PopMatters home | short takes home | archives

22 August 2005

The Hurt Process, A Heartbeat Behind (Victory) Rating: 6
It's somewhat amusing that one can often predict what a band will sound like based on name and label alone. The Hurt Process. Victory Records. Basic emo with metallish, maybe hardcore overtones. Singer's probably going to whine about how much he misses his girlfriend. So I wasn't all that astonished when A Heartbeat Behind lived up to all my expectations; however, I was a bit taken aback when the disc actually began to grow on me (Shhh! Don't tell anyone or they're going to revoke all my Indie Cred!). The musicianship involved is stellar, the songwriting is surprisingly dynamic, the boys have an ear for penning a catchy melody, and the very first track "Anchor" has a giggle-inducing '80s guitar solo that, quite frankly, comes out of nowhere. Seriously: you can't go wrong with shoving an onanistic guitar solo into otherwise incongruous moments. Sure, the songs tend to run into each other, and it gets hard to differentiate one track from the other by the middle of the disc, but the enthusiasm, energy, and brute force conveyed by the group more than makes up for these faults. This is your little sister's new favorite band. [Amazon]
      — Joon Kim

The End of the World, The End of the World EP (Risk the Rook) Rating: 6
My friend Sam once got the notion that there was a mystery ingredient, which he called "The Slick", which accounted for the difference between ordinary rock and roll and the kind that inspired awe. He never could quite define "The Slick" beyond a sense of a decadent detachment, he attempted to point to various acts and songs and tried to find a unified quality, but upon listening to The End of the World's self-titled debut EP, I think I know what he's getting at. Songwise, there's nothing on The End of the World that is more than workmanlike New York rock and roll, but there's something in the band's sparkling clean guitar work and Stefan Marolachakis's soaring, sneering vocals that exudes a "cooler than thou" vibe. The End of the World aren't breaking any new ground at all, they stick true to the "the" band rulebook, but there are a handful of moments that make the hairs on my neck stand up every time. "This Little Theater" is the theoretically single, but, for me, the minimalist quasi-ballad "Tuesday Becomes Wednesday" is the show-stopping moment, as Marolachakis's vocals sour above a spare guitar riff, as the rest of the band slowly joins him. If the End of the World could harness this mysterious energy more consistently, the band could eventually be worthy of their way too cool band name.
      — Hunter Felt

Tim Reis, The Rolling Stones Project (Concord) Rating: 7
The Stones have been covered numerous times. However, this CD has Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood on it, as well as Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Bill Frisell, and many others. It is a jazz version of hits ("Satisfaction" and "Gimmie Shelter") and lesser-known Stones songs ("Slippin' Away") by a sax player who was with the group on their last two world tours. "Street Fighting Man" is done in Latin style, with lounge style "badaba" vocals. Reis may be kidding a bit here, but the idea works surprisingly well. Reis does a pensive turn on "Paint It Black" with added guest solos. He plays "Honky Tonk Woman" in rock style along with soulful female vocals. Although the CD veers towards smooth jazz at times -- something that does not mesh well with the Stones -- most of the tracks are five to seven minutes long, giving time to explore the melodies and the concepts behind the arrangements. [Amazon]
      — Dave Howell

Al Petteway & Amy White, Land of the Sky: Musical Inspirations from the Southern Appalachians (Maggie's Music) Rating: 6
The back of the latest CD of Al Petteway and Amy White's latest effort reads "File Under: NEW AGE, CONTEMPORARY FOLK." I don't know about you, but that's a warning label if I ever saw one. But listening to the title track of the album puts to rest all of the negative connotations those labels might have, those of Yanni and a thousand other pony-tailed/mulleted tinklers. The originals and public domain classics, from "Black Bear's Picnic" to "The Cuckoo" are all arranged and performed with great care and subtlety. Joe Ebel's violin handles the melody on "Shady Grove" over rolling banjo and acoustic guitar. The song notes are also interesting, touching on song histories both personal and geographical. It is probably accurate to dub the compositions "New Age" in the sense that they're all smooth as hell, but just because they're not field recordings doesn't mean you should turn your nose up at these fine interpretations. [Amazon]
      — Michael Metivier

The Crayon Fields, The Good Life (Cavalier) Rating: 4
Oh, so you like indie-rock? Especially the poppier, less-aggressive stuff that's doing okay for itself these days? Here, try the Crayon Fields. I think you'll like them. Yeah, they're guitar-based, but they've got some decent basslines that should keep you grooving. And, like, grooving in the '60s sense -- there's a real psychedelic throwback thing going on here. There's even one slow number, "Soak With Me in the Sun" that has those vocal harmonies you dig... You're not into it? Why not? Oh, I see -- it's okay but it just doesn't stand out. You've listened to enough music like the stuff on this EP that you're kind of done with it, and you don't need one more disc in your collection. That's cool; I can totally see where you're coming from.
      — Justin Cober-Lake

.: posted by Editor 8:14 AM