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12 May 2006

me and him call it us, Loss (Stickfigure)
Unlike current grind greats Daughters and The Locust, Monroe, Georgia duo me and him call it us choose to tone down the histrionics just enough to allow listeners to focus on the music, not the frenzy, and consequently, Loss turns out to be one of the more enjoyable albums of its kind to come around as of late. Despite the presence of a song called "My Heart Beats in Blast Beats", there's little if any blasting going on here, as the drumming is much more controlled and varied, as are the songs themselves, which range from the insanity of "Sarsaparilla", to the progressive hardcore of "Encirclement of the Dancing Scarecrows", to more moody, drone and feedback-drenched fare like the lengthy centerpiece "Headache". Add a healthy dose of metal riffs that appear from time to time, and you've got a solid breath of fresh air in what can be a rather stultifying genre. [Insound]
      — Adrien Begrand
"Encirclement of the Dancing Scarecrows": [MP3]
"Pallbearer": [MP3]
"Seasick": [MP3]
multiple songs: [MP3]

Big City Dreams, Honesty (self-released)
The fizzy power pop/punk this Gainsville, Florida foursome plays could easily go commercial (a back-handed compliment, if you ever heard one). Their jangly, tangly guitar lines sound like The Gin Blossoms pushed to punk rock speed, and shot through with exuberant drum shots. The singing is earnest enough to make you think these five silly love songs matter, trembling, even yodeling sometimes with sheer excitement. The band starts with its best bet, the goofily euphoric "I'm Your Density... I Mean Your Density", where octave leaps and thickets of dueling guitars just clear the dreaded "pop emo" hurdle. The rest is forgettable. "Can't Catch Halley's Comet" is a generic Rick Springfield outtake, and the downtempo closer "King of Hearts" transparently bids to make the teenyboppers swoon. Look, there's much worse stuff on MTV and mainstream radio, but that makes Big City Dreams bearable, not good. [Insound]
      — Jennifer Kelly
"Can't Catch Halley's Comet": [MP3]
"Head North Turn Left": [MP3]
multiple songs: [MP3]

Various Artists, Dorm Sessions: Volume III (Heavy Rotation)
Boston doesn't always get the musical props it deserves these days, overshadowed by New York City. But that doesn't mean the Beantown scene isn't vibrant -- especially at Berklee College of Music. Dorm Sessions: Volume III, featuring nine Berklee students/alums, and released on the student-run Heavy Records, proves that Boston is flourishing. DS:VIII runs the risk of trying to please too many different genre fans, covering everything from rap to singer/songwriter to emo, but all the songs captured here -- many literally recorded in students' dorm rooms -- boast an undeniable exuberance and musical joy. I'm no rap guy, but Raydar Ellis' "Graffiti Rock", a pre-gangsta ode to taggers caught my ear immediately, as did the jazzy/funky voice of Elizabeth & the Catapults' Elizabeth Ziman; their "Waiting for the Kill" is one of the disc's standouts. Admittedly, the world already has enough sensitive guys with guitars and pianos (sorry Will Champlin and Charlie Worsham), and a few too many tracks suffer from overpolishing and sound a little too WB-drama-ready, but as compilations go, this disc -- after a little wheat-from-chaff separation -- stands as a better-than-average primer of some exciting up-and-comers. [Amazon | Insound]
      — Stephen Haag
multiple songs: [MP3]

Mike Andrews, Hand on a String (Elgin Park)
Mike Andrews, the man responsible for the instrumental soundtracks to Donnie Darko and Me and You and Everyone We Know, has composed an album of gently psychedelic songs backed by strummed guitars. If I had to pick a TV show for this music to accompany then it would be a children's programme, something whimsical and kind and a playfully surreal, starring furry animals dressed in overalls. The lyrics wouldn't fit (they're often about adult love, the gaining and losing thereof. "I can erase you -- completely replace you," he sings in "Just a Thought") but the melodies would be perfect. Even when the music begins to swerve in a seasick way on "Sweeping, Cleaning and Organizing", it still sounds toy-sized. Monotony is the danger here. The songs are all a bit similar, and by the end of the album you might feel that you've overindulged. But anyone who likes Andrews' soundtracks will love it. [Amazon | Insound]
      — Deanne Sole
multiple songs: [MySpace]

.: posted by Editor 8:22 AM