WFHB FireHouse Broadcasting

Hey y'all. I'm still getting up to speed but I wanted to throw out a bunch of CD reviews of things that have gone into our DJ studio Addpool in the last month ago. So much great music out now - dig in! More reviews will be posted next week! ~Jim Manion, WFHB Music Programming Director

DATE: 4.28.08
ARTIST: Stanton Moore Trio
TITLE: Emphasis on Parenthesis         (Concord)
GENRE: LOUISIANA/INSTRUMENTAL
GRADE: A++
REVIEW: When New Orleans native son Stanton Moore settles down behind his
drum kit, what's sure to follow is enough electrifying energy and raw
power to rebuild The Crescent City all by its own bad self. Moore's
rocking and rolling drums are pushed upfront in the mix, but they don't
drown out Will Bernard's guitar and Robert Walter's keyboards. This trio
is very much a democracy and there's plenty of room for each musician to
go off on his own, while still staying within the framework of the band.
Nothing here is meant to be taken too seriously, as Emphasis! (On
Parenthesis) is all about the grooving and jamming. The real difference
between (Put On Your) Big People Shoes and Proper (Gander) may be nothing
more than how much longer or shorter one song is, compared to the other.
Walter's deliciously bent toy piano on the loopy Wissions (of Vu) and
Moore's funky timekeeping sound as thought they were written for an
over-the-top Quentin Tarantino flick. (Sifting Through the) African
Diaspora features a reverberating bass line that will have you searching
the liner notes for the musician, but it's only Walter working the bass
pedals on the Hammond B3 to perfection. (Who Ate the) Layer Cake? is
straight-up, Jeff Beck-ish dirty rock n' roll complete with guitar riffs
and thundering drum rolls. Proper (Gander) allows Bernard to go off on
some high-flying solos as Moore anchors it all, bashing the hell out of
his drums. All that's missing is a shaggy, long-haired blond lead singer
(which isn't all bad). Moore can change up from funk to rock and back to
jazz seamlessly, and seems equally at home with any genre he chooses.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11
REVIEWER: allaboutjazz

DATE: 4.14.08
ARTIST: Tristan Prettyman      (Virgin)
TITLE: Hello X
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Tristan Prettyman's follow-up to twentythree finds her book of
life open and the stories put to song with natural ease. Tracking through Hello is
the experience of listening to someone wising up while growing up,
particularly in the realm of relationships. A twenty-five year old
musical sponge who soaked up her parents' record collection while hanging
near the San Diego coast, Prettyman's folky guitar and doleful yet
hopeful singing reflect her influences without aping them. Shades of Ani
DiFranco, Joni Mitchell and Beth Orton accent the set, but Prettyman's
organic and mostly acoustic sound sprouts from her own muse. Producers
Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek handle her wisely with synthetic-free
sonics. Hello's last track "In Bloom", a minor-key jazzy piano ballad,
hints at where Prettyman's music might go from here. If she can take her
lyrics beyond the personal, she'll be more of a force to be reckoned
with.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 7, 8, 12
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/Paste

DATE: 4.21.08
ARTIST: Chesterfield Kings
TITLE: Psychedelic Sunrise   (Wicked Cool)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREA/GARAGE-PSYCH
GRADE: A++
REVIEW: the band once had an official credo never to have their music
sound like it was made after 1966. After their first couple of albums,
however, the once-four-piece band was whittled down to two members - Greg
Prevost and Andy Babiuk - and a little bit of a style change was in the
offing. Not that they have strayed too far from their original mission.
AWhile some may dismiss their sound as a genre exercise, upon closer
inspection a true music lover will realize they have taken the classic
blueprint and have managed to create their own artistic statements. Their
love for the 60s garage/R&B sound is so passionate it cannot be dismissed
as pure revivalism - the band makes their music purely, honestly and with
plenty of love - the true ingredients of real art. The band is the real
deal and if any of their albums were to prove how fantastic their music
is, it is their newest. Since the Chesterfield Kings have pretty much been
chasing the Rolling Stones ever since the Kinks first album way back in
1963, you could call this latest musical salvo an attempt to come up with
a better psychedelic album than the Stones Satanic Majesties. Fans of
vintage psychedelic rock from the 60s are going to love this album for
many reasons, not the least of which is the production.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12
REVIEWER: Scott Homewood ROCK AND ROLL REPORT

