MUSIC REVIEWS by Kent Manthie<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n
Of Montreal<\/b> Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?<\/i> (Polyvinyl Records)
\n I\u2019ve been waiting for Kevin Barnes to come out with a new Of Montreal CD for some time now, ever since I reviewed his previous opus, \u201cSatanic Panic in the Attic\u201d in 2005. Well, it was worth the wait and then some. \u201cHissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?\u201d shows Barnes and company maturing and evolving, not merely staying in a box, playing staid formulae. If you were enchanted by the dreamy sweetness of \u201cSatanic Panic\u2026\u201d you will be even more ecstatic over \u201cHissing Fauna\u2026\u201d; it\u2019s got equal part sweetness & light as well as hipster \u201csoul power\u201d, intricate little hooks as well as seemingly endless layers of music and the more times you listen to the CD the more you uncover.
\n The CD cover is as unique as the music\u2013 the CD comes in a tagboard jewel box with four flaps on the front that open up like a blooming flower, containing the disc therein. When you open all the flaps each one has a unique kaleidoscopic pattern, four of them, plus one on the disc, which sits in the middle of the four surrounding flaps. I know that sounds complicated, but believe me, once you experience it, you\u2019ll understand what I mean.
\n \u201cHissing Fauna\u2026\u201d is so luscious you get a sugar rush from listening to it. The first half of the CD is lively and effusive; songs like \u201cSink the Seine\u201d and \u201cHeimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse\u201d, for example, are upbeat, sunny-day songs; fast-paced, dance-y sugar-smacks and not at all saccharine, syrupy or silly.
\n The latter half of \u201cHissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer\u201d starts to dig deeper: the mesmerizing 11+ minute-long gem of the CD, \u201cThe Past is a Grotesque Animal\u201d, a mindbending \u2018wow\u2019 of a song, shifts the groove to a slightly different course; it gets less bubbly and more soulful. The vibe gets more funky: for example, check out: \u201cBunny Ain\u2019t No Kind of Rider\u201d or \u201cShe\u2019s a Rejecter\u201d. To me, it\u2019s as if the first half of the album represents daytime and the latter is nighttime.
\n I\u2019ve been dying for something new and exciting to listen to and \u201cHissing Fauna\u2026\u201d is a great start, but then again, that\u2019s always the case with Polyvinyl Records, a Chicago-based label that is, in my opinion, on the \u201ccutting edge\u201d of the best of indie music. I\u2019m excited every time I get another package of new CDs from the chix & dudes at Polyvinyl because no matter how many more emo bands keep coming, I know if it comes from PVR it\u2019s going to be at the very least original-sounding and more often than not it\u2019s a great thing to be able to listen to. Check out the website to see more of their stable of bitchin\u2019 bands at: http:\/\/www.polyvinylrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Shineola<\/b> Cream of the Slop<\/i> (Hellam Records)
\n Shineola is a punk duo consisting of two brothers: Peter and Joe Belz. Brother Peter sings and plays guitar and Brother Joe plays guitar, bass and drums. I\u2019d assume they have at least one other hired hand when they play live, since it\u2019s hard for two people to play drums, bass and guitar. But in the studio anything\u2019s possible; you can even take some tone-deaf girl and make her sound like a pop princess, but I digress \u2013 anyway, Shineola surprised me a bit \u2013 or maybe I just didn\u2019t know I had it in me anymore, but once the album got going I found myself being irresistibly drawn into it, instead of initially flipping through the songs I just left it alone and listened to it all the way through a couple times in an afternoon and I found myself tapping my foot to the beat, snapping my fingers and generally getting into it all.
\n The music is a down and dirty punk-rock \u2013 no power pop or garrulous metal burnouts, but some ballsy rock & rollers with a fiery attitude. \u201cCream of the Slop\u201d has some rolling, tumbling, gutter-splashing jags played to a fast and furious beat. Plus, it\u2019s not too long, which makes for a nice album; it sucks when bands makes CDs with far too much stuff on them. My feeling is: if you don\u2019t have 75 minutes of great stuff to put on a disc then just put 55 minutes, or 45 minutes \u2013 you don\u2019t HAVE to fill up every second of the CD just for the sake of filling it up. Sometimes less is truly more and thank goodness Shineola stayed true to that maxim.
