, a get up and go swagger that infuses you from head to toe and no matter, it swings. (http:\/\/www.bigjohnbates.com) \u2013KM.<\/p>\n
Miz Mandy: \u201cIn the Mix\u201d (Foxworthy Records)
\n So, you\u2019ve got a decent singing voice, what do you with it? In Miz Mandy\u2019s case you put it to work singing the most banal pop music and hope to make a lot of money quick before your brightly burning flame fizzles out, which it will do in a hurry.
\n \u201cIn the Mix\u201d is a CD full of the most nauseating bubble gum crooning. I couldn\u2019t take listening to it for very long. But I had it in long enough to know that this is what happens to you when you sell your soul to a record company and you don\u2019t have anything to offer in the way of creativity or talent, save a pretty voice.<\/p>\n
Anoushka Shankar: \u201cRise\u201d (Angel Records)
\n A breathtaking album by another of Ravi Shankar\u2019s daughters. This one\u2019s name is Anoushka Shankar and she is an apple that fell pretty near to the tree. What a talent. As Norah Jones has a knack for singing cute pop songs and such, Ms. Shankar is a multi-instrumentalist.
\n Ms. Shankar has just put out her fourth album for Angel Records. \u201cRise\u201d is a blissfully mystical CD that gives a little more definition to colors, brings out subtle tones and adds a twinkle to otherwise dull edges. It definitely continues on a linear path that emanated from her father forty years ago this year at the Monterey Pop Festival.
\n Each song on \u201cRise\u201d has a beautiful fluidity to it, all instrumental save for a bit of vocalizing on a few tracks. The first song, \u201cPrayer in Passing\u201d sets the pace of the album with mesmerizing sitar and tablas; \u201cMahadeva\u201d is a re-working by Anoushka of an old un-released song of her father\u2019s, a song she sang at home when she was a girl but my favorite of all the wonders on \u201cRise\u201d is track #11, \u201cVoice of the Moon\u201d, a wigged-out trippy dervish jam that spirals up and up into a frenzy of ethereal fluidity.
\n Anoushka Shankar has astutely put together this crafty work of musical wonderment with the help of some friends and an equally talented crew of musicians, including Bikram Ghosh who does some percussion and backing vocals, Kevin Cooper on bass, Pedro Ricardo Mino on piano. Even her mother, Sukanya Shankar plays the tanpura on \u201cRed Sun\u201d; Anoushka herself alternates between playing the sitar and playing keyboards throughout the disc.
\n This is an exciting time to be alive, due not in the least to the renaissance of great music that is everywhere. Today it seems that there is an endless branching off and synergizing of styles, genres and cultures, as well that pervades the music that gets written and recorded now. I guess you can lay that at the foot of multiculturalism in much of the world and to the breadth of diversity here in the US. With an amalgamation of so many types of music, an intermingling of generations like never before, the music that is coming out today \u2013 especially in America (and I don\u2019t say that to be chauvinistic) is a brilliant, eclectic mix of the cream of every style that has come before. Done right, one can combine influences and sounds that blow people\u2019s minds; but, in the wrong hands one can also produce cacophonous caterwauling and so there\u2019s a fine line that the craftiest of musicians must walk. (http:\/\/www.anoushkashankar.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Emily Wells: \u201cBeautiful Sleepyhead and the Laughing Yaks\u201d
\n Well, I know I reviewed this CD about six months ago, but hey \u2013 it\u2019s so good that I thought I\u2019d throw in a second mention for it. I have been hypnotizing myself with this blissful tunage over the fall and winter. It\u2019s a CD full of acoustic ditties, all written by Ms. Wells, who is quite the songstress and a golden-voiced angel who has such a plaintive, pleading voice from which one can\u2019t turn away.
\n Songs like \u201c50-Year Love Affair\u201d, \u201cSupermarket\u201d and \u201cOh God, I Miss You\u201d have a pull that is irresistible. No matter how you try you can\u2019t tear yourself away from these beautiful lullabies. So, if you haven\u2019t yet bought your copy you should do it right now, by going to http:\/\/www.emilywellsmusic.com \u2013 this is where you have to go to buy the CD as it is totally DIY and the taint of corporate pimping is nowhere to be found (thank god!) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
T.T. Tucker & Bum Rush Band [eponymous] & \u201cBarely Alive in Baltimore\u201d (DIY)
\n Could it possibly be that former dichotomies can come together and blend together the best qualities of each and taper off the bad? Or is most of American society stuck with a rigid separation of musical genres.
