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NEW MUSIC CDS REVIEW COLUMNCD SPINSby StaffPJ HARVEY“Uh Huh Her” (Island Records)
With her phenomenal last release –– Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea –– Harvey embarks on one of her many dirty, soiled and angry collection of tunes with Uh Huh Her. Methodic and trudging in it’s way to your ears, Uh Huh Her, is destined to be your secret pleasure as it speaks to your base desires that hide in the dark. “The Life and Death of Mr. Badmouth” takes Harvey’s dark mood and injects with a beautiful lilting vocals. Written in a “low” key, this song is a relentless behemoth breaking down the door. “The Letter” is raw and enraged, with emotional choruses and a haunting ache for a loved one. Great guitar work and ambient backwash augment this track. The standout cut here though, has to be “The Desperate Kingdom of Love.” Stripped down to an acoustic guitar and a whispery voice, Harvey pulls on the heartstrings with her vision of the futile and inescapable institution of love. Very, very depressing. While not my cup of tea, Uh Huh Her, stands on it’s own as a catalogue of musical rants and raves on relationships, power struggles and ego. I like to take PJ Harvey in small doses, so as not to become desensitized by the bile oozing from the CD itself! Typical PJ, yet really nothing new. – Jon Rice FABULOUS DISASTER Panty Raid (Pink & Black/Fat Wreck)
You better hold on to those panties nice and tight, because Fabulous Disaster is back and they’ll blow them right off your ass with their sophomore release, Panty Raid. This disc, produced by Fat Mike of NOFX, contains 14 tracks of amped up, full throttle punk rock with great harmonies, hot riffs and a touch of pop overtones; lyrically they are well written and musically, they are performed very tightly. Often described as the Go Go’s on Benzedrine, this four-piece all girl band from San Francisco do the Bay Area proud. With songs like “Next Big Joyride,” “Nightliner” and “Short Fuse,” you get a great sense of what it’s like to see these ladies live. These songs grab a listener's attention with their raw energy and punk edge. These hard rockin' ladies are not just about delivering one big musical knock out punch. They can also finesse you with some great pop anthems such as “Hey Girl,” “Mikey L,” and “Yesterday’s Gone.” Especially smooth and catchy is “No Stars Tonight,” where they sneak in some very nice keyboard parts. All in all, this CD is quite radio friendly. While it maintains its punk edge, there’s a lot of pop and a lot to like in these catchy little tunes. Panty Raid clocks in at 33 minutes and 17 seconds and comes with a “Sid recommends!” sticker on it! I like it a lot. It’s great music representative of a great band. More info, log on at: www.fabulous-disaster.com – Mr. Sid
HANSON Underneath (3CG Records)
Hanson’s back! Well, the lovable blond trio of brothers from Tulsa never really went away. Their third album Underneath, comes to us seven years after the first Grammy nominated album, Middle of Nowhere. For this effort and to keep artistic integrity –– Isaac (23), Taylor (21), and Zac (18) –– created their own production company/label titled 3CG. It enabled them to compose the album with songs that expressed their artistic maturation. Frustrated with their previous hard to please major label, Hanson willingly cut the strings from Island/Def Jam and made their dream a reality. Underneath is less pop, more rock, and truly from their souls. It is emotion-charged and enjoyable to listen to through and through. The brothers introduce the world to their mature style with the catchy first single, “Penny and Me”. The album showcases each brother’s unique writing style. Michelle Branch joins Isaac on the classic love song “Deeper”. The song’s sweet lyrics and emotion-filled crescendos are also matched on tracks, “Crazy Beautiful” that features Taylor, and “Broken Angel”, which is a nice showpiece for Zac’s unique singing style. The Hanson brothers delve into more serious subject matter with the songs –– “Underneath”, “When You’re Gone”, and “Strong Enough To Break”. On the other hand –– “Lost Without Each Other”, “Get Up and Go” or “Hey” –– are upbeat and sure to cure any bad mood. It is an all ages album free from dirty language and lewd subject matter. Hanson deserves to be recognized for their growth and talent. Though often referred to as a “boy band”, Hanson is the opposite of the extinct N’SYNC, BSB, and 98 Degrees, the trio have written original material and played their own instruments from the start. Hanson’s peers are more the likes of Train, Matchbox 20, The Calling and Counting Crows. Think of Hanson as the Crosby, Stills & Nash or the Beach Boys of the 21st Century. Their sound catches your ear and touches your soul. The brothers are proving to have what it takes to survive for decades to come. – Krystal Kadar
DIANA KRALL The Girl In The Other Room (Verve Records)