\n I thought the two covers they did were not too bad as far as covers go \u2013 they did a fast and furious version of \u201cStreet Fighting Man\u201d and the CD closes out with a rumblin\u2019 \u201cHighway Star\u201d. Now as far as their own stuff goes, I thought that \u201cBad Taste\u201d was a winner, it has a cool vibe to it, a catchy refrain and it sticks to your brain. http:\/\/www.hellamrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Over It<\/b> Silverstrand<\/i> (Virgin Records)
\n Emo: I\u2019m so Over It! How much more of the same old thing can people take? It seems like 90% of bands that form end up doing the same old thing that 100 other bands are playing because at the time that particular style\/fad is getting played all over modern-rock radio. \u201cOver It\u201d is an album by another bunch of emo-scenesters on a major label (Virgin\/EMI) \u2013 \u2018nuff said. Seriously, though, I need to hear another shallow, whiny, emo band like I need a hole in my head. These songs are all formulaic, unoriginal, uninspired and not at all good. There is not a shred of musicality in this album. It is a tired, trite marketing device, sold to kids like so much hair gel and none of it\u2019s ever been very good to begin with. OK, I\u2019ll say something nice: they can play their instruments well, they\u2019re not without talent, which is probably even worse, since they could be so much better, yet they chose to make money instead. If you want to read a review of these guys, go find write-ups for Jimmy Eat World, The Used, Good Charlotte and myriad icky bands like that. http:\/\/www.overit.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Triclops<\/b> Cafeteria Brutalia<\/i> (Sickroom Records)
\n Rock on! Triclops is the rock & roll-messiah (for 2007, at least). Hailing from the incomparable Bay Area, these guys really exude a certain je ne sais quois that comes from living in San Francisco. You seem to get this aura about yourself after being in San Francisco for enough time. You stop being all uptight and slowly, one by one, your hang-ups disappear. After you\u2019ve been in SF long enough too the asshole-ishness that you brought with you from the East Coast or the prudishness and right-wing tendencies that came with you like a stigmata or a yucky skin disease will melt away once you get imbued with the air that envelopes that very special place \u2013 the best city in the world.
\n \u201cCafeteria Brutalia\u201d is a hard-hitting thingamajig; something that goes round and round in your head, a swirling mania, a jangle of pleasure. The music has interesting time changes, unpredictable syncopation and hipster beats, which is what makes it so interesting to listen to. Unfortunately it\u2019s only an EP, with just four tracks on it. I wish there was twice as much music on here, but I suppose that makes these four songs that much more pleasing. The second cut, a love letter to the East Bay, \u201cJewel of Oakland\u201d is a schizophrenic m\u00e9lange that bounces all over the place, with no seemingly fixed time signature, the timing is all in the heads of the four beatniks who make up Triclops: Christian E. Beaulieu on guitar, Phil Becker on drums, Larry Boothroyd on bass and the interestingly named John Geek on \u201cvocals and noise\u201d. \u201cBug Bomb\u201d, though, is the definite jewel of this EP: it\u2019s an almost 11 minute-long freak-out that really awed me- it has a novel sound while at the same time evoking some wild experimental stuff I\u2019ve heard that goes back to the late 60s and 70s, a mixture of progressive, experimental, underground stuff along with punk rock, with grungy-punk sludge guitars, some low-fi sentiment but big sound, crunchy riffs and a growling that was kept at a slight understatement for that effect of tension just below the surface, about to explode.
\n This quick little tease was recorded at Lucky Cat studio in San Francisco which, like a lot of small but great little recording studios all over SF, offers individualistic little places to hone some really great independent music far away from the reach of sleazy, corporate goons.
\n The intensity of Triclops at times recalls the brashness and in-your-face-ness of Rage Against the Machine, but without their heavy-duty politics; they have a jazzy syncopation and in-and-out-of-time-changes going on, a la Minutemen, but with a harder edge to the music. Don\u2019t get me wrong, though; Triclops are their own band, not a bunch of copycats. I am damn glad I found this CD and I\u2019m going to keep my ear to the ground and hope that they\u2019ll play live around here soon. Check out their website, for more dish on these cats: http:\/\/www.triclopsband.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
The Powerplant<\/b> The Stars are Suns<\/i>
\n Some really interesting cats from Iowa recorded this CD all by their lonesome selves (with no label involvement) and, as usual, you never know what to expect; the independent world of music is a dangerous, mixed-up netherworld of high expectations and realism that hurts. Take The Powerplant: their latest DIY release, \u201cThe Stars are Suns\u201d is a strange CD \u2013 At first it sounded really cool; there was this Fripp-style guitar noodling, the music was really something on the first cut. But then they had to go and ruin it by adding some very obnoxious growling. The vocal person toned it down for a spell on \u201cPoor as Dirt\u201d and part of \u201cThe Price of Life is Death\u201d, but mostly, \u201cThe Stars are Suns\u201d is marred by a huge mistake- the vocals. I don\u2019t know what genius told them that it\u2019d sound cool to stick the microphone in the singer\u2019s mouth and scream or that it would add anything of value to the music, but whoever it was ought not be allowed back into a recording studio.