\n With the technology that\u2019s available nowadays, anyone can theoretically record their own CDs, anyone with the musical aptitude and the money to buy the gear to be able to record a studio-quality CD in your bedroom or your garage.
\n T.T. Tucker & Bum Rush Band are 15+ year veterans of small, dark night clubs and little venues all over the US, their milieu being the stage more than the studio. But since the beginning of the new millennium they\u2019ve ventured forth and with the help of Bird House Studios, recorded their first CD, an eponymous album with 12 cuts. This was put out with no label support, sold through the internet, on their website and through word-of-mouth.
\n Then, last year they came back with \u201cBarely Alive in Baltimore\u201d, a similarly good CD that shows improvement from the last one and with twice as much music on this one it gives a good sampling of what TT Tucker & Bum Rush Band are all about.
\n On the song \u201cHouse of Mirrors\u201d TT Tucker really impress with a bit of a change in direction, a song that is kind of introspective and analytical in some ways. From what I could gather by listening to the lyrics I sensed that it was a paean to Thom Hickling, a Bum Rush Bandmate who passed away in 2005 and to whom \u201cBarely Alive in Baltimore\u201d is dedicated. It has a totally different feel than the rest of it. It has a deep sense of melancholia and regret, but also gratitude for the good times and for the memories with which one is left. (http:\/\/www.tttucker.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Danny Sandock: \u201cOne for All Seasons\u201d (self-released)
\n Back in mid-1980s people who loved good music had to fall back on the 60s and 70s for stuff to enjoy, for the most part anyway because of the \u201cdepression\u201d that music was going through \u2013 it seemed like the new decade of the 1980s brought with it an end to musical creativity and heralded a new age of corporate stranglehold of micromanagement of the music industry, turning it into just another business, like they\u2019d done to Hollywood decade earlier. So, it\u2019s no surprise that we have this legacy of the hippie scene, musically.
\n Danny Sandock brings the same vein to his musical stylings, as evidenced on this DIY project, \u201cOne for All Seasons\u201d. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s irony, poetic justice or what, but it seems like the best stuff that\u2019s out there, on CDs are all on independent labels or else released on their own, sold over the web. This is no exception; a mellow, acoustic CD that is inspired and inspiring \u2013 Sandock is a wiz on the guitar, the harmonica and the pen- he\u2019s written some interesting songs here.
\n This is definitely the beginning years of a Golden Age for music, with the democratization of the recording and distribution processes. Of course, that makes it harder to filter out the bad and the unwarranted stuff, but if you\u2019re a believer in \u201cfree markets\u201d, like evolution you\u2019ll see the quality stuff rise to the top and survive and the crap will not sell and therefore won\u2019t stick around too long. I don\u2019t mean to equate music with commodities, but in an abstract way that is it in a nutshell. Anyway, for now just take my word for it and check out Danny Sandock \u2013 I don\u2019t think he\u2019s got a website just now, but you can contact him through his email: dannysandock@hotmail.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Maria Kizirian: \u201cOn the Rocks\u201d (Savee Music)
\n So, what does one do with a good voice but no creativity or vision? I guess in American you get famous and all the lemmings will pay money to you and make you filthy, undeservedly rich; but hey, that\u2019s the American Dream, right?
\n And so it goes with Maria Kizirian and her pretty little debut CD, \u201cOn the Rocks\u201d. Ms. Kizirian has a good voice, it\u2019s got range and there\u2019s some substance to it. But, when you\u2019re singing cheesy, vacuous pop fluff it doesn\u2019t really matter how much talent you may have because you don\u2019t have any credibility for one thing and also you won\u2019t be around long enough for that to matter anyhow.
