Unbunny - Moon Food
Unbunny - Moon Food (Hidden Agenda) [upcoming shows] [audio]
Alternating between bare boned odes to exes and joyous Harvest-esque country folk singalongs where the people with the worst voices sing lead, very personal details are laid bare in the lyrics; from calling bullshit on her new husband to song titles like "Young Men are Easy Prey" and "You Run Like a Girl", which also suggests some possible gender issues that we shall ignore. Hit repeat on "Straw on a Camel's Back"; with its two-note violin flourishes, it's a spurt of pop perfection. Also, Eskimos don't live in Mexico.
- mark
Mike Viola & Kelly Jones - Melon
Mike Viola & Kelly Jones - Melon (self released) [upcoming shows] [audio]
The five songs recorded live for Melon may sound familiar to fans of Viola and Jones. "There Goes My Baby," an upbeat pop song penned by the pair, gets reworked as a mournful ballad with the two harmonizing quietly over an acoustic guitar. That intimacy continues on Fleetwood Mac's "Steal Your Heart Away" and Hunters & Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me," both evocative of Viola's previous live recordings. The record concludes with "A Way to Say Goodbye," an oft-performed Viola tune written for a duet that's never sounded better.
- cormac
Fennesz · Daniell · Buck - Knoxville
Fennesz · Daniell · Buck - Knoxville (Thrill Jockey) [upcoming shows] [audio]
Only familiar with the work of Christian Fennesz, I'm using this album as a personal stepping-stone into new musical terrain; David Daniell and Tony Buck. Recorded live, these four tracks capture a trio meandering and then tumbling over each others' distinct sounds. Captured moments of caution and conflict, possibly preserved to compliment your own creative endeavors.
- cameron
Matt the Electrician - Animal Boy
Matt the Electrician - Animal Boy (self released) [upcoming shows] [audio]
Those fortunate enough to see Matt The Electrician live know of this charming troubadour's effect on a crowd, armed only with his guitar, a gruff voice, and some stories. Listening to songs like "For Angela" give a glimpse into this experience, but the full band sound on songs like "College" and "Divided By 13" really impress. They serve as a how-to for any one man band looking to expand their sound in the studio. Expect purists to demand a stripped-down Animal Boy...Naked version of the album in thirty years.
- cormac
Tre Orsi - Devices + Emblems
Tre Orsi - Devices + Emblems (Comedy Minus One) [upcoming shows] [audio]
Producers have to resist the urge to create mirror images of themselves on the band they are recording (see Jeff Lynne 1987-2007). Tre Orsi's first full length is produced by ex-Silkworm/current The New Year member Bubba Kadane. There are similarities such as the dry, subdued vocals but whereas The New Year start their build up from a whisper and konk out at mid-tempo, Tre Orsi begin at the mid-tempo point and then blast into heavy indie rock. Other reference points include Chavez, Polvo and Bottomless Pit.
- mark
Jack Babineau - Generation of Need
Jack Babineau - Generation of Need (self released) [upcoming shows]
[audio]
Acoustic guitar driven love songs, accented by harmonica, slinky soul riffs, and a piano ballad, as if James Taylor stumbled upon the offshoot of the fountain of youth somewhere in the Providence River. The full band treatment adds a little more oomph to the title track and he is joined on "Love Now" by Charise White, who adds booming female vocals. Fair to say, he has mastered all the traits of the sensitive singer songwriter genre, but I'm more looking forward to the album he writes after she leaves him.
- mark
The State Lottery - When the Night Comes
The State Lottery - When the Night Comes (Salinas) [upcoming shows]
[audio]
Within the first ten seconds of this vinyl-only release, the first blast of saxophone is followed by piano and an avalanche of sweaty, genuine rock and roll; sax wailing behind yelling vocals and a shout out loud chorus. Lyrics about growing up in NYC, suicide, boy scouts, shooting guns, and mortality. The eight minute album-ending "Spring 2008 Detroit" takes all the best elements and rolls it into one giant epic sing-along. A high energy sweat-soaked Benjamin Button version of the E Street Band.
- mark
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