PopMatters Music Short Takes

Amelia, A Long, Lovely List of Repairs (Adrenaline)

Amelia’s records can seem like a bit of a tease. The band (consisting of vocalist/drummer Teisha Helgerson, bassist Jesse Emerson, and guitarist/vocalist Scott Weddle) always features a few especially spry songs that immediately grab your attention, and combine Americana with touches of some vague European sensibility. Ultimately, though, those are distractions from Amelia’s apparent true love: quiet slow-to-midtempo songs that rely on the subtlest of touches to distinguish themselves.

A Long, Lovely List of Repairs follows the same template, kicking off with the slinky vibe and Spanish lyrics of “Enemigo”. That leadoff track is joined in the task of pricking our ears by moments like the Waitsian stomp of “Dolores”, the nimble acoustic melody of “Thick as Thieves”, and the stinging guitar solo that punctuates “Cover the Leak”. The album’s true personality, though, lies in straightforward, sometimes hushed work like “Farewell” and “After You” where touches of violins, piano, clarinet, and other sounds attempt to carry the day. Helgerson’s smoky vocals are always a highlight, but these quieter moments run the risk of sounding the same. As a listener, you get the sense that Amelia could be a lot more distinctive than they’re allowing themselves to be. [Amazon]

Alun Piggins, At War With the Elephants (Moldy Floor Records)

Former singer for the Morganfields, Alun Piggins, keeps doing what he’s been doing for the last two decades, namely crafting songs that won’t be on radio anytime soon but only because he doesn’t have the huge monolith or corporate bigwigs behind him. Bringing to mind a somewhat more polished Paul Westerberg on the first song “Watching You Glow”, Piggins opts for a well-honed barroom feel on this gem. You’d be hard pressed to know that the same performer is behind the softer, troubadour-like “Beckoning Door”, but he nails this roots-y song perfectly. Want foot-stomping rocker? Than try on “Not Happening” for size which delivers the goods even after dozens of listens. Piggins also knows what works time and time again as is the case with the Petty-leaning, melodic jangle seeping out of “Somewhere on Highway 2”. Throughout it all, Piggins rarely falters, whether on the gorgeous “Under a Neon Moon” that is a shade of rock-meets-Americana. There are several nuggets here, but Piggins outdoes himself with the tender “Empty House” and the fairly self-explanatory “Drunk in America”. [Amazon]

Jaguar Love, Jaguar Love (Matador)

Jaguar Love, the newest Matador Records band, comes out of the ashes of the Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves. On their first release, this self-titled EP meant as a preview for their upcoming full length, they manage to carry on the energetic tradition of both of those bands. The first track “Highway of Gold” sands down the fangs from the Blood Brothers’ sound and meshes it nicely with a more melodic drive without losing any bite. “My Organ Sounds Like...” is a massive builder of a song that ends with a freak out worthy of Johnny Whitney’s hair-raising screech. Unfortunately, sandwiched between those two songs is “Videotape Seascape”, a song that sands those fangs down to gum-line nubs, and on top of overdone synths Whitney’s shriek sounds cartoony and cloying. It’s a sound you’ll hope they avoid on their full-length, since these guys are so good when they’re just plain rocking. Jaguar Love EP is terribly brief, and imperfect, but two good songs out of three ain’t bad. [Amazon]

The Classic Crime, The Silver Cord (Tooth and Nail)

The Classic Crime is not your older brother’s emo band. And, for the first time in a long time, that’s a good thing. From the forefathers of the genre/subgenre/movment (have we ever settled just what “emo” is?) to newer phenoms like Sunny Day Real Estate, Jimmy Eat World and The Juliana Theory, previous generations of bands have been far superior to what’s come down the pike in the last few years. While the Seattle quintet isn’t quite free of the entanglements that have plagued the current crop of MTV darlings, (The Silver Cord still relies on a few too many trite progressions and melodies) the band’s second album brings promise that a band or bands could come along and stretch the style past its self-imposed limitations.