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: Krista Detor
    TITLE: Cover Their Eyes             (Corazong)
    GENRE: LOCAL/FOLK/SS
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: Listening to Krista Detor's nonchalant, smoky vocals is like
sinking into the comfiest of leather sofas and wrapping yourself in the
cosiest of blankets. It is the economy with which Detor delivers her rich
vocals that creates this beautifully relaxing and brooding aura. The
ethereal production afforded Cover Their Eyes, Detor's fourth release,
only fortifies the album's sensuous appeal -- soothing and swirling string
arrangements sit alongside more sparse acoustic arrangements, sometimes
peppered with a lamenting dobro or a gently ringing banjo, and even some
subtle brass arrangements. It would be difficult to pin Detor down to one
particular genre as she flirts effortlessly with understated shades of
jazz, folk and Americana. Detor has a hand in the writing of all twelve
tracks here, claiming sole writing credits on eight of them. Sweeping,
contemplative ballads provide some of the most sublime moments on Cover
Their Eyes; witness "How Will I Know" towards the end of this collection
for one of the album's finest moments. The gospel-tinged "Lay Him Down" is
a soulful duet with Carrie Newcomer, with a delectably roots-soaked fiddle
and dobro arrangement, and expansive layered harmonies, played out over
the sombre march-beat of a snare drum. More up-beat moments can be found
in "Marlene In A Movie," Detor's tribute to the star of the silver screen
benefiting from a racing bass line and a funky interlude of sax and flute,
whilst "Waterline" is a country-flavoured number with a lively pace,
bought to life with some spirited fiddle and harmonica.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12
    REVIEWER: folksing.com

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: Kathy Mattea
    TITLE: Coal                     (Captain Potato)
    GENRE: COUNTRY
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: SINGER KATHY MATTEA grew up in West Virginia; both of her
grandfathers were coal miners and her mother worked for the United Mine
Workers. After 12 miners died in the Sago mine explosion in 2006, she
resolved to make an album of the coal-mining songs she had been
stockpiling for years. "Coal" combines the mountain string-band sound of
her roots with the studio polish of her Nashville stardom far better than
might be expected. The album climaxes with Mattea's take on Hazel
Dickens's classic protest song, "Black Lung." Dickens sang it in a high,
lonesome twang that was as unpolished as it was eerily powerful. Mattea,
framed by producer Marty Stuart's mandolin intro and Stuart Duncan's
fiddle conclusion, delivers the same lyrics in a controlled, pleasurable
alto that meets the listener halfway, unlike Dickens's vocal. It may not
be better, but it is more accessible. Mattea's song choices are astute:
You can't beat Jean Ritchie's "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore," Merle
Travis's "Dark as a Dungeon" or Darrell Scott's "You'll Never Leave Harlan
Alive." The originals appear on last year's terrific box set "Music of
Coal: Mining Songs From the Appalachian Coalfields," but Mattea adds a
precision and warmth that make it easier to enter this rich but
hard-to-get-at musical vein.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11
    REVIEWER: washington post -- Geoffrey Himes

    DATE: 4. 14.08
    ARTIST: Tim O'Brien
    TITLE: Chameleon                   (Proper American)
    GENRE: BLUEGRASS/FOLK-SS
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: Chameleon finds former Hot Rize hotshot Tim O'Brien puttering
around co-producer Gary Paczosa's garage with a "hillbilly apparatus" that
includes guitar, mandolin and bouzouki. O'Brien plays the hell out of
them, swinging minor-key blues on "Where's Love Come From" and making
something nicely obsessive of his fiddle accompaniment on "Phantom Phone
Call". He sings in a warm, bluesy voice, and the material -- by O'Brien
and a brace of collaborators that includes David Olney and John Hadley --
confounds expectations in charming fashion. On "Phantom Phone Call", he
declares that "the mobile phone is a threat to the human race," while
"Megna's" is a piece of reconstituted childhood memory on which O'Brien
sings the praises of a vendor whose melons, okra and aubergines gain him
the attention of "pretty women." Chameleon transcends formalism; O'Brien
has something to say about imperialism on "This World Was Made For
Everyone", which praises "our robust economy" in ambiguous fashion.
"Father Forgive Me" features an appearance by Jesus and O'Brien himself,
who meditates on fate, "the midnight garden of agony," and gigs that
compromise a working musician's soul. "Hoss Race" places the singer at the
track, where, for once, he's winning. Jaunty, accomplished and funny,
Chameleon presents a persona along with the amazing licks; this is an
average guy too observant for his own good. Global warming foils his
suicide attempt in "World Of Trouble", which also mentions Humvees and
Asian bird flu. Is it time to "plant orange groves in the Smokies"? Could
be, now that he mentions it.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 8, 13
    REVIEWER: Edd Hurt No Depression