I must admit went into this review with hesitation, before ever hearing Diana Krall’s music, because of how some of Krall’s pretentious fans touted her as an artist that only people who “get her” should listen. I hate when people do that. I have Elvis Costello to thank for bridging the gap to Diana Krall, as he and Krall are now husband and wife, and her contributed some to her latest CD. Bluesy, jazzy and sultry, Krall offers new takes on some deeper tracks from Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Krall also crafts her own tunes that deserve a listen. Remember the weird and spooky half-spoken, half sung “Is That All There Is?” by veteran torch singer Peggy Lee? You know the song/dirge where she tells this awful story of her house burning down and how her remedy is to keep dancing and boozing and having a ball? Well, that's what the lead off track “Stop This World” reminds me of. Hot, sticky and quirky, this tune anchors Krall’s style for the rest of the CD. My absolute favorite is her rendition of her hubby’s “Almost Blue.” She takes the “new wave” quality out of the original and infuses it with the blue-note characteristic. Evocative and simple, this one will grab you. Krall penned “I’ve Changed My Address” and you can certainly tell how her years of covering other standards have influenced her own writing style. It’s like she takes the lounge genre and updates it to fit into modern standards. Tom Waits should be proud of her rendition of his “Temptation.” She introduces a jazzy feel to counterpoint the original with fanfare. So, have I changed my mind about Krall? Yes, slightly. Is she a great musician? Absolutely! I would certainly recommend her to anyone who like lounge, jazz and blues music. – Jon Rice VARIOUS ARTISTS Up Yours! Punk’s Not Dead! (Indie)
It’s true! Punk rock is alive, kicking, screaming and making eardrums everywhere ring with pleasure! This compilation is proof of that. This various artist release is a wonderful combination of both the “old school” and the “new school” punk music. Styles vary from “garage punk”, “goth punk”, and “political punk”, to the more traditional “in your face, kick you in the teeth” punk, which fans of this genre have come to know and love. Starting with the “old school”, nobody represents that “spit in your eye” attitude better than The Stooges with their “Seek and Destroy,” or the Sex Pistols with “Submission.” ‘Nuff said. On the “new” side of things, we are offered up The Hives with “Main Offender” and Part Chimp with “Pale Horse”, which keep that same aggressive spirit alive. For me, it was also interesting to hear how much the “new school” is totally influenced by artists of the “old”. It is easy to hear influences of bands like The Dammed, Siouxsie and The Banshees and Mudhoney, when listening to Hot Hot Heat, The Strokes, The Only Ones and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The best part of this compilation is that you get to have them all together on one CD, along with other favorites such as The Clash, Swearing At Motorists, The Buzzcocks and The X-Ray Spex. This collection of bands and songs is, in my humble opinion, very well constructed. It will have you screaming along as you drive in your car, knowing all the words to the classic cuts and learning the catchy lyrics of the new ones. The only thing missing from this collection are The Ramones, which does make it seem somewhat incomplete. However, it still proves its point... that punk is NOT dead! – Mr. Sid
MODEST MOUSE Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic Records)
In the vein of The Flaming Lips and Hot, Hot, Hot and Phantom Planet –– Modest Mouse takes “experimental pop” out of the lab and into the mainstream with their first release minus drummer and founding member, Jeremiah Green. With Good News for People Who Like Bad News, on the edge vocals and flip-floppy instrumental backdrop make this CD a standout. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band backs up the very Badly Drawn Boy-esque tune, “The World At Large.” This track features nihilistic and sometimes space cadet-like music with wonderful vocal play. The radio friendly “Float On” marches on with a beat a Drum Major would be proud of. Isaac Brock yelps out a very catchy, quirky and left of center vocal that is perfect for the uncomplicated music drapery. My favorite track is “Bury me With It,” an odd tale of the end of days with a request to bury the narrator with (insert your answer here). Banjo and accordion greet us with the most somber tune on the CD, “Bukowski.” With a hint at depression days, Steinbeck’s Tom Joad could easily have sung this dark and gray song! “The Devil’s Workshop” borrows from the popularity of swing (Squirrel Nut Zippers, etc..) The Dirty Dozen Brass Band lets loose here to great effect. The CD ends with “The Good Times Are Killing Me.” Poppy as a Partridge Family song, this track is one that gets into one’s head and bores its way permanently into the brain. Juxtaposition works well with the dismal pictures in the lyric put atop the lightness of the music. Modest Mouse is for those wishing to expand their musical breadth. Keep in mind, that suspending your disbelief is a prerequisite for this adventure. Modest Mouse’s Good News for People Who Like Bad News, teeters on the edge on emo-pop and experimental – take your pick. – Jon Rice | ||
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