\n But listening farther I could tell that The Powerplant is a band that\u2019s still trying to find itself, to define their identity and settle into something- close, but not yet. The more I heard, the more I was validated in this thought. It reminds me of a group of headbangers who\u2019ve recently discovered King Crimson. Hopefully the Powerplant will grow a bit between now and the next CD they record and will decide to either get a real singer or else just play instrumental. The Powerplant don\u2019t have their own website, but you can reach them at MySpace, by going to http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/powerplantband – KM.<\/p>\n
Run Barbara Run:<\/b> And It\u2019s The End<\/i> (Zen Whisper Recordings)
\n What we have here is a cranked up mojo-hootenanny. Run Barbara Run is a lowdown combo of punksters; \u201cAnd It\u2019s The End\u201d is a beer-soaked holler-fest, a smattering of evil genius with chips and it is on the brand new, out-of-nowhere record label, \u201cZen Whisper\u201d.
\n \u201cBrains\u201d is a cult-classic-in-waiting, while \u201cMassacre\u201d is a desperate cry for help. This whole CD is a barn-burner, literally. Unfortunately, their spelling lacks a certain, uh\u2026correctness, as they misspelled HEIST in the title of the fifth cut, \u201cGreat American Hiest [sic] of 1995\u201d \u2013 oops! Well, hopefully this\u2019ll serve as notice that it is so; fix it, OK?
\n Bands like Civet, The Wastrels and the Screamin\u2019 Yee-haws are musical cohorts of RBR; if you\u2019ve ever dug the Zombie Lounge in El Cajon then you already know what I\u2019m talking about. Well, now you can go out and get this album to add to your already overburdened CD collection. There are some badass, meaty hooks and bellicose beats to thrash the hell out of your speakers. It\u2019s got a super-cool vibe all the way through, no letting up; no pussy ballads and no power-poppin\u2019 emo crap either, just straight-up brass knuckled rock & roll. Another good thing about \u201cAnd It\u2019s the End\u201d is that, before you know it \u2013 it is the \u201cend\u201d \u2013 i.e., it isn\u2019t too long. It\u2019s just a little over 35 minutes; 10 songs squeezed into 9 tracks: #9 ends after 3.5 minutes, dead air for about 30 seconds and then a \u201csecret\u201d song pops up, a nice little acoustic ditty, just the guitar and singer. I think it\u2019s called \u201c(I Will) Never Be Free\u201d or something like that, one can only guess because it\u2019s a secret song.
\n So don\u2019t hate RBR just because they\u2019re from Lemon Grove, dude, we love the LG http:\/\/www.zenwhisper.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Wensday<\/b> The Other Girl Next Door<\/i>(Desert Dreams Records)
\n Polished and super-slick songstress, Wensday is making some wild and crazy dreams come true for herself; but remember the old maxim: careful, you might just get what you wish for!
\n On \u201cThe Other Girl Next Door\u201d (produced by session man extraordinaire, Dick Wagner), Miss Wensday has put forth much effort in expressing her sweet self with some powerful lungs that showcase quite a voice, a wide-ranging, versatile voice with much depth to it. I can just picture her singing in some beautiful, intimate venue someplace in L.A., crooning to an appreciative audience.
\n The music is soft, sensual crooning; easy listening, jazzy cocktail music, with a cool, carefree elegance that looks easy, but belies a hard-working honing of the craft. Wensday has a really good voice-did I mention that? I mean, she could be singing in the theater or something, she has a powerful, projective kind of voice, maybe not quite an opera diva, no, she\u2019s more of a sultry crooner that can really soothe one\u2019s mind and clear it out of messy thoughts and stuff. \u201cBulldog Blues\u201d, \u201cThe End of the Highway\u201d and the opener, \u201cArizona Man\u201d are all examples of the depth and clarity of Wensday\u2019s voice and she even does a cover of Alice Cooper\u2019s \u201cOnly Women Bleed\u201d. This could be a CD from which you may hear stuff on your local smooth jazz radio station in a not-too-distant future. Go to these websites, for more info: http:\/\/www.wensdaymusic.com http:\/\/www.desertdreamsllc.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
neonthief<\/b> Stranded Strangers EP<\/i> (Loud and Clear Records)
\n The things that one comes across\u2026I\u2019ll tell ya: sometimes I get some really awful crap, other times I get some unbelievable stuff \u2013 way-out-there music that is a joy to discover. Neonthief falls into the latter category: they are some unique individuals who actually put some effort and care into their music. \u201cStranded Strangers\u201d is an EP that made me hungry for more. I was lulled into a quiet frame of mind by listening to neonthief\u2019s graceful, tuneful and almost folksy music. I wouldn\u2019t call it folk, though, it\u2019s just that they have this quiet, acoustic way about them, their music has more of a modern-rock sensibility to it, if you know what I mean, but it\u2019s NOT emo. \u201cStranded Strangers EP\u201d has poetically written lyrics, jingle-jangle pop hooks and an attitude of sentimental antisentimentality. I wish it were longer, though. This should be a full-length CD, not just a little tease of a thing. I hope that Neonthief gets back in the studio soon, while this ability to create nifty music is still in them; people sometimes change over a period of time and so the person who makes their fifth album at age 35 is much different than the one who put out a debut at 23.
