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Jersey Beat Columns - The World According to Wawzyrniak

REVIEWS BY JOE WAWZYRNIAK

 

TWO DARK BIRDS (myspace.com/twodarkbirds)

Offering up a pleasantly tuneful batch of laid-back country-rock tunes, this album hits a nicely mellow groove early on and rides it straight to your heart by blending the pretty harmonies with lots of sweet and thoughtful lyrics. Steve Koester’s warm, husky voice has a soothing and relaxed quality to it. The arrangements are likewise very twangy and melodic. The songs explore various dark and troubling aspects of the human condition, ranging from slow and mournful (the lovely “My Mother the Stereo”) to more gritty and bluesy (the neatly bumpin’ “Great Plains”). Best of all, there’s a smart, mature and perceptive sensibility at work here that’s both refreshing and engaging in equal measure. A fine and affecting album.

 

KIRA LYNN CAIN - The Ideal Hunter (www.evangelinerecords.com)

Languid and melancholy, sad and slow, with a brooding gloom-doom atmosphere that’s thick with anguish and despair, singer/songwriter Kira Lynn Cain’s striking debut album cuts deep and makes one hell of a lasting impression. Granted, the gradual, druggy tempos and trudging clip-clop beats take a little getting used to, but the beautifully moody music still draws you in with its hypnotic mix of plain-spoken forlornness and powerful sense of eerie mystery. The spare, yet tuneful arrangements really do the trick. Cain’s soft, mournful, achingly delicate vocals and intriguingly abstract lyrics make for a formidable double act. A supremely moving and haunting album.


STEPHANIE WHITE AND THE NEW JERSEY PHILTH HARMONIC -
Knee Deep InSanity (www.myspace.com/PhilthHarmonic)

Opening on a nice’n’groovy note with the funky, syncopated slow-drag jazzy number “Girls Have Expenses,” this six piece group blends tasty elements of such diverse music genres as funk, soul, rock, jazz, blues and folk into a highly cool, rich and delicious synthesis. Stephanie White’s amazingly strong and sultry voice totally hits the insanely sexy’n’smoky spot. The hoppin’ arrangements likewise score a bull’s eye, with the mellow saxophones, sprightly keyboards, jaunty acoustic guitars, and sturdy drums keeping things lively, exciting and above all exquisitely harmonic throughout. Highlights include the touching “Teardrops,” the fiercely crunchy’n’punchy “You’re Not Alone,” the graceful ballad “Sustain,” and the wonderfully rousing closing tune “Did I Change You?”. An excellent and most impressive album.

 

EVEREST - Ghost Notes (Vapor Records)

This Los Angeles quintet come through with a pleasingly mellow and melodic rock music album that goes heavy on the brooding atmosphere while still offering plenty of tight and tasty playing. The appealingly raspy vocals, lulling guitar riffs, fluid basslines, and steady drums all seamlessly blend together to create a very rich, warm and engaging sound that’s a total treat to hear. Better yet, there’s a real thoughtfulness and sensitivity evident in the lyrics throughout. The songs alternate between low-key and introspective to more punchy and hard-rocking; all of them hit the tuneful spot with utmost skill and flair to spare. A nifty album.



BOOTLEG TONIC - Volume 1 (www.bootlegtonic.com)

The duo of Georgiana Trent and Eran Taviv deliver a beautifully mellow and reflective bluesy gem of a low-key album. Trent’s supremely hoarse and throaty voice projects anguish and heartbreak with extremely bracing and affecting directness. Taviv’s tight and understated guitar playing greatly adds to the delicate intimacy of the songs without ever becoming remotely show-offy or obtrusive. The slow tempos and gradual beats are both suitably laid-back, thereby further enhancing the soulful soothing quality of the music. Better still, there’s a pleasingly smart and thoughtful mature adult sensibility at work in the terse, but insightful lyrics. Moreover, the arrangements are spare and stripped-down, with no needless tricked-up razzle-dazzle getting in the way of the arrestingly simple, yet tuneful melodies. Bootleg Tonic are a couple of adults who have relevant things to say about the human condition. It’s this refreshingly grown-up no-nonsense attitude which in turn makes this excellent album one to relish.

