http:\/\/www.reviewermagazine.com\/music-reviews-11-1-08.html[New Music]<\/p>\n
Connor Desai<\/b><\/i>
\nConnor Desai’s self-titled 6-track EP is an impressive debut. Seattle’s Desai makes dreamily soulful jazz\/pop, reminiscent of Norah Jones or Feist. Her voice is sultry, her lyrics alluring and poetic, backed by playful percussion and subtly funky bass grooves (courtesy of bassist Alex Trzyna and drummer Mike O’Doherty.) The second track,\u201cDo I,\u201d is sexy and jazzy. “Wake Up” adds some understated organ to the mix, with lyrics that sweetly capture the excitement and shyness of a new relationship, while “Will You Love” is radio friendly pop, plain and simple. The standouts though are \u201cAt All,\u201d a gorgeous ballad, and \u201cDeviance\u201d which beautifully closes the album with a cool jazzy beat and Desai’s smoky voice channeling Feist. According to her myspace page, as of September Desai and her bandmates will be recording under the name Secret Stairs. \u201cSame band, different name,\u201d the page assures. They are currently in the studio working on their second album.
\nhttp:\/\/www.myspace.com\/connordesai
\nwww.myspace.com\/secretstairs”
\nsonicbids.com\/connordesai<\/p>\n
Happy Ron <\/b>
\nTerribly Happy<\/i>
\nSan Diego native \u201cHappy Ron\u201d Hill says that one of his goals in life is to appear as himself on South Park<\/i>. In listening to his album, Terribly Happy<\/i>, the influence is obvious. If you like the gleefully juvenile humor of South Park<\/i> and Family Guy<\/i>, you might find a laugh or two on Happy Ron’s album. His lyrics are simplistic, repetitive, and at times borderline misogynistic, tracks like \u201cAll She Needs is a Spanking,\u201d \u201cSick of Her Shit\u201d (\u201cdedicated to the strippers of the world\u201d), \u201cDickless Wonder\u201d and \u201cNo Tantric Woman Blues.\u201d The sentiments on \u201cBoy Toy,\u201d about fighting off groupies, sound more like wishful thinking on Happy Ron’s part, while the title track \u201cTerribly Happy\u201d is anything but. The best tracks on the album may well be \u201cNo Angel\u201d (one of the two \u201cserious\u201d songs) which at least had an interesting intro, or \u201cMean Therapist Blues\u201d which did make effective use of a horn section.
\nhttp:\/\/www.myspace.com\/happyron<\/p>\n
Horace Alexander Young <\/b>
\nAcoustic Contemporary Jazz<\/i>
\nIf you like smooth jazz, you might like Horace Alexander Young’s album Acoustic Contemporary Jazz<\/i>. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who likes smooth jazz so this is an unverified hypothesis. The album opens with a version of Luther Vandross’ \u201cDance With My Father Again.\u201d Young removes almost all the lyrics, repeating only the title phrase, and worst of all, adds a children’s chorus. Now, when it comes to rock, a children’s chorus can be a fantastic addition to a song (i.e. Pink Floyd’s \u201cThe Wall\u201d and The Rolling Stones’ \u201cCan’t Always Get What You Want\u201d to name two obvious ones) but with a genre like easy listening\/smooth jazz, a children’s chorus is unequivocally lame, especially on a song as obvious as \u201cDance with My Father.\u201d The addition of the children’s voices at the end saying \u201cI love you Daddy\u201d made it completely saccharine and over the top. The next track, \u201cHeart’s Desire\u201d is an original with vocals by Johnny Kemp. With lines like \u201cI hunger for your tender touch in a very special way…\u201d it is unintentionally hilarious. I played it twice. Other standouts include \u201cChicken ‘n Waffles\u201d which is actually cool, in a retro ’70s disco\/jazz kind of way. Another original, it shows that Young should stick to writing music, not lyrics. Likewise, \u201cLet’s Lounge\u201d includes an R&B chorus and a rap chant of \u201clet’s lounge\u201d that, while not terribly clever is at least catchy. The arrangement of the Irish traditional ballad \u201cDanny Boy\u201d was interesting, if only because one doesn’t often hear a saxophone and a set of bagpipes in the same song. All in all, Acoustic Contemporary Jazz<\/i> would be quite at home in an elevator or a dentist’s waiting room.
\nhttp:\/\/www.myspace.com\/horacealexanderyoung
\nhttp:\/\/horacealexanderyoung.com<\/p>\n
Sublimatus <\/b>
\nSchool of Sorcery<\/i>
\nSublimatus crashed my computer 4 times. No review for them.