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: Phil Roy
    TITLE: The Great Longing            (Decca)
    GENRE: FOLK/SS
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: Phil Roy has had his songs recorded by Ray Charles, Joe
Cocker, The Neville Brothers, Mavis Staples and many others. His songs
appear in numerous films including the Academy award winners As Good As It
Gets and Leaving Las Vegas.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 4, 6, 9

    DATE: 4.14.08
    ARTIST: Goldfrapp
    TITLE:  Seventh Tree
    GENRE: ELECTRONIC
    GRADE: A-
    REVIEW: This English duo's last album, 2006's Supernature, was long on
big, swaggering synth pop that featured Alison Goldfrapp's elastic voice
and sultry come-ons. This follow-up is distinctly mellower, with tunes
built around guitar, piano, strings and cushy atmospherics. Vocally,
Goldfrapp's also warmer and more ruminative, cooing sweetly on "Monster
Love" and mixing Bjrk-lite swoops and swoons with Zen-isms like "We're all
on a journey to/Finding the real inner you." The slow pace can be a
snooze, but smart arrangements abound: "A & E" rides a bittersweet,
Feist-style chorus, and on "Little Bird," Goldfrapp sings eerie minor-key
melodies over a bed of swirling keyboards and trip-hop drums. Some more
uptempos would have been nice, but Seventh Tree still makes for good
post-party chill- out music.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 3, 4, 7, 10
    REVIEWER: rolling stone

    DATE: 4.14.08
    ARTIST: School of Language
    TITLE: Sea from Shore              (Thrill Jockey)
    GENRE: ROCK/ALT/INDIE
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: Field Music's Tones of Town was a highlight of 2007, and the
group's star seemed to be on the rise. But when the Sunderland, England
band played the Empty Bottle in Chicago last spring, something didn't
quite seem right. The music-- a herky-jerk mix reminiscent of XTC--
sounded perfectly fine, but the trio, flitting between instruments, didn't
appear to be taking any real pleasure or satisfaction from it. At one
point David Brewis even announced, apologetically, that the only way to
get the "real" Field Music experience was via its meticulously composed
recordings. Granted, the group preceded the tour by announcing it would be
followed by an extended hiatus, during which Field Music's three members
would explore other projects, so as far as the crowd (clearly enjoying
what Brewis considered somehow substandard) knew, Tones of Town was the
last they'd hear from Field Music. The faithful needn't fret, though, as
Brewis' debut as School of Language, Sea From Shore ("a Field Music
production," apparently; out on Feb. 5) should satisfy fans of Field
Music's tightly wound pop. Recorded mostly solo, with some scattered help
from a couple of fellow Sunderlanders in the Futureheads, Sea From Shore
is a lot like taking a peek at a talented someone's sketch book.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9
    REVIEWER: pitchfork

    DATE: 4.1.4.08
    ARTIST: Bauhaus
    TITLE: Go Away White      (Bauhaus Musik)
    GENRE: ROCK/ALT/GOT
    GRADE:
    REVIEW: Bauhaus may have godfathered goth at the end of the 1970s, but
their combustive early dance singles like "Kick in the Eye" could give
most current disco-rock trendies a smackdown. For their first studio disc
in 25 years, the English quartet flit from riff-fueled social criticism to
anguished balladry, often sounding more like a cross between singer Peter
Murphy's brooding solo efforts and splinter group Love and Rockets'
buzzing groove rock than the dubbed-up glampunk band that birthed both.
Yet even a tastefully matured Bauhaus produce enough fractured guitar and
howling melodrama to wake the undead.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9
    REVIEWER: spin

    DATE: 4.1.4.08
    ARTIST: Alexander the Great
    TITLE:  Circumnavigation           (Crossroads of America)
    GENRE: LOCAL/ROCK
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: An argument is sure to break out when discussing Bloomington,
Indiana's most distinguishing characteristic. It could be Bob Knight's
basketball legacy, their award winning college newspaper, or even a
weeklong haven for alcoholics disguised as a bicycle race. Lately, though,
it seems most people are harping on the area's growing music scene.
Ironically, the blandest parts of this country seem to be inhabited by the
most creative and interesting people. Doesn't make a lot of sense, but
nothing good in life does. Alexander The Great might be another group with
the chance to move out of the farm leagues. If you make it in Bloomington,
you might not be able to make it anywhere just yet, but a show in Austin,
Texas shouldn't be far away.
    "Confidence" begins with fuzzy keyboard drones and cheery handclaps.
The song builds with, umm, confident strums until Bryant Fox's deep yelp
juts in and out of melodious falsettos. He is a commander deserving of the
utmost respect. His lyrics feel more like book chapters than poetic
verses. "When To Suspect The Worst" and "Thanksgiving" are less noise-rock
and more subdued than the rest of Circumnavigation, but ATG treat us to
some of their finest musical moments. The vocal exchanges between Fox and
Chris Stearly on "Suspect" match wonderfully, while the despondent horns
and keyboards on "Thanksgiving" recall a darker Anathallo. "Down The
Hatch" introduces itself to the listener with a squiggling riff and Fox's
scratchy, slow delivery. Twinkling percussion gives the song a creepy type
of cuteness. "Hatch" then develops into an instrumental jam consisting of
warbling, high-pitched guitars and a groove-rific bassline from Stearly.
"NYC" ends the recorded part of the EP  there are 4 acoustic/live tracks
tacked onto the end  with an acoustic sing-along about visiting the Big
Apple.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9
    REVIEWER: absolutepunk.net
    DATE: 4.14.08