\n The opening song, \u201cRicochet\u201d pulled me in, grabbed me and with its beautifully layered beauty it hypnotized me into sitting still for the rest of the EP. http:\/\/www.merchlackey.com\/loudandclear\/<\/p>\n
Boney James<\/b> Shine<\/i> (Concord Records)
\n Mr. Smooth-jazz, Boney James, is back with \u201cShine\u201d, another in a long line of CDs that all have that soft & snuggly feel of velvet molasses. I think that GRP was the record label that perpetrated this kind of stuff on the public, back in the 80s or something like that, during the rise of the leaders of the cadre of smooth jazz: Kenny G, Lee Ritenour and Dave Koz – yow!
\n \u201cShine\u201d has its moments, though; I mean, it\u2019s not a sadomasochistic experience, Boney James blows some melodious riffs, creating art painted with colorful notes. \u201cShine\u201d is a suave musical undercurrent to augment a romantic evening or just a good ambience to which one can read or meditate or think about sex. http:\/\/www.concordrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
The Ghouls<\/b> Stand Alone<\/i> (SOS Records)
\n It\u2019s nice to see that hard-core punk is still alive and kicking. What sucks is that if one only listened to commercial rock radio to get one\u2019s tastes, which is kind of pathetic to begin with, one would think that the punk genre consisted of Green Day or The Used or one of those funny-hair emo bands, or power-pop trios.
\n The Ghouls have been hard at work, lately, honing their sounds, writing songs and fixing their Mohawks. On \u201cStand Alone\u201d there is a real thing that is evoked \u2013 I forgot what it was but it was really super-deep. Solid punk grooves throughout \u201cStand Alone\u201d. Sounding a little like Rancid would if Rancid weren\u2019t so pop, the Ghouls aren\u2019t as hardcore as MDC or CRASS but they exude a fast-and-loose ebullience, tempered by cheap beer and homegrown weed. I don\u2019t hear a lot of pent-up anger here, or any political rants or nihilistic screeds, there are just a bunch of fast-paced punk anthems sliced through with a razor-sharp guitar, not just sludgy barre-chords, but an actual talented guitarist, what a novelty. I\u2019ll take this over anything played on the radio today, except KXLU, 89.3 Los Angeles or KUSF, 90.3, San Francisco \u2013 2 awesome college radio stations. To get an eyeful of SOS Records, click on this website: http:\/\/www.sosrecords.us \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Lee Ritenour<\/b> Smoke \u2018n\u2019 Mirrors<\/i> (Peak Records)
\n Another smooth-jazz-man, Lee Ritenour has put out, like, 10,000 CDs, I think. I see this guy have new releases like every other week or something; it\u2019s amazing how much stuff this guy does. He must live in a studio or have a studio where he lives.
\n \u201cSmoke \u2018n\u2019 Mirrors\u201d is the latest \u2013 the 10,001st release from this milquetoast jazzbo; it\u2019s got some easy listening delights for you office workers and old folks. There are some highlights here, though, which include a version of a Freddie Hubbard song called \u201cPovo\u201d, which really grooves; another one is an old Bill Withers song called \u201cLovely Day\u201d, changed over into an instrumental interpretation, winding along in a colorful way. Also nice is Lee\u2019s own \u201cCapetown\u201d, a silky paean to that sunny place way, way down south (Africa, that is). \u201cSmoke \u2018n\u2019 Mirrors\u201d will never offend, never grate on you; it\u2019s a happy, unobtrusive soundscape that never wears out its welcome, so have it over and let it entertain you. http:\/\/www.leeritenour.com, http:\/\/www.peakrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Fred Martin & the Levite Camp<\/b> Some Bridges<\/i> (Concord Records)
\n I haven\u2019t heard or seen much of Jackson Browne lately; I think he was on tour a couple years ago, wasn\u2019t he? Like maybe out on tour with some other holdover from the 1970s era. Well, anyway, you can put all your worst fears to rest: old Jackie\u2019s doing just fine; no he hasn\u2019t been killed in revenge by a battered ex-girlfriend or blown up or asphyxiated in his 1967 Malibu. In fact, Browne\u2019s turned up on this new album by Fred Martin and the Levite Camp \u2013 a mellow, jazzy sunburst of pure cool energy, called \u201cSome Bridges\u201d; Jacksy\u2019s the co-producer, along with Martin. Browne also shows up on a few tracks too singing a duet or with Fred or at the least backup vocals or whatnot.
