NEW IN WFHB ADDPOOL 1/9/07
DATE: 1.9.07ARTIST: Rivulets
TITLE: You Are My Home (Important)
GENRE: LOCAL
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Nathan Amundson (a.k.a. Rivulets) has consistently crafted stellar
minimalist pop over the course of three records, yet You Are My Home still
feels like a breakthrough. Here his careful melodies, cautious singing and
full-band climaxes hit all the right spots, impeccably patterned yet with
no hint of overwrought labor. The title track is the albums
mini-masterpiece, an aching procession spurred by guest contributions from
Jessica Bailiffs sandy guitar, the plaintive strains of Fred Lonborg-Holms
cello and Christian Fredericksons viola, plus Amundsons simple acoustic
chords and gentle piano tracings. Inside this mix of slow-burning
elements, the prize is Amundsons vocal, which darts around in hesitant,
cracking spikes. It gives the track both a stoic chill and a dewy drama,
and Amundson marries those moods as gracefully as he doles out his
purposeful strums. (The passage about four minutes in where his hums melt
into the surrounding strings helps a lot too). Squint your ears and you
might hear a Will Oldham tune sung by Sufjan, or a Low classic played by
locals in the back of the pub. Admundsons humble epic may evoke great
influences, but its summed parts produce a poignancy all their own.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11
REVIEWER: paperthinwalls.com
DATE: 1.9.07
ARTIST: David Kilgour
TITLE: The Far Now (Merge)
GENRE: ROCK ALT
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Kilgour's first band, The Clean, changed the face of rock music
when they kick-started New Zealand's pop underground in the early 80's.
More than 25 years later, Kilgour still loves music but loves life more,
which is why he's still making records that are monuments to good
old-fashioned song craft. This is his third record for Merge and sixth
solo affair. It takes some cues from its predecessors, the shimmering,
trippy "A Feather In The Engine" and the lush, soul-tinged "Frozen
Orange", without sounding like either of them. "The Far Now" is filled
with gorgeous melodies, singing that conveys subtle emotion, and
effortlessly eloquent guitar playing.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 (instrumental)
REVIEWER: interpunk.com
DATE: 1.9.07
ARTIST: Erin McKeown
TITLE: Sing You Sinners (Nettwerk)
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Erin's solo records are much more eclectic and quirky and
creative, this one seems just for fun. And it is. Sort of a psuedo-jazz
sound (she makes no claims to the genre), taking on a whole bunch of
classic songs that are fun and swinging. While the album on full listen
has a certain sameness to it, one track at a time should sound great
on the air.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 7, 9, 11
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 1.9.07
ARTIST: Tony Furtado
TITLE: Thirteen (Funzalo)
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: With Thirteen, Tony Furtado fulfills the immense promise of his
2004 breakthrough These Chains, his initial foray into songwriting and
singing. Theretofore, Furtado had been known primarily for his prodigious
instrumental recordings. But listeners will have no doubt when they hear
the opening strains of Used, the new albums lead track, that Furtado is a
man on a mission. All the while his phalanx of fretted instruments
provides a thrilling visceral reminder of Furtados prowess as an ax
wielder of the highest order. Thirteen reveals Furtado as an artist with a
great deal on his mind and a full arsenal of skills with which to express
his thoughts and feelings. Recorded to 16-track, two-inch analog tape
during the summer of 2005 at Tucsons Wavelab Studios (a favorite venue for
Calexico, Neko Case, M. Ward, Iron & Wine and other cult heroes), the
album features an all-star cast including keyboardists Sean Slade (whose
production credits include Uncle Tupelo and Radiohead) and Jim Dickinson
(producer of the seminal Ry Cooder albums that inspired Furtado to take up
the slide guitar, plus Big Star and the Replacements), bassist Dusty
Wakeman (whose resume includes three previous Furtado LPs, Dwight Yoakam,
Lucinda Williams and Anne McCue), drummer Winston Watson (who has played
with Dylan and Giant Sand) and Wavelabs own Craig Schumacher (Calexico,
Case, Iron & Wine), who produced and engineered. In addition to ten
first-rate originals, Furtado recorded three cover songs for the album.