 


THE STATELY GENTLEMEN - The Hyperion Sessions (myspace.com/thestatelygentlemenofreno)

Hey, you? Yeah you, pal. Wanna hear some nicely groovin’ and swingin’ 5 song EP CD slice of neatly laid-back, yet still smoothly bumpin’ rock? I’m sure you do. What makes this worth a listen, you ask? For starters, there’s the appealingly raspy vocals. Next up we’ve got the pleasingly crunchy and tuneful arrangements. Moreover, you can really dig the steady drums, rippin’ guitars, and fluid basslines, all of which keep the music catchy and hoppin’ throughout. That enough to convince you that this CD makes the cut as one snazzy little number? Yeah, I’m convinced, too.

 

HEAD OF FEMUR - Great Plains (www.myspace.com/headoffemur)

I listened to this album after a very long and grueling day at work. I was tired, I was cranky, I cursed at my pet parrot, I wasn’t exactly in the best of spirits. But said sagging spirits immediately perked right up as I heard the marvelously quirky and lively opening song “Great Plains.” I got totally caught up in the rich, complex and melodic full-bore orchestral arrangements, the hoarse, yet affecting vocals, the snappy tempos, the simply heavenly harmonies, the wickedly witty and creative songwriting, and the amusingly flaky sensibility which permeates every last gloriously tuneful and idiosyncratic note of this fabulously eccentric one-of-a-kind oddball pop-rock marvel. By the end of the album, I had forgotten all about my crummy day at work and felt pretty damn happy and serene. If that alone doesn’t speak volumes about how terrific this album truly is, then I guess I better call it a day as a rock critic.

 

THE MAINE - The Way We Talk (Fearless)

Offering up five songs worth of infectiously bubbly, catchy and upbeat pop-rock, this nifty EP CD positively sparkles with a joy and verve that’s impossible to either dislike or resist. The cheery vocals, constant snappy tempos, sharp, tuneful arrangements, and overall pleasant sensibility all ensure that this breezy little number is a complete delight from start to finish.

 

CAROL LESTER - Feed the Love/Starve the War (www.carollester.com)

Singer/songwriter Carol Lester delivers a beautifully thoughtful and melodic album which offers 11 marvelously lovely, lively and engaging tracks. Lester’s sultry soprano voice and sharp songwriting make for a potent double whammy, stimulating both the emotions and the intellect in a most stirring and straightforward manner. Better still, the songs themselves are a neatly eclectic bunch: They range from soft and lulling (the exquisite opening tune “Precious”), to more sinewy and hard-rockin’ (the rousing “Feed the Love, Starve the War”), to even quite funky (the divinely soulful “Spacious Skies”), while always remaining harmonic and arresting. A total treat.

EVANGELISTA - Hello, Voyager (Constellation Records)

Here’s another album that goes heavy on the splendidly singular and irregular “screw it, do it” defiantly offbeat and uncommercial avant garde experimental weirdness. Carla Bozulich’s arrestingly ragged and otherworldly smoky voice casts a hellishly riveting spell, projecting a tremendous sense of anguish and pure emotion with startling directness. The arrangements are likewise pretty off-the-wall, with clanging drums, piercing guitar riffs, weeping strings, and gritty basslines crashing and swirling about with a certain harsh and abrasive, yet still bracing and compelling sense of strangely harmonic sonic abandon. Sweet and standard this music sure ain’t, but it still hits the satisfying spot as a refreshingly different and unconventional change-of-pace excursion into peculiarly beautiful dissonance.