\n There is just cut after cut of fine musicianship here, a bevy of belle \u00e9poques that have a sheer-pleasure factor of about 8 _. The first song on the album features Jackson Browne on vocals, which is fitting, since it is one of his songs that is being covered here: \u201cWorld in Motion\u201d \u2013 the title track from his nineteen-ninety-something album, but the song is actually a mini-medley, that goes into a song called \u201cYes We Can\u201d; Jackson shows up on a few other tracks as well. Another of Browne\u2019s songs is covered on this CD: \u201cLives in the Balance\u201d, but not sung by Jackie-baby; this version is a soul-sparking, passionate intonation, with backing from Ozomatli and with lead vocals by four golden-voiced women, Nykol Burns, Chavonne Morris, Asdru Sierra and Alethea Mills. Two other fabulous cuts are \u201cThe Next Voice You Hear\u201d and \u201cAbout My Imagination\u201d. Also on \u201cSome Bridges\u201d is a lush, blissed-out cover of \u201cCrossroads\u201d that (on the same track) goes into an old gospel song, \u201cUntil I Found the Lord\u201d.
\n \u201cSome Bridges\u201d is on Concord Records, home of smooth jazz artists, for the most part. Fred Martin & the Levite Camp would probably not be out of place on your city\u2019s local smooth jazz radio station, but it the album has more soul than most of the stuff you\u2019d hear on a station like that. These guys can go from a smokin\u2019 bluesy jam to a jaunty, heartfelt ballad to a noodling quiet storm that gets you lost in a blue note http:\/\/www.urbanentertainmentinstitute.org or http:\/\/www.concordmusicgroup.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Mellowdrone<\/b> Box<\/i> (Columbia Records)
\n When I was in first and second grades my best friend in and out of school was a kid named Jonathan Bates, his dad was a part-time actor named Allen Bates \u2013 not the more famous English actor, Alan Bates \u2013 and the last time I saw him his family had just moved from the sprawling lush suburbs to the inner city, but a nice part of the city, in a nice big old house. Last I heard of Jon Bates he had a mental breakdown in seventh grade and was put in a psychiatric hospital for a spell. That is the last I ever heard of him.
\n When I was listening to this new CD by an outfit called Mellowdrone, \u201cBox\u201d, I opened up the CD booklet and read the liner notes and lyrics and that\u2019s when I learned that Mellowdrone consists of one sole person \u2013 a guy called Jonathan Bates. I couldn\u2019t help wondering if this is the same Jonathan Bates that I knew from way back when. It\u2019s a small world, after all. So, anyway, Bates wrote all the songs, plays almost all the instruments and sings and produced and engineered \u201cBox\u201d. Mellowdrone is a highly crafted and perfected effort, one that would come off quite differently live on stage, I mean, it could be done, though, but I think there\u2019d be a different vibe to a live show than the polished studio crafts \u2013 not better or worse but a different mode of expression.
\n Anyway, I liked \u201cBox\u201d \u2013 it\u2019s sardonic, it\u2019s cool, it has a stark lushness and an icy coating of glass. The singing has a sugary plaintiveness; it\u2019s a crisp off-set to the quiet ambience of the music.
\n \u201cBox\u201d is on Columbia Records, so naturally they\u2019re going to push this thing to get it played on modern rock radio or sell CDs, et cetera and so they have a single they\u2019re trying to spring on the masses. If you must know, it\u2019s track #2, \u201cOh My\u201d, as if people need to be directed, told what song(s) to like the most: \u201cAchtung! Zees is vot you veel lee-sen to!\u201d a nice little thing, but not necessarily the best song on the record; singles rarely are the best song on a given CD. The album fades out to the horizon with \u201cLimb to Limb\u201d a hypnotic lullaby that takes you out of the album\u2019s realm with a gentle descent, down from outer space, safely back to the mundane. http:\/\/www.columbiarecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Bridge to Terabithia Movie Soundtrack<\/i> <\/b>(Hollywood Records)
\n If you saw this sappy movie version of an almost unreadable book for teenage girls that I was forced at gunpoint to read in elementary school, you no doubt heard all these sappy songs except for the two that are on here that were not featured in the film. Wow. I haven\u2019t heard of one single \u201cartist\u201d \u2013 singer, more accurately, featured on this soundtrack: there are people on here with names like Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Camp, Aaron Zigman and someone with the unbelievably pretentious name, Annasophia Robb. Ugh, I\u2019d rather not have anything to do with the movie, the book or this soundtrack – http:\/\/www.hollywoodrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Rum & Rebellion<\/b><\/i>
\n Rum & Rebellion are an inspiring trio from Salinas, CA, where the lettuce in your salad came from. They play an invigorating brand of punk-rock; not a thrashing, hard-core, in-your-face punk-rock, but more of a laid-back, Minutemen style of punk \u2013 a working-class band that is bringing their brand of politics to the stage, something that has all but disappeared in this age of permanent \u201cwar\u201d and the slipping away of liberties in the name of \u201csecurity, wherein you inevitably lose both. R & R aren\u2019t an anti-war band, though, they\u2019re more about a general lefty sensibility and being based in the Salinas area, they\u2019re obviously very conscious about the plight of migrant workers and the labor movement \u2013 or the lack of a serious labor movement anymore in certain sectors of the economy.