Singer Matt MacDonald adeptly leads his bandmates through a set of fifteen songs marked by innovations that, compared to their contemporaries, seem positively revolutionary. Production values, for example, mean something more to The Classic Crime than applying another coat of pop sheen to their tracks. The band brings more than a few loud guitars to the table (incorporating keyboards deftly into a few tracks) and varies up the style/rhythm of several songs to showcase influences ranging from Dashboard Confessional ("Everything") to Queen (briefly in the vocal interlude on “Sing").

Indeed, the band’s appreciation for music from decades past is evident throughout the album (hear the ‘80s guitar on “Grave Digging” and the late ‘90s aesthetic at the start of “R&R"). With MacDonald a stronger vocalist than many of his counterparts, the band’s future looks bright should they continue to pursue some of their bolder urges. [Amazon]

2562, Aerial (Tectonic)

Dubstep is all the rage these days, and releases like the debut full-length from Dave “2562” Huismans make it easy to see why. In his unique marriage of dub bass and minimal techno timing, he reveals a world where Dr. Alex Patterson met Burial at Laurent Garnier’s studio over tea. Dave’s basslines are tricky, more warped than Paris Hilton’s sense of class, and smothered in continually echoing pads inspired by classic reggae. The effort to keep things moving as 120 BPM never allows the album to drift into doldrums, as the genre is prone to do in LP form. It’s an impressive introduction. 2562 actually buried Burial in my collection. [Amazon]

The Smithereens, Live in Concert! (Koch Records)

The Smithereens are a great power-pop bar band. That may read like an oxymoron, but it’s the truth. Vocalist Pat DiNizio might sing the lost-my-girl-blues with songs like “Only a Memory” and “Drown in My Own Tears”, but his fellow band mates—guitarist Jim Babjak, drummer Dennis Diken, and bassist Severo Jornacion—also help him work up a powerful head of steam. Sure, you can pick up these songs on a greatest hits collection. But it’s far better when DiNizio sings his great line, “She stood just like Bill Wyman”, in front of a sweaty, beer-soaked audience. Many of these songs are a few decades old now, but you wouldn’t gather that from this live date. It still sounds like there are a few open wounds left. Better still, in addition to the group’s high-powered musical pain formula, there’s also a cover of the Batman theme tacked on at the end. [Amazon]

Park Avenue Music, By Hearts + Horses (Clairecords)

Noise or ambient rock can be a hit or miss affair. If it’s too arty then it just becomes pretentious to the listener who will often chuck it. But then again if it’s not too highbrow what’s the point. Park Avenue Music have found the proper balance on this album, starting with the gorgeous “Norway Kitty” which could have been placed on the soundtrack to either Babel or Lost In Translation and been a highlight on each. The thoughtful nature to most of the material is what draws you in, even if the “Palaces + Prisons” which has spoken word over it like some ambient homage to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of the Moon. Somber describes much of the album’s tone, with “Tufts” having a bit more dramatic flair or weight in the style of Portishead on a real downer. Although the sons occasionally go off on a tangent where they really shouldn’t like during the almost aquatic “Piet”, Park Avenue Music, led by Wes Steed and Jeannette “Juju” Faith, shine on the tranquil “Before”. And the record closes as sweetly as it began with “Japan Luvr”. [Amazon]

The Curse of Company, Leo Magnets Joins a Gang (Dangerbird)

The website for Leo Magnets has a black background, grey lettering so faint it looks silver, and photographs of the musicians wearing old coats and hats. With its juxtaposition of 1920s typeface and colonial costume it’s a fantasy of age, a saga set in no specific time, just the Land of Old. The album works at joining the same vague world, washing along on waves of dreampop instrumental and lyrics about clouds and leaves and “floating ground” sung in female whispers or high male voices. “When we undress your heart, no need for concern,” a man sings, sounding moved. There are pop songs in here but most of them try not to stand out. They drift together, gentled and charmed, smudgy and sweet. A vehicle for wistful indie chic. [Amazon]