YONI GORDON AND THE GOODS - Buried in the Basement (www.yonigordon.com)

Kicking off to a stirring start with the rousing titular track, this album bounces and bops along with a winning blend of catchy hooks and pure go-for-it infectiously merry momentum. Yoni Gordon’s vibrant vocals are a treat to hear. Ditto the fluid guitars, smooth basslines, and steady stomping drums. Better still, there’s a real warmth and feeling of sheer joy evident throughout that’s impossible to either resist or dislike. The songs all project a real sparkling aplomb and energy that never let’s up for a minute, thereby ensuring that this delightfully dynamic album is a pure pleasure to listen to from start to finish.

THE HEAVY - Great Vengeance and Furious Fire (www.myspace.com/theheavy73)

This British band sure ain’t kiddin’ about their name, baby. This music definitely is heavy. As in heavy tough, yet melodic funk. Heavy in yo face soulful vocals. Heavy urgent horns. Heavy gritty guitars. Heavy hard grooves. Heavy sinewy beats. Heavy charging tempos. Heavy throbbin’ bass. Heavy thoughtful lyrics. Can you dig it, man? Well, I certainly can. ‘Cause it’s heavy, man. Totally heavy. In the best way possible, too.

THE FAKE BOYS - Sleepwalk (www.myspace.com/thefakeboys)

A perfectly crunchy’n’punchy six song EP CD explosion of furiously energetic rock’n’roll done with a winning dearth of pretense and a galvanizing surplus of pure go-for-it enthusiasm. The peppy vocals express plenty of joy and vigor with infectiously unbridled aplomb. The sturdy basslines, relentless drums, and fiercely poppin’ guitars likewise cut loose with lots of fiery flair to spare. Moreover, there’s a certain cheery attitude present throughout which in turn makes this snappy little number loads of fun to listen to.

PANDA RIOT (pandariotband@gmail.com)

Offering up nine tracks worth of beautifully melodic and mesmerizing indie pop-rock, this excellent and impressive full length debut album goes down nice and easy. Rebecca Scott’s breathy vocals are lush and soothing, projecting a delicate grace and sweetness that’s a pleasure to hear. The gradual tempos and heavy, yet constant beats combine together to create a positively hypnotic laid-back electronic sound that has a certain quietly potent and arresting heavenly buzz to it. The spacey keyboards, humming bass, cutting guitars, and persistent drum machines keep the music tuneful and compelling throughout, thus ensuring that this album overall makes for a highly satisfying listening experience.

PUNY HUMAN - Universal Freak Out (www.smallstone.com)

Assaulting one’s sonic senses with all the hard-charging drive and ferocity of an out-of-control locomotive tearing down the tracks at maximum speed, this album makes a strong immediate impression with the powerful opening song “Wake Up Williamsburg.” The huge, pounding drum beats, fierce churning basslines, and gritty grinding guitars shred it up with startling go-for-the-jugular brio. The raw’n’ragged full-throated vocals likewise kick major ass in no uncertain terms. The brisk steamrolling tempos never let up for a minute. Sweet and subdued this music sure ain’t, but it definitely hits the savagely satisfying spot with bracing on-target accuracy all the same.

MUSIC FROM THE FILM - Playfully Abrasive (www.myspace.com/musicfromthefilm)

The title of this album sure ain't kidding. This music is very abrasive indeed. However, said music is also quirky, inspired, and highly original as well. We’re talking seriously hardcore avante-garde experimental atonal aural oddness that only the most devout aficionado of extremely weirded-out “screw it, do it” outre noise could possibly enjoy listening to. The wonky string-bending basslines, incessant drums, and such offbeat instruments as a glockenspiel, maracas, a theremin and chimes create a strikingly bizarre and mercurial sound that’s both arresting and unusual in equal measure. Granted, the music featured on this highly peculiar album might be an acquired taste (lovers of generic Top 40 radio shouldn’t even think of giving this disc a spin on their CD players), but for those adventurous souls looking for something fresh and different this one comes highly recommended.

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