\nhttp:\/\/www.myspace.com\/sublimatus777
\nhttp:\/\/www.sublimatus777.com
\nhttp:\/\/www.cyberset.cc\/<\/p>\n
The Vigilante Punks <\/b>
\nDemons From Mars<\/i>
\nConsidering the Vigilante Punks are two kids from Missouri, Demons From Mars<\/i> is a decent attempt. The music consists of only a guitar and drums. Lyrically, the songs are nearly as basic. They are clearly aiming for political relevency, however they suffer somewhat due to a limited, obviously high school understanding. The tracks alternate between pseudo-political themes and the stereotypical laments of the high school punk, i.e. pop music and the preppies that love it. There are some vaguely anarchist sentiments, lines like \u201cI want a revolution\/I wanna smash the state\u201d (\u201cSmash the State\u201d) and attempts at political commentary: \u201cSaving the world by killing’s my game\/you’re a terrorist if you think that’s lame… Ain’t it freaking evident\/that I’m an awesome president\u201d (\u201cI’m the President\u201d). \u201cAttack of the Preppies\u201d is unintentionally funny in its hatred for the American Eagle Outfitters set, with lines like \u201cCannot let the preppies know\/there’s a sale at the mall today\/attack of the preppies!\u201d \u201cADD\u201d comments on the over-medication of the current generation, while \u201cStop the Pop\u201d says exactly that and not much more: \u201cStop the pop\/We don’t want your poser rock.\u201d Perhaps the biggest tip-off to the freshfaced youthfulness of The Vigilante Punks is \u201cBFG,\u201d an ode to a video game weapon. \u201cYou’re my virtual pal\/all the zombies run from my big effin’ gun\/my big effin’ gun.\u201d Come on guys, you’re a punk band. Drop the F-Bomb. I promise I won’t tell your moms.
\nhttp:\/\/www.myspace.com\/thevigilantespunk
\nhttp:\/\/thevigilantepunks.com\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
http:\/\/www.reviewermagazine.com\/music-reviews-11-1-08.html[New Music] CD Reviews by Ashley MacQuarry Connor Desai Connor Desai’s self-titled 6-track EP is an impressive debut. Seattle’s Desai makes dreamily soulful jazz\/pop, reminiscent of Norah Jones or Feist. Her voice is sultry, her lyrics alluring and poetic, backed by playful percussion and subtly funky bass grooves (courtesy of bassist Alex Trzyna and drummer Mike O’Doherty.) The second track,\u201cDo […]<\/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":[334],"class_list":["post-535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-new-music-reviews-by-ashley-macquarry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3556,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2011\/01\/06\/music-review-let-it-all-go-from-christine-ashley\/","url_meta":{"origin":535,"position":0},"title":"music review: Let It All Go, from Christine Ashley","author":"admin","date":"January 6, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Christina Ashley, Let It All GoCD review by My NguyenIs less usually more? In the case of Christina Ashley\u2019s album Let It All Go which will be released this February, her delicate and sweet vocals show resilience through a tough time in her life. As if it isn\u2019t though enough\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/c.ashley.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":487,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2008\/06\/21\/new-music-cd-reviews-by-matthew-powers-6-08\/","url_meta":{"origin":535,"position":1},"title":"New Music CD reviews By Matthew Powers 6-08","author":"admin","date":"June 21, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"New Music CD reviewsBy Matthew Powers ::: Bayadera Rotation of the Earth An unironic cover of the most overtly commercial song pop song in history (Wham!\u2019s \u201cCareless Whisper\u201d) says it all: Bayadera want to make it, and make it big. Their template has potential. Gina Bandy\u2019s vocals are smooth as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":469,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2008\/04\/22\/new-music-reviews-by-andrew-napoli\/","url_meta":{"origin":535,"position":2},"title":"New Music Reviews, by Andrew Napoli","author":"admin","date":"April 22, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"http:\/\/reviewermagazine.com\/rvur38music-andrew-napoli-4-23.htmlNew MusicCD Reviews By Andrew NapoliCeleste Lear Looking Up from Under Water Celeste is the granddaughter of the man who invented the 8-track. She continues in this solitary tradition by handling nearly everything herself: producing, programming, playing guitar and singing. She puts her degree in sound engineering to work on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":267,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/03\/22\/music-reviews-podunk-nowhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":535,"position":3},"title":"Music Reviews – Podunk Nowhere","author":"admin","date":"March 22, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Music reviews, by the totally awesome Reviewer Rob, [he's amazing] more will be up in an hour... Podunk Nowhere Sultry vocals here by Heather Janiga are supported by the plunky, sometimes jazzy guitar of her husband Johnny. There\u2019s some rock and jam band influences of course but it\u2019s mostly y\u2019alt-rock,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3458,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/12\/19\/ad-new-cd-from-christina-ashley\/","url_meta":{"origin":535,"position":4},"title":"[ad] New CD from Christina Ashley","author":"admin","date":"December 19, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"New Music from Christina Ashley.Find her on Facebook. christinaashleymusic.com sketchinrecords.com","rel":"","context":"In "advertising"","block_context":{"text":"advertising","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/advertising\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":546,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2008\/11\/14\/new-music-reviews-by-kim-acrylic\/","url_meta":{"origin":535,"position":5},"title":"New Music Reviews by Kim Acrylic","author":"admin","date":"November 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"New Music ReviewsCDs reviewed by Kim Acrylic::: Heavy Water Experiments [Self Titled] Indie,psychedelic and shoegaze all wrapped in this beautiful CD. each track gets better and better till it's filled with noise orgasms. The first track \"Goldenthroat\" is pure,original and catchy,then the next track Mirror The Sky\" becomes so intense\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}