    ARTIST: She & Him
    TITLE: Volume One                 ( Merge)
    GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: The highest compliment I can pay Volume One by She & Him is
that when I first heard the album, I assumed every song was a cover, when
in fact only three are. The second highest compliment I can pay to Zooey
Deschanel's musical debut as backed by M. Ward is that it's the first
musical release by an actor that doesn't simply affirm their primary
career choice. These are new standards in more ways than one.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12
    REVIEWER: 75 or less

    DATE: 4.14.08
    ARTIST: Man Man
    TITLE: Rabbit Habits               (Anti)
    GENRE: ROCK/ALT
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: Following its pair of bizarrely excellent albums for tiny
indie imprint Ace Fu, Man Man has signed to Anti- Records, and it feels
like some sort of alien-to-mothership homecoming. After all, aside from
the Philadelphia quintet being granted a larger platform from which to
spew its raucous circus chants, Man Man is now labelmate to fellow
shit-stirrers Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Of course, we must acknowledge the
band's songs. Those unassailably joyous songsbursting with xylophone,
bouncy piano, wailing horns, children's toys and the gruff, occasionally
mournful noises emanating from lead singer Honus Honus. Rabbit Habits
traffics in familiar Man Man territory: namely, the strange playground
where all of these elements not only cohabitate peacefully but actually
collaborate. Indeed, it's the same fertile, unpredictable soil from whence
Waits, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa unearthed their museand these
reference points are both apt and, unfortunately, overused in describing
these Pennsylvanian knuckleheads. What isn't said enough about Man Man is
that the group creates damn fine compositions. Some of them are goofy, and
many weird, but these are the songs trapped in our dreamssongs filled with
notions most of us are too sheltered or terrified to indulge. These songs
are unhinged and unself-conscious. They are what rock 'n' roll is meant to
be and, frankly, what most rock bands have forgotten altogether: These
songs are fun.
    FCC: 4 & 7
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 5, 7, 10, 13
    REVIEWER: paste.com

    DATE: 4.14.08
    ARTIST: Sian Alice Group
    TITLE: 59.59                       (Social Registry)
    GENRE: ROCK/ALT/INDIE
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: Sian Alice Ahern, frontwoman of the London, UK-based Sian
Alice Group, is as likely to recede as take the lead. With her band's
debut charting transformations from psychedelic rock, pastoral folk, and
piano-lounge balladry into analog-synthtronica, free-jazz breakdowns,
pounding Afro-tech grooves, and avant-classical composition, Ahern is the
sort of vocalist who patiently waits for the songs to settle into shape
before stepping up to the mic. In their open-ended, exploratory approach
to songwriting, Sian Alice Group-- co-founded with Rupert Clervaux and Ben
Crook-- are logical additions to the Social Registry stable. But they'd be
even more at home on the early 1990s Too Pure roster, which seemed to
produce an inordinate amount of female-fronted bands (Stereolab, Laika,
Th' Faith Healers, Pram) who severed psych from its 60s-rock roots and
applied its principles to non-rock musical forms, emphasizing the music's
hypnotic, repetitive qualities-- and, more often than not, sublimating
their singers into a textural detail. Ahern spends 59.59 vacillating
between presence and absence. But her turns in the spotlight contribute a
considerable amount of heat to an album mostly set on simmer, no more so
than on the sinister swamp blues of second song "Way Down to Heaven": "I'm
on my way to heaven now," Ahern declares, but the dirty PJ Harvey riff
sounds like it's pulling her down in the other direction before setting
the song alight in a blaze of distortion and ear-piercing organ tones.
"Contours" is another early standout, with Ahern's choral vocal leading
the hazy, synth-swathed hymnal before the drums come crashing in and start
hunting for Caribou. The beauty of Sian Alice Group is that formalism is ultimately a temporary condition, and that the band is capable of creating highly effective music
even when they stray far from traditional torch-song territory.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 12
    REVIEWER: -Stuart Berman, April 02, 2008 pitchfork