\n It seems that since about the early 1980s or so there has been a dearth of political messages in both punk and \u201calternative\u201d rock, instead the main message underpinning modern rock \u2013 especially American indie alt-rock, punk, DIY stuff was a silly kind of solipsism that was all about \u201cMe! Me! Me!\u201d There was perpetrated a faux-angst and bogus melancholia that very quickly became contrived and hollow. Teen-angst was magnified into a shallow existential drama that played out in the time it took to listen to a CD. For me, one of the most egregious examples of this was the release in 1996 of \u201cMellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness\u201d, Smashing Pumpkins\u2019 third release and the follow-up to the incredible \u201cSiamese Dream\u201d, which they were, in the end, obviously unable to match ever again and so broke up. \u201cMellon Collie\u201d is an almost unlistenable double-CD; they used every available second to fill it up with a lot of insufferably boorish navel-gazing, whiny little crying games by Billy Corgan. It was like he was trying to purge his soul of the anguish of 50 neurotics.
\n Anyway, back to Rum and Rebellion \u2013 this is a tight, concise, smart album full of intelligent songs about life in the good ol\u2019 US of A in the 21st century and it has a sharp eye and brings off some rippin\u2019 good tunes as well, not unlike the style of the Minutemen, the San Pedro blue-collar punk band that was tragically cut short by the untimely death from a motorcycle crash of D. Boon, the charismatically uncharismatic front man\/guitar player. Some highlights of the album include \u201cHow Will You Choose?\u201d \u201cByline (Song for Gary)\u201d and \u201cRight to Revolution\u201d. There are more good tunes on here, but you\u2019ll just have to go and buy the CD to hear them all. It is a total DIY effort \u2013 no label involvement here \u2013 who needs \u2018em, right? So, if you want to find out how to get their albums or learn more about them, check out: http:\/\/www.rumandrebellion.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Eight Cubed<\/b> Simple Dance<\/i>
\n This mesmerizing electronica disc, entitled \u201cSimple Dance\u201d is the product of the mind of one man, R. Esposito, from Toronto, Canada. Mr. Esposito goes by the moniker \u2018Eight Cubed\u2019.
\n I was pleasantly surprised when I played \u201cSimple Dance\u201d, an independently produced, DIY disc; for some reason, I kind of expected it to be a more saccharine, vapid dance music showcase, you know, that sugary \u201cPump Up the Jam\u201d-type of plastic bubble-gum pop music set to a dance beat or an R & B blackdrop with hip-hop beats, what you might hear at a cheesy nightclub downtown on a Friday night. Fortunately, Eight Cubed is groovy instrumental electronica hypnotism, a bit darker, with more of an underground techno-style. There are 9 tracks that segue into one another and keep the listener spellbound. I was hooked from the first listen. The music has an icy starkness to it with austerity layered over with waves of synthesizer that create lift and sparks of life for the record. I wouldn\u2019t say it all sounds alike, but at first, until you get familiar with it, the songs do lack a kind of solid form, but that vague mystery is what the listener keeps coming back for again and again – drawn into the unknown. http:\/\/www.eightcubed.ca \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Davison\/Coleman<\/b> Forward Motion<\/i> (DHW Records)
\n If you\u2019re into folksy\/new-age-y\/introverted kind of music, this one\u2019s for you. Cole Coleman and Lynn Davison, a couple of odd-bodkins, put their heads together and whipped up some exotic, medieval-tinged ditties. Let me put it this way: the cover they do of Cat Stevens\u2019s \u201cMoonshadow\u201d is not at all out of place on this CD. The music is fancy, intricate and mellow as hell \u2013 but it\u2019s all done with such aplomb \u2013 these two are not talentless hacks. Cole Coleman is into playing these archaic, hard-to-find string instruments and on \u201cForward Motion\u201d Coleman plays a lute-like wooden string instrument called a \u2018laud\u2019; he also plays the regular, garden-variety guitar and keyboards and sings. I know that laud sounds like a mandolin, but it\u2019s not. Lynn Davison is a great complement to Coleman. She sings and plays keyboards as well, being the vocalist on the majority of the songs. Their tranquil musings are a sleepy diversion from the mad rush of industry outside. Picture the two of them strumming away on a little stage in a claustrophobic coffeehouse in downtown, Hip City, USA. http:\/\/www.davisoncoleman.com \u2013 KM._<\/p>\n
Sony Holland<\/b> Out of This World<\/i> (Van Ness Records)
\n Whoa, where\u2019d you come from? Jazzy chanteuse, Sony Holland is just the sort of balm that will soothe your aching head or melt your troubles away, after a long, stressful day.
