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08 May 2006

Bronx Cheerleader, Tough Guy Clichés (Yummy Recordings) Rating: 6
Other than war, no milieu brings out male fallibility more than organized crime. Yet, Americans harbor a nostalgia for the relative certitude of the glory days of gangland; how else can you explain Al Capone's northwoods hideout as a tourist attraction complete with caricatured t-shirts that read, "Justice -- Chicago Style"? Cleverly, ex-Pope Factory man Scott Warren uses the push and pull between these two ideas as the loose underpinning for Tough Guy Clichés. His lyrics are smart but never cutesy or deliberately shocking. A song title like "Our Grudges Have Handles" sums up his approach pretty well. The music, played by Warren and several ex-Pope Factory and Palooka members, belies the subject matter. Mostly acoustic, gauzy, and navel-gazing, at times it's barely there; Warren's voice literally floats by. A little more lo-fi than necessary, but still devastating on tracks like "Hollywood Ending". Some of the better CD packaging you'll ever see, too. [Amazon | Insound]
      — John Bergstrom
"So Nice to See You (Fall)": [MP3]
"Hollywood Ending": [MP3]
"Crapshooter's Blues in A": [MP3]
more songs: [MP3]

Blackmore's Night, The Village Lanterne (SPV) Rating: 6
Ritchie Blackmore's continued foray into new age/folk music with his wife Candice Night might frustrate fans of the man's work with legendary bands Deep Purple and Rainbow, and no question, Blackmore's Night lays the Renaissance Faire shtick very thick, but for all the schmaltz, the pair is capable of moments of gentle beauty on this, their sixth album. "I Guess it Doesn't Matter" and "St. Teresa" don't so much gallop as politely canter, but it's pleasing to hear Blackmore take the old Stratocaster out, but it's the beautiful, heavenly-voiced Night who proves to be the main draw, who showcases her vocal skill on the gentle crescendo of the title track. As usual, the production is decidedly sterile, but Night manages to inject plenty of emotion into the music, not to mention pull the rug out from under us on the covers of Deep Purple's classic "Child in Time", and especially the old Rainbow nugget "Street of Dreams", which much to the shock of yours truly, tops the original. [Amazon | Insound]
      — Adrien Begrand
audio clips: [MP3]

Carquinez Straits, Humiliation Jacket (Lather) Rating: 6
Sacramento's Carquinez Straits have a pretty good thing going with their third record, Humiliation Jacket, tangling straight-up C&W with a host of other influences, from R.E.M. ("Sturdy Like An Eggshell"), to Pavement ("Confusion Island"). Jed Brewer's lackadaisical voice is reminiscent of Howe Gelb's drawl, tumbleweeding through an impressive variety of musical settings. The Straits can rock with the best of them, and still convincingly downshift into a pedal-steel soaked moonlight drive on "Paco + Witch". Plus, they've got a penchant for fantastic song titles. The band's MySpace page features a song called "Oatmeal Stout Man", and this record's got the barroom blitz "Dog Food Binge" that'll reduce you to kibbles and bits and bits and bits. [Amazon | Insound]
      — Michael Metivier
multiple songs: [MP3]

The Hidden, Smash to Ashes (self-released) Rating: 4
Steve Albini will always be remembered as the producer of The Pixies' Surfer Rosa, one of the greatest rock albums ever made. He will not, however, be remembered for engineering The Hidden's first full-length, Smash to Ashes. The inside of the jacket suggests that the album "be played at maximum volume". The only feasible response to such a suggestion is "why?" "Can't describe my empty hands / Without your hand in mine" sings Kevin Grant in "Thirteen Hands," one in a long line of generic riff-rockers. The album is genuinely one-note, the hazy guitar melodies and surprisingly weak drums making for a 10-course sampler of generic rock. The band places its two best hooks up at the start of the album ("Feed" & "The Goat"), but by the end you just won't care. A large part of the problem -- oddly enough -- rests with Albini, who manages to suck any energy out of the album with a production style that ultimately disengages the listener. As long as he remains producer, the band will forever live up to its name, and simply stay Hidden. [Amazon | Insound]
      — Evan Sawdey
"Feed": [MP3]
"The Goat": [MP3]

.: posted by Editor 7:40 AM