Have no fear, this folk ain’t sleepy! The title track feels like bicycling down a slight decline. No need to panic, but hey, I just keep on movin’. Kacey Johansing is above average at everything, and it provides for a well-balanced composition of musical goodness. This comes in handy because a lot of the songs are about five minutes long, but it’s not as bad as that seems. The trick perhaps has been revealed: Increase the tempo 20%, and you can make anything listenable.
This record is for the late 30s crowd, looking to take baby steps away from their old Cure records in the hopes of finding something else to identify with. You don’t expect to hear something like this without it being brooding, but such is not the case here. It’s remarkable how natural this album sounds.
Is “Angel Island” about Angel Island? It might be! Joanna Newsom comes to mind here, although perhaps Gavin is also pleased. “Oh, Brother” has a late ’70s organ that makes me think of Snoopy ice skating with Peppermint Patty, along with whistling between the verses. Don’t overlook this one.
“Photographs and Letters” sounds like A Girl Called Eddy meets KT Tunstall. It’s like guilt-free ice cream, it is. Is this going to be featured on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy”? “Same Old, Same Old” would be even better with those old ’60s-style instruments that the Cardigans used to use before they decided to make money. It’s the same stuff structurally that you would find on “Life.”
“Sleepwalk” might be the only sleepy song on there, but it still gets along well. Whatever that “it” is that wonderful records have to have to be awesome, this one has it!
Archive for June 2010
Kacey Johansing “Many Seasons”
June 23, 2010Episode 1433 is up
June 23, 2010The Like “Release Me LP”
June 22, 2010I reviewed the EP, so what the hell. Why not. This record says it features the four songs from the EP, so does that mean the rest are filler? I’ll always take the time to listen to “Wishing He Was Dead” and “He’s Not a Boy” again if I have to. I don’t have to.
You can’t help but like a song called “Walk of Shame.” This one sells an extra 1,000 T-shirts for them, guaranteed. The sound definitely broaches Lily Allen on this one, and we all know she has nothing to be ashamed of. “I Can See It in Your Eyes” also has a peppy rhythm.
The melody in “In the End” is worth the repetition. The last track is called “Don’t Make a Sound” and is really long, but the time zips right on by, sort of like this album review did.
Episode 1432 is up
June 22, 2010Tender Trap “Dansette Dansette”
June 21, 2010It’s a bit of an honor to review this record because I’ve been a slightly-more-obsessed-than-casual fan of Amelia Fletcher’s efforts over the years since I first stumbled onto a Heavenly record in 2001. Fletcher is joined by four others, notably Rob Pursey, who was with her in Talulah Gosh, a member of the Theme Song Club.
The melody of “Fireworks” is the same as “Ticket to Ride” by the Beatles. That song always needed tambourine. Now we have it! “Do You Want a Boyfriend?” has the classic Fletcher sound. If someone says, “What do Tender Trap sound like?” you play them this song.
“Suddenly” has a more modern feel but is still true to the founders’ C86 roots. You could sneak this into your kids’ iTouch without them noticing. You’re the mom. It’s your job. Better than brussels sprouts, anyway.
“2 to the N” is the best because it’s a math reference. I hope they make shirts with this song title and sell them when they tour. Oh my God, the tour! I can’t wait for that shit. Maybe Tiger Trap can open for them. How cool would that be?
“Counting the Hours” is also good, but really it suffers from being in the shadow of “2 to the N.” That could be the song of the year for me. “Capital L” is last and is as lovely as the rest. The whole album is absolutely wonderful in every way.
Tender Forever “No Snare”
June 21, 2010Another solid K Records act. You just can’t go wrong with these guys. Today it’s Tender Forever. There’s a bit of Rasputina here and there, but it does rock a little harder than that. “Like the Snare That’s Gone” does that.
“Nothing at All” has a Nintendo influence somehow, and I don’t mean the 8-bit fad that has come and gone. Some of the finer music on their more advanced systems comes to mind when I hear this one. I feel like I am watching a cut scene when I hear this track.
“But the Shape Is Wide” has the vocals mixed a little higher, and it works pretty well. This would make for a good single. The last track, “When I’m in the Dark and You Take the Light” is more than an exercise in accurate typing: It’s the sum of lots of high-quality harmony and melodic expression.
It’s a fun record to listen to, although nothing really grabs you by the testicles or female equivalent. It doesn’t need to, really.
Annuals “Sweet Sister”
June 21, 2010It’s an EP. The first track is “Loxtep” and could be a play on the word “lockstep.” The song itself is fine, but it gets lost in itself during the bridge. This track needs an editor, because by the time we get the fun synthy stuff, more than three minutes have already passed.
“Turncloaking” sounds like a slowed-down version of Mankind Liberation Front, which has to be a coincidence. I mean, what are the odds? The title track sounds like a Sting/Paul Simon duet with Talking Heads background music.
“Holler and Howl” sounds like two songs playing at once but not in an ironic way. Some people take their half-assery very seriously, and I can’t say that Annuals can count themselves among those people. It just sounds sloppy, instead. It reminds me of some Porno for Pyros stuff.
“Flesh and Blood” is the last track and has the same intro as “Mayor of Simpleton” by XTC. After the intro, it’s still a good song, but I keep thinking of XTC instead. It messes with my head.
The Prids “Chronosynclastic”
June 21, 2010These guys are really loud live, I bet. There’s a lot of everything going on all the time. “Hide Your Thoughts” gets the album off to a complicated start, with guitar and keyboard fighting over who can dominate the score. Definitely bet this one over the total.
“Waste Our Time” is like Tilly and the Wall without the gimmick, although for as long as these guys have been around it may be a more fair assessment to say that Tilly and the Wall are a gimmicky version of the Prids.
“Fragile” is perfect for fuzzy power-pop lovers. It is not overly complex, just crowded, but everything seems to have its place, and the whole track effortlessly flies on by. “Sydney” witnesses the keyboard wrest control away on several occasions and is also easy to listen to. This album is chock full of high fructose corn syrup — there’s no way it could naturally be this good.
“I’ll Wait” has the best harmonies on the record. It’s like a Rilo Kiley song with one more guitar.
Definitely a great effort here. It’s hard to overcome such a busy sound, but they’ve done it.
Tracey Thorn “Love and Its Opposite”
June 21, 2010You might remember Tracey Thorn as the singer in Everything but the Girl, but that’s a one-way ticket to misunderstanding what she can do for you. This followup to “Out of the Woods” is stripped down and a must for any Lisa Germano fan. “Oh, the Divorces!” is dominated by piano and her timeless voice. Even childbirth has not changed the vocals that we’ve come to know and love.
The tracks have a similar sound, but I see this more as her finding her niche than her being in a rut. “Kentish Town” does stand out a bit, thanks to some top-notch backing vocals. Maybe it’s not on the level of Dot Allison, but it’s close. “Why Does the Wind?” has an actual beat and keyboards, but it sounds a little rinky-dink. Perhaps it’s intentional. For those who want that commercial Everything but the Girl song, this is the track for you.
“Singles Bar” is a fun little story, and it will appeal to Gen Xers around the world. You’re getting old, Generation X! “Come on Home to Me” has male backing vocals that surprise you. The song itself is a bit haunting, and it’s well-produced.
Although the album is not much of a surprise, it’s still well worth listening to.
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