The Whos Wont Get Fooled Again and Creedence Clearwater Revivals Fortunate
Son extend the political and personal luck theme of Thirteen; and a
whimsical take on Elton John's Take Me to the Pilot allows this musically
and conceptually dense song cycle to catch its breath before soldiering on.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13
REVIEWER: Cary Baker/modernguitars.com
DATE: 1.9.07
ARTIST: Sloan
TITLE: Never Hear The End Of It (Yep Roc)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Never before has a Sloan record generated such extreme reviews by
critics and fans. The band's eighth studio recording, Never Hear the End
of It, contains a whopping 30 songs on one disc, ranging from 50 seconds
to just over five minutes in length. The bulk of those tracks average
roughly two-and-a-half minutes and bleed into each other--at times rather
abruptly. As a result, the disc feels like an eccentric art-project; even
the strongest tracks prove to be more of an appetizer, leaving listeners
longing for a main course. Stylistically, there are no surprises. The
group's music tends to fall into Sloan's two traditional categories:
Beatles-esque stylings or '70s-influenced rock tunes. Noteworthy
highlights include disc opener "Flying High Again" with its Crosby, Stills
& Nash harmonies, and the blisteringly old-school punk rock pacing of
"HFXNSHC." Fans of this disc compare Never's nonstop onslaught of songs to
Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville or the Clash's Sandinista, while naysayers
find the short, fast melodies insufficient in length and substance. Like
all music, beauty is in the ear of the beholder, so expect Never Hear the
End of It to be on many critics' Best or Worst lists at year's end.
--Denise Sheppard
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:1, 5, 7, 10, 13, 16, 22, 24
REVIEWER: amazon.com
DATE: 1.9.07
ARTIST: Astrid Williamson
TITLE: Day Of The Lone Wolf (Incarnation)
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Day Of The Lone Wolf, Astrid's third solo album,is one that slowly
reveals its excellence each time you listen, in the way that the best
albums often do. Those familiar with Astrid's work so far won't be
disappointed. It has the usual appealing mix of melodic pop (Superman II,
Sshh...), atmospheric soundscapes (Amarylis, Another Twisted Thing) and
tender slowies (Reach, True Romance, Forgive Me) that all hang together
beautifully as a whole to provide a thrilling listen. Like the NME said
about her first album, "the songs sound like they've been lived rather
than dreamt up", and that's down to Astrid's ability to lay down a subtle
but affecting vocal where others would overstate and over-emphasise to the
detriment of the songs. I'm no expert on production, but it sounds like a
good job was done here, and the band Astrid plays with on this album add
yet another dimension to her sound. If you're unfamilar with Astrid's
music, take a chance on this album - you won't regret it.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11
REVIEWER: amazon.com
DATE: 1.9.07
ARTIST:The Postmarks
TITLE: The Postmarks (Unfiltered)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: The Postmarks describe the environment where their songs and
recordings have been carefully crafted as a heartbreak factory. Opening
the factory doors is an act that reveals the journey the members took from
the creative mire of emptiness to the overflowing well of heartbreak. A
journey that helped them emerge at the forefront of the nouveau pop
movement. With nods to French pop and Brian Wilsons orchestral
arrangements, The Postmarks believe they can rekindle the love affair
people once had for beautiful music and well-crafted songs about the
trials and tribulations of life.
a suburban bedroom symphony suffused with post-teenage heartbreak and
painstaking pointillism.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 11
REVIEWER: SPECTRE reviews
DATE:1.9.07
ARTIST: Bill Kirchen
TITLE: Hammer Of The Honky-Tonk Gods (Proper)
GENRE:ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Guitarist Bill Kirchen was the picker who played the iconically
twangy guitar on Commander Codys Hot Rod Lincoln, so its no surprise that
the title track to this album celebrates the Fender Telecaster. The album
is more than just a guitar demonstration, though. In fact, its very much a
song album, and the songs seem effortless. He shifts gears from honky-tonk
to country to pop and R&B easily, never losing his sound or the song in
the process. Like so many sideman albums, Kirchens could use a more
clearly defined personality, but his unassuming manner and respect for
rock and soul traditions is endearing.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 6, 8, 11
REVIEWER: Alex Rawls/Offbeat
also added:
Kentucky Nightmare There's Vampire's In Them Hills (self-released)
Holmes Brothers State of Grace (Alligator)
posted by WFHB Music @ 3:59:00 PM
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