    DATE: 4.14.08
    ARTIST: Billy Bragg
    TITLE: Mr. Love and Justice         (Anti)
    GENRE: FOLK/SS
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: Mr. Love & Justice is a pleasant and encouraging surprise --
while hardly perfect, it's easily Bragg's best and most consistent solo
effort since Don't Try This at Home, and finds him coming to terms with
maturity and the changing face of the world, two bugaboos that have been
dogging his muse for some time. Mr. Love & Justice lacks a portion of the
piss and vinegar of Bragg's earliest sides, but on these recordings he's
learned to communicate with a soulful conviction that merges passion with
a simple and unforced sincerity, and while Bragg has sung with greater
force, he's rarely communicated as well in the studio as he does here.
Bragg also sounds more comfortable with his backing band than he has since
working with Wilco; having recorded and toured with the Blokes for several
years, the musicians have had the opportunity to gain a rapport with one
another, and the give and take between Bragg and his partners is warm and
easy, and gives the material just the right lift. And while Billy Bragg
isn't mounting as many soapboxes on Mr. Love & Justice as you might
expect, "Sing Their Souls Back Home" and "Farm Boy" are compassionate and
well-crafted meditations on the wake of the Iraq War, "O Freedom" is a
powerful tale of vanishing civil liberties, "I Nearly Killed You" and
"Something Happened" are the sort of reflections on love that come from
years of dealing with the nuts and bolts of human relationships, and "I
Keep Faith" is a wary but moving meditation on the courage needed to stand
one's ground in an age of personal and political turmoil. A bit older, a
bit wiser, and still committed to fighting the good fight; it's a return
to form, a step forward, and a potent reminder of why Bragg's music still
matters.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12
    REVIEWER: all music guide

    DATE: 4.21.08
    ARTIST: Jackie Greene
    TITLE: Giving Up the Ghost         (429)
    GENRE: B+
    GRADE: FOLK/SS
    REVIEW: At the start of his fifth album, Jackie Greene wonders "why I
am so uncertain/ behind the curtain, shaken." Could it be because 2005's
lauded "American Myth" died a premature death due to the financial woes of
his previous label? Perhaps, but in the same breath, Greene pronounces, "I
don't wanna go out like this," and instead delivers a follow-up that's
even better. This 12-song set of varied song styles and passionate
performances represents a microcosm of Greene's eclectic musical universe
to this point. He takes turns at being soulful ("Animal," "Downhearted"),
rootsy ("When You Return," "Uphill Mountain"), spiritual ("Prayer for
Spanish Harlem") and, when so inclined, making a bigger kind of rock sound
on such tracks as "Follow You" and "Like a Ball & Chain." Green and
producer Steve Berlin load the songs with textures and detailsa trumpet
here, an accordion or harmonica therebut they never sound gratuitous or
superfluous. A career high point and the essential entry in his catalog so
far.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11
    REVIEWER: allmusicguide.com Gary Graff

    DATE: 4.21.08
    ARTIST: Jonathan Richman
    TITLE: Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild  (Vapor)
    GENRE: ROCK/ALT
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: Jonathan Richman closes his 20th album, 2008's Because Her
Beauty Is Raw and Wild, with "As My Mother Lay Lying," a simple,
emotionally powerful song in which he sings about sitting with his mother
as she hovered near death in a home for the elderly, and how much he
continued to learn from her even in her final moments. It's a singular
piece of work that without calling attention to itself shows how far
Richman's muse has taken him in the past decade. While sweetness and
unaffected emotional honesty still dominate Richman's music, he's quietly
allowed his music to grow in unexpected ways, embracing French and Spanish
as well as English, writing of art and the ecstasies of love with unforced
intelligence and brio, and pondering the mysteries of life and decay in a
manner that's never pretentious but still conveys the weight of his
themes. The intimacy of these recordings, most featuring just Richman and
percussionist Tommy Larkins, only adds to their effectiveness. When
Jonathan Richman debuted with the Modern Lovers, he sounded like someone
who had somehow managed to create his own style independent of what was
happening in the world of music around him, and with Because Her Beauty Is
Raw and Wild, he confirms that he's still following a path all his own,
and it's a journey that's strange, compelling, and very beautiful.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 12, 14
    REVIEWER: ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