\n On \u201cOut of This World\u201d, Ms. Holland performs 13 jazz standards with a silky, caramel voice; songs like \u201cOld Devil Moon\u201d, \u201cCome Fly With Me\u201d, \u201cI\u2019ve Got You Under My Skin\u201d and \u201cIn a Sentimental Mood\u201d, just to name the better-known numbers. The songs all clock in at an average of about four minutes, nothing too long but not so short as to be just a tease, but hell, you\u2019ll still be wishing for more by the time it ends.
\n Not only is Sony a dazzling songstress, but the band backing her up is phenomenal, featuring the likes of Charles McNeal, Jim Nichols and John R. Burr, among others. The jazz is a smokin\u2019 bop from days gone by, no pretentious noodling or over-synth\u2019ed studio-killing production, they were just left alone to be heavenly \u2013 for more about Ms. Sony Holland, check this out: http:\/\/www.sonyholland.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Buckingham<\/b> Under the Skin<\/i> (Reprise Records)
\n Well, look who\u2019s back; the old L.A. wunderkind who, with his ex-girlfriend, Glenda the Good Witch, took over Fleetwood Mac in the 70s after they had already begun a shift from a hard-core English blues band into a lazy, So-Cal pop band after LSD-addled Peter Green went off and joined the Children of God (now known as \u201cthe Family\u201d), soon to be followed by co-guitarist Jeremy Spencer. The L.A. incarnation of Fleetwood Mac was only good for the time when ex-Paris vocalist Bob Welch was in the band starting in 1973, e.g., on albums like \u201cBare Trees,\u201d \u201cHeroes Are Hard To Find\u201d and \u201cMystery To Me\u201d, which has on it one of the coolest songs ever: \u201cHypnotized\u201d. But Bob had better things to do and by 1975 Fleetwood Mac was the backup band for a So-Cal duo called Buckingham\/Nicks.
\n Anyway, life goes on; nothing ever stands still, not for aging pop stars or anyone else. \u201cUnder the Skin\u201d is the first solo album that Mr. Buckingham has put out in some time. I think there was an effort about four or five years ago, if I\u2019m not mistaken, but it didn\u2019t really take off. To tell you the truth, though, I don\u2019t think Lindsey-baby really gives a good goddamn if it takes off or not. He just wants to make music and get back to what really matters after all the craziness, the booze, the coke, the chicks, the dudes and the \u2018ludes. Nowadays, Lindsey just wants to keep his mind busy and not let it atrophy and go to waste, so he gets cleaned up, talks to the label and works this thing out to whip up some bitchin\u2019 tunes, such as \u201cNot Too Late\u201d, \u201cShut U Down\u201d as well as the title track. As soon as the insurance folks OK\u2019d everything, the deal was set and the next thing you know, the L-dude is shaved, showered and ready to go to work. For you freaky celebrity geeks, information hounds and bored people, the websites are: http:\/\/www.lindseybuckingham.com or http:\/\/www.repriserecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Aaron Trumm<\/b> Bleed<\/i> (NQuit Records)
\n A CD called \u201cBleed\u201d \u2013 surprise! Aaron Trumm is a rocking guy. He plays most of the instruments himself, with some help from his homies on a few tracks. The thing is sort of schizophrenic \u2013 it rocks, hard style, in places and then it dives into a mellow chill-out thing here and there, but on the whole it\u2019s rather groovy. All through \u201cBleed\u201d, one thing is consistent: Trumm has a knack for crafty lyrics; clever turns of phrase and a vividness of description. My favorite two songs on here are \u201cWar\u201d, an anti-war rant and also \u201c10,000 Mirrors\u201d, a rockin\u2019 little number. All in all \u201cBleed\u201d is an entertaining, rockin\u2019 CD; so I guess that\u2019s about it, then \u2013 check please\u2026 http:\/\/www.nquit.com\/aarontrumm \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Joanne Olivieri<\/b> Serenity<\/i> (Shadows Ink Publishing)
\n I\u2019m not usually into reviewing poetry books, but somehow this one was sneaked into a pile of CDs and, well, here we are. Joanne Olivieri is a San Francisco-based poet and writer; she slipped her slim volume of poems in with her girlfriend\u2019s CD \u2013 Sony Holland, the blue-noted ing\u00e9nue. \u201cSerenity\u201d is chock full of short, introspective little verses that tell of a whimsical life, one filled with ups and mediums. The meters are not too complex, the verses don\u2019t get over-syllabified which makes for a clearer picture and a smoother reading experience. Hey-ho\/Let\u2019s Go! If you like poetry then by all means go out and find this book. I\u2019m sure you can locate it if you go to the website of the publisher, http:\/\/www.shadowpoetry.