Audioholic Media

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 05.26.09
by Joshua Krage

I know the music industry is forever continuing its fiscal downward spiral in the constant evolution of music listenership and technological innovation, but it’s still sobering and sad when the casualties hit close to home. This week Sacramento lost its best source for alternative music in KWOD 106.5, which went dark and was replaced by a 90′s station. Just another example of the times, I know, but a good reminder to invest in the things you don’t want to go away. For instance, if you want your favorite band to continue producing quality music, you must buy their product or attend their show, otherwise how are they gonna have time for that awesome tuneage while they’re holding down a day job to pay their rent? Here’s a list of what’s out this week for you to help support some starving (and not-so-starving) musicians and/or their record companies:

Black Moth Super Rainbow
Dave Brubeck – Time Out 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition
Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition
Dmitri From Paris / The Idjut Boys
Electrik Red

Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest – once you get past all the blog buzz and hipsternet hype encasing this Brooklyn quartet, you’ll find a very adventurous avant-folk sound that doesn’t just defy description, it necessitates new adjectives. Lo-fi acoustic foundations support synth-augmented psychedelic flourishes, dynamic chamber pop gives way to lush, unhurried romanticism, old-timey classic ambiance is carried along atop odd time signatures and iced with ethereal children’s choirs… ambitious is an understatement, but if you’re familiar with their last few albums, they’ve been steadily building and streamlining toward this incredible amalgamation of sound for quite awhile now, and they have earned their place atop the indie-beard blogger lists.

Hillsong United, a_CROSS // the_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls – if you are part of a contemporary worship team at any church, you most likely play songs from this band, the youth component of Australia’s famously expansive house of praise. Part 1 of a 2-part series, they have some refreshing deviations from their normal formula on this live-recorded album, different time signatures and a bit of musical exploration on some tracks, a welcome change and an engaging set of worship altogether.

Marilyn Manson – I have no desire to listen to this album, but am sorely tempted on account of industrial-lounge mastermind Chris Vrenna (who records his own stuff under the “Tweaker” moniker) being present, both in the band and in the sound booth (as well as the songwriting).
Julian Marley
Donnie McClurkin

Mandy Moore, Amanda Leigh – it’s hard to not make fun of someone who got their start as a candy-pop teen sensation, but I admire Mandy’s newfound appreciation for authenticity in music, taste, and songwriting. This record has Inara George (Bird and the Bee) involvement so it gets immediate notice, and Moore’s chief collaborator and producer for the endeavor is established scene-scoring musician Mike Viola, who helps the overly-cute songstress pursue her Laurel Canyon ’70s sound pretty effectively. Although Moore still doesn’t possess an incredibly strong voice, her conviction is pretty solid here and her songs are relatively enjoyable.

Motley Crue – Dr. Feelgood 20th Anniversary – this album is actually a guilty pleasure of mine, though I still cannot stand Vince Neil’s nasally weenie-whine. I once constructed a killer mash-up of the title track with a Michael Jackson classic and a Bebel Gilberto tune. Someday I might even get to post it…

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – up to this point, the most anyone knows about these Parisian pogo-pop hommes is that Sofia Coppola is a fan, as is somebody at Saturday Night Live. Honestly, the relative unfamiliarity is to be expected, since, until now, they haven’t done anything nearly as noteworthy as this new album. Their fourth full-length is up-front and catchy pop/rock, with lots of bright, jangly guitars and youthful yowling from effervescent vocalist Thomas Mars, plus a few mature moments with full, lush keyboard beds framing the sonic scene. A big step forward, and rather solid grab for the spotlight.

Eros Ramazzotti
Michelle Shocked
Siouxsie and the Banshees – at the BBC
Tiga

VAST, Me and You – moody guitar shredder turned songcrafter Jon Crosby sticks with his acoustic-based theme for a second straight album (regrettably) and turns in a rather lean set of ambient shadows looming over semi-gothic, minor-key majesty. I used to be a big VAST fan, but his songwriting skills really aren’t served by this acoustic crap, I think he’s just getting lazy.

Viva Voce
War Tapes

Jenny Owen Youngs, Transmitter Failure – far surpassing her acoustic singer-songwriter roots, my favorite imaginative lyric conjurer goes for broke on her follow-up LP, with ace help from producer Dan Romer and musician Bess Rogers, who contribute excellent songwriting collabs and innovative arrangements with elements ranging from studio-pop to old-timey ragtime to lush strings and beyond.

James Yuill, Turning Down Water for Air – I believe “electroacoustic” is the proper term, but I hate that term. The long-awaited U.S. release date of this superb folktronic songsmith, deftly melding his subdued acoustic compositions with big, meaty bliptop beats and electronic effect wizardry, effectively creating a kinder, gentler, guitar-toting industrial robot hiking across the countryside.

I know every other blog has been/is/will be gushing over that new Grizzly Bear album, if only because it’s incomprehensible to the masses and indiscernible to your average listener, thus the interweb community feels they must call it greatness. But greatness is where you find it, and hopefully something from this list will lift you up a few notches this week. Have a Happy Memorial Day, and see you next month.

P.S. Enjoy a sampling from this week’s new songs on my MySpace page. It’s updated pretty much weekly now…

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