    DATE: 5.5.08
    ARTIST: The Black Keys
    TITLE: Attack & Release            (Nonesuch)
    GENRE: ROCK/BLUES/INDIE
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: After four consecutive strong, self-produced albums of
bombastic blues rock, The Black Keys wisely decided to change things up on
"Attack & Release." The duo made the seemingly left-field choice of Danger
Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) to turn the knobs on the new set (the producer and
the band first worked together on a planned Ike Turner project that didn't
get off the ground), and they obviously kept an open mind to the
innovative producer's ideas. On first listen, the most striking thing
about "Attack & Release" is the warmth of the sound. Even a band as
bare-bones as The Black Keys can benefit from a good studio and a great
producer, and it pays off here. There's also a subtle touch to the duo's
playing that sometimes got lost in their heavily amplified and distorted
previous releases. The understated lead track, "All You Ever Wanted,"
manages just the right contemplative vibe, something the band hasn't
really shown the confidence to pull off in the past. Guitarist/frontman
Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney didn't nix the idea of fleshing
out their sound on the new album, either, and that allowed them to take
their music in varied directions.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 4, 7, 10
    REVIEWER:  Rob Evans, Live Daily.com

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: Dark Dark Dark
    TITLE: The Snow Magic          (Blood Onion)
    GENRE: INDIE/MELANGE
    GRADE: A++
    REVIEW: This dark folk trio <Nona Marie Dark (accordion), Marshall
LaCount (banjo) and Jonathan Kaiser (cello)> play traditional and
traditional-sounding East Euro/Klesmer/Old-timey/Gallic/Old-country blues/
polka-punk/Other music with the seemingly unseemly yet delectably dark
combination of the accordion-banjo-cello. The sonorous cello mournfully
swoops and soars in and out with the melodic, sparse banjo, and Baltic and
Klesmer sounding accordion , while Nona sings low and plaintive, perfect
for their dark ballads, torch and sea shanty style songs. Marshall and
Nona harmonize and trade off singing, Marshall's vocals remniscent to me
of Andrew Bird. The trio are a harmoniously interwoven relationship of
rhythms and strings and vocals mesmerizing to the ears, sending chills,
and enchanting to watch looking as though they live the life and times of
the songs they play. The versatile Dark Dark Dark lead "a weird
double-life," said Jonathan (Painted Saints, The Blackthorns). "We play
restaurants and gallery openings, and then we have clubs life . . . "". .
. underground or overground!" continued Marshall (Woodcat). They tend to
play more traditional music for restaurants and galleries  old folk songs,
jazz standards, gypsy and blues. In clubs they perform mainly their
original music  "as original as traditional-sounding music can be!"
quipped Nona. RETURNING TO BLOOMINGTON SOON...
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11
    REVIEWER: cyncollins.blogspot.com

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: Hayden
    TITLE: In Field & Town         (Hardwood/FatPossum)
    GENRE: ROCK/ALT/FOLK/SS/INDIE
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: I'll admit to not having kept up with Hayden Desser since the
late '90s, when records like Everything I Long For and Moving Careful
boasted a certain miserablist charm. Based in Toronto, Desser may have
been depressed about living so far away from Seattle, where his gravelly
voice would have fit comfortably beside Pacific Northwest fixtures like
Mark Lanegan and Layne Staley. In Field and Town is the first Hayden
record in four years, and it's in keeping with the polished direction of
recent full-lengths like 2004's Elk Lake Serenade. The instrumentation
hangs together in warm suspension  the pulsing bass hook, tidy snare, and
rippling melody of the opening title track are eminently safe, catchy, and
smooth, perfect for piping over coffee shop speakers. The upshot is that
when Hayden's vocals kick in  fragile even in the middle register  the
risk of any flagrant overreaching has been eliminated. Early Hayden
fluctuated between coaxing winces and gooseflesh; the current incarnation
hums along at a steady, even clip. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best tracks
on In Field and Town feature the sparsest instrumental arrangements. A lot
of these songs are built around simple but elegant piano melodies, and
they're often most effective when they don't try to incorporate much more
than that. On the lovely, aching "Damn This Feeling," you can actually
hear the damper pedal moving up and down, lending the track a wonderful
late-morning, living room glow. "More Than Alive" is a bit more robust,
but it doesn't overdo its vibes, bells and trumpet.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 4, 6
    REVIEWER: dusted reviews  By Nathan Hogan