\n My advice would be to ditch your manager and take some poetry classes or something and come back when you have a slew of songs you wrote with care. Otherwise just forget it. (http:\/\/www.mariakizirian.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Rude Awakening: \u201cScaring the Paper People\u201d (Nidus Music)
\n I\u2019m not sure what to think about this CD. I mean, it\u2019s got a fiery set of riffs and hip swinging, toe-tapping metal-studded jammin\u2019 from here to Toledo. But at the same time I can\u2019t help but think that this whole rock & roll thing is getting a bit too crowded \u2013 I mean how many bands can you have that all sound the same and look the same and act the same and vary very little between them? Not only that, but everything is so categorized and classified therefore everyone gets segregated along style lines and that makes them more and more dogmatic and so on and so on until you\u2019re stuck in a vicious cycle.
\n Oh well, on their own, Rude Awakening are not so bad, I guess. They are in a metal box, to be sure, but at least one won\u2019t get them mixed up with some other band. Actually, they do sort of remind me of the Bullet Boys, back from the 80s, remember those guys? They were in heavy rotation on MTV for a time in like \u201886 or \u201987; well, RA have a similar swagger. It\u2019s a party record you can\u2019t resist dancing to and pumping your fist up and down to the hard downbeats. (http:\/\/www.nidusprod.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
music reviews by Kent Manthie Will Thompson (Alarmist Records) A pretty new face isn\u2019t pretty for very long, but a creative, talented sense of music is a trait that lasts forever and can leave a legacy that lasts long after one passes from the earth. Introducing Will Thompson, a singer\/songwriter who, on his eponymous debut wows us with an understatement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[319],"class_list":["post-245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-music-reviews-will-thompson"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":251,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/03\/01\/music-reviews-by-natalie-kardos-driftless-pony-club\/","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":0},"title":"music reviews by Natalie Kardos – Driftless Pony Club","author":"admin","date":"March 1, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"music reviews by Natalie Kardos Driftless Pony Club Cholera The Driftless Pony Club show off their (modest) mousey roots on this CD that\u2019s characterized by abrupt tempo changes and vocals that alternate between singing and shouting. But even with their roots showing as obviously as bleached blonde\u2019s, they manage to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":447,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2008\/02\/17\/new-music-reviews-by-michael-caldwell\/","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":1},"title":"New Music Reviews, by Michael Caldwell","author":"admin","date":"February 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"New Music Reviewsby Michael Caldwell Witchcraft The Alchemist (Candlelight) With their third album, Swedish heavy rockers Witchcraft earn points for sounding like an authentic and obscure group from the late 60\u2019s and early 70\u2019s, i.e. Pentagram, Wishbone Ash, and Atomic Rooster. But they lose points for sounding like an obscure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":233,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/01\/30\/music-reviews-by-kristina-clayton\/","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":2},"title":"Music Reviews by Kristina Clayton","author":"admin","date":"January 30, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"MUSIC REVIEWS by Kristina Clayton Dirty Kings Electric Dirt Nice guitar riffs, smack-ass bass and rump-rockin rhythm coming from this trio of musicians. Electric Dirt is one of the better underground rock albums even though I think the singer is a bit tone def. That would not matter at a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":195,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/11\/29\/issue-33-music-reviews-run-run-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":3},"title":"issue 33 music reviews RUN RUN RUN","author":"admin","date":"November 29, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Music Reviews by Jack Sparrow Run Run Run: \u201cEndless Winter\u201d (Song & Dance Records) Los Angeles is a nice place to live. There are millions of people in this city and each one has a story to tell; some of these stories are more tragic than others, some are more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":655,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/04\/12\/32-music-reviews-honey-pig\/","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":4},"title":"#32 music reviews, honey pig","author":"admin","date":"April 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Music reviews by Kent Manthie, music authority guy Honey Pig: \u201cExactly As We Are\u201d (Demo) Three lovely ladies who are waiting for their big break to come in the field of acting, Honey Pig are an all-female country trio in the same vein as Dixie Chicks. But to their credit,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":643,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/03\/29\/issue-32-music-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":245,"position":5},"title":"issue 32 music reviews","author":"admin","date":"March 29, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Music Reviews for issue 32 (with one DVD review) by Vikkee Payge Tarantella Esqueletos This album is the band\u2019s first full-length album, and it\u2019s beautiful. The haunting fiddle playing by Kelly O\u2019Dea flows with the mournful melodies of lead singer Kal Calhoone like water. The album, sung in both English\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}