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MUSIC REVIEWS by Kent Manthie Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (Polyvinyl Records) I\u2019ve been waiting for Kevin Barnes to come out with a new Of Montreal CD for some time now, ever since I reviewed his previous opus, \u201cSatanic Panic in the Attic\u201d in 2005. Well, it was worth the wait and then some. \u201cHissing Fauna, Are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":364,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/09\/13\/of-montreals-hissing-fauna-are-you-the-destroyer-cd-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":302,"position":0},"title":"Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? CD review","author":"admin","date":"September 13, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? review by Collin Wicker Hissing Fauna is a masterpiece, a sparkling gem of the indie world, spawned from holy ground, Athens, GA. Truthfully, I\u2019ve never heard another album like it, part Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Heart\u2019s Club Band, part Bowie, with dance undertones\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":9802,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2013\/11\/25\/magic-carpet-circus\/","url_meta":{"origin":302,"position":1},"title":"Music Review: Magic Carpet Circus","author":"Kent","date":"November 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"[New Music]Of Montreal: Lousy With SylvanbriarFrom Polyvinyl Records, 2013Review by Kent Manthie Kevin Barnes's traveling circus, aka Of Montreal are back. This time with new, mellow toxic gold (my italics) encased in the new CD, Lousy With Sylvanbriar. The tunes are smooth, groovy, laid back, a slight change from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lousy with Sylvanbriar Cover - of Montreal","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Lousy-with-Sylvanbriar-Cover-of-Montreal-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2669,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/08\/08\/brand-new-of-montreal-cd-just-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":302,"position":2},"title":"Brand New of Montreal CD – just out!!!","author":"Kent","date":"August 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Of Montreal False Priest Polyvinyl Records, 2010 Reviewed by Kent Manthie What\u2019s in a name? Plenty, if you\u2019re Kevin Barnes. False Priest is his tenth blissful CD, released under the moniker of Montreal. Unfortunately, I was a Johnny-Come-Lately when it came to discovering this project, but then again, they hardly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/False-Priest-Pic.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6098,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2012\/01\/19\/of-montreal-is-back\/","url_meta":{"origin":302,"position":3},"title":"Get Ready for a Sex-Up!","author":"Kent","date":"January 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"[New Music]of Montreal Paralytic StalksPolyvinyl Records, 2012 Reviewed by Kent Manthie Tweet With the brand new year upon us, 2012 is sure to bring some surprises. So far, the most intriguing one has been the new CD from of Montreal's, Paralytic Stalks, a righteous return to the heady days of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Paralytic-Stalks-CD-cover-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4715,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2011\/05\/15\/three-new-iconoclasts-from-polyvinyl\/","url_meta":{"origin":302,"position":4},"title":"Three new iconoclasts from Polyvinyl","author":"Kent","date":"May 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"of Montreal thecontrollersphere Polyvinyl Records, 2011 www.polyvinylrecords.com Review by Kent Manthie After 10 great CDs by this genre-bending, androgynous outfit led by maestro Kevin Barnes, of Montreal has just released a little EP - thecontrollersphere, a five song experience that is typical of the gender-bending, hyper-sexual, disco-on-acid style wiggles that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/thecontrollersphere.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":142,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/09\/11\/cd-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":302,"position":5},"title":"CD reviews","author":"admin","date":"September 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"new CD reviews by Kent Manthie UBZORB (s\/t) (Cordhead Recordings) One cool tune on this record is track 5: \u201cSize Mick\u201d, the chorus: \u201cSeismic waves and Cosmic Rays\/destroy the maze\u2026\u201d Cool, huh, so California. Apocalyptic visions of a California bursting at the seams, earthquakes, fire, death, destruction \u2013 constant reference\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\/302","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=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}