    DATE: 4.21.08
    ARTIST: Marcia Ball
    TITLE: Peace, Love & BBQ           (Alligator)
    GENRE: LOUISIANA
    GRADE: A-
    REVIEW: Like other artists on the Alligator label, it can be tough to
distinguish one Marcia Ball album from the next. Lots of upbeat party
tunes, a few peppy Cajun and Zydeco inflected zingers, some ballads, and a
couple of love songs all delivered with Ball's husky, soulful voice and
driven by her nimble boogie-woogie piano describes this album as well as
her older ones. But that's not necessarily a problem since she is such a
classy, demanding, and talented musician it just means her quality control
is high enough so there aren't any clunkers. There are a larger percentage
of originals here -- eight of the 13 tunes are either written or
co-written by the lanky pianist/singer, and all are up to her usual
standards. Horns -- some arranged by the legendary Wardell Quezergue, who
has worked with Fats Domino and Professor Longhair -- punctuate five
tracks and add even more hot sauce to the proceedings. Stephen Bruton's
nimble production keeps the sound open and spacious by highlighting Ball's
voice in the mix. Ball might be preaching to the converted with Peace,
Love & BBQ, but it's a sermon well worth hearing.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 7, 12
    REVIEWER: ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide

    DATE: 4.21.08
    ARTIST: Kris Delmhorst
    TITLE: Shotgun Singer           (Signature Sounds)
    GENRE: FOLK/SS
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: Perennial Boston Music Award nominee Delmhorst makes a
stunning transformation by moving from the countrified folk of her
previous three releases to a dreamier and denser sound brimming with
atmosphere and muted-but-infectious melodies. Following the recent model
of Patty Larkin and Dayna Kurtz, she holed up in a cabin to spark the
creative process. With Delmhorst playing 11 instruments and spare
contributions from rhythm players and co-producer Sam Kassirer (Josh
Ritter), "Shotgun Singer" is a work of lo-fi beauty, and evidence of an
artist taking flight.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 12
    REVIEWER: bostonherald.com

    DATE: 4.21.08
    ARTIST: Los Campesinos!
    TITLE: Hold On Now, Youngster...    (Arts & Crafts)
    GENRE: ROCK/ALT/INDIE
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: "Knee Deep at ATP" perfectly distills the Los Campesinos!
aesthetic. Powered by careening guitar, melancholy violin, and lyrics that
reference the U.K.'s All Tomorrow's Parties festival and a K Records
T-shirt, the track compresses a novel's worth of indie-rock experience
into 2:47. "Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)" accomplishes a similar feat,
dropping Jane Eyre and the Dewey decimal system into a buzzing melody that
taps both ABBA and Annie. The album is no mere spot-the-influence
exercise, though. Spirited and frenetic, Hold On adds up to more than just
the sum of the band's five-star libraries.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
    REVIEWER: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: James McMurtry
    TITLE: Just Us Kids                (Lightning Rod)
    GENRE: COUNTRY/ALT
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: If we ever appoint a sarcasm-slinging cynic laureate, James
McMurtry's a shoo-in. On Just Us Kids, he continues skewering our current
gang of good ol' boys with the same venomous barbs he threw on Childish
Things. "God Bless America (pat mAcdonald must die)" contains the couplet,
"That thing don't run on french-fry grease / That thing don't run on love
and peace," punctuated by harmonica from comrade-in-irony mAcdonald
(Timbuk 3), and "Cheney's Toy" is even snarkier. But it's the ache of
"Ruby and Carlos" that reveals McMurtry's sensitive brilliance as a
chronicler of quiet desperation (though even here, he can't resist a jibe
about "the Mason-Dumbass Line"). McMurtry produced this record, and
allowed himself some much-needed melodic stretching room; the chorus of
"Just Us Kids" almost has a "Girls in their Summer Clothes" lilt, and
keyboardist Ian McLagan turns "Freeway View" into a runaway goodtime
rocker. But don't fear that our sourpuss will get happy anytime soon. It's
not like Utopia's imminenteven after Cheney's toy has left the building.
    REVIEWER: paste

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: Hayes Carll
    TITLE: Trouble In Mind             (Lost Highway)
    GENRE: COUNTRY/ALT
    GRADE: A+
    REVIEW: For fans of John Prine or Todd Snider, 32-year-old Texan Hayes
Carll is a familiar typea mush-mouthed drawler who's smarter about the
beat than his shambling ways would make you think and funnier than shit
when he wants to be, which is often. On his first major-label album, Carll
rocks as needed across a rowdy life-scape he describes pungently ("Pills
in the tip jar, blood on the strings") and sometimes ruefully ("I spend my
life on this broken crutch/And you believe I can fly"). From the fantasy
girl who "likes to lay naked and be gazed upon" to the jilted redneck who
suspects his girl's new boyfriend, Jesus, by name, is a commie or a Jew,
this is familiar territory, sonically and socially. But Hayes Carll lives
thereand makes the most of it.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11
    REVIEWER: www.countrystandardtime.com

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: Moby
    TITLE: Last Night                  (Mute)
    GENRE: ELECTRONIC
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: Moby takes the opportunity on his sixth studio album to
reminisce about the '80s and '90s New York dance-club circuit, while
incorporating enough fresh electronic experiments to keep the sounds
interesting. Not since 1999's "Play" has Moby sounded so emotionally
elevated and musically vibrant. With "Last Night," he showcases his
fortes: cinematic atmospheres, climaxing melodies and striking
vocals--usually mind-numbingly repetitious or beautifully serene. Some of
the elements on "Last Night" are so closely associated with the old school
club scene that they are practically cliche: accelerating drum beats,
quick, bright piano chords and exaggerated symphonic highs. The nostalgia
could grow tiresome, but Moby manages to keep it stimulating with his
signature ambient fullness and unexpected style alterations--from techno,
house, rap and disco to gospel and keyboard ballads.
    "Ooh Yeah" kicks off the album with a frolicking, '70s-infused tune
that could just as well be a Daft Punk and Lipps Inc collaboration. "I
Love to Move in Here" might be the record's best dance track, with its
tribal rhythms mashed against groovy piano chords, crowd-cheer samples,
spacey dream-state vocals and raps by Grandmaster Caz. Most of the
selections pulse with an approachable--or at least tolerable--energy,
usually strung along by multiple sonic layers. Having been a fixture in
dance clubs since he was a teenager; Moby has an acute awareness of the
scene and its sounds, and "Last Night" is testament to that. Like a
typical evening of nightclubbing, "Last Night" begins with anxious,
high-strung energy, peaks like an invigorating dancehall experience, has a
few rough moments, but eventually clings to calming atmospheric keyboards
and graceful symphonies--making it feel like the ultimate climax and the
sweetest comedown.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 9, 13, 14
    REVIEWER: livedaily.com Monica Cady

    DATE: 4.28.08
    ARTIST: The Cat Empire
    TITLE: So Many Nights               (Velour)
    GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM (UPBEAT AUSSIE HORN/ROCK)
    GRADE: A
    REVIEW: If you're a fan of the felines, you'll of course love the name
of the band Cat Empire. And if you're a fan of globe-trotting party rock
(by the likes of, say, World Party), you'll have a blast with So Many
Nights. The band, led by appropriately named lead singer Felix Riebl,
hails from Australia and plays music chock full of African and Latin
sounds. Velour calls the band a "funky circus troupe." So Many Nights,
which has been available Down Under since last year, was produced by John
Porter, who in the past has worked with B.B. King and Roxy Music.
    RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 4, 5, 10, 12
    REVIEWER: prefixmag.com

DATE: 4.28.08
ARTIST: The Weepies
TITLE: Hideaway                     (Nettwerk)
GENRE: FOLK/SS (FOLK/ROCK)
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: The Weepies are essentially the writing duo of Deb Talan and
Steven Tannen and they are on the express train to success.  The songs are
full of beautiful harmonies that really give the songs a lighter feel; one
that bounces along happily. Musically, their new record, Hideaway, is a
road trip just to get out of the city. It's like playing in the park on
the first sunny day of the Spring. It's a sun kissed face after a day
where you forgot the worries of the world and remembered what it felt like
to be young and carefree. Lyrically, the duo's thoughts are more storm
clouds and rain. With their gloomy thoughts, Deb and Steve seem like the
type of people who put on a brave face despite wrestling with inner
turmoil and disappointment. How You Survived the War is as pleasant a
track as you are going to hear, but Deb is pouring out her frustrations
about a relationship that never changes. Little Bird sashays along nicely,
but the song is about how alone she feels as she wonders where all her
friends have gone. All Good Things is a bit of a tear jerking, soul number
where Deb acknowledges that she just can't call it quits. It's the type of
stuff we all deal with every day. Hideaway isn't an escape from the sadder
moments. It's more like putting your best foot forward in spite of the
constant letdowns. It's getting older and realizing that your dreams and
the perfect love of your high school sweetheart might be naive optimism.
This is real life and even though every day isn't perfect, we just have to
keep trying. It's not exactly a feel good perspective, but it gives the
sunshiny songs that little bit of bite that makes them stick.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14
REVIEWER: www.herohill.com