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| From | "Christopher Kouzes" <KouzesC@btol.com> |
| Subject | New listens- Stringfellow/Stamey/Lackloves and more |
| Date | Fri, 9 Apr 2004 11:16:27 -0400 |
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Just got a batch of new and upcoming releases-
Ken Stringfellow/Soft Commands- his best solo project yet. Nothing that rocks like The Posies on full throttle; most songs are mid-tempo to ballad. But every song here (save a faux French track that I'm not digging) is excellent. Vocally, he's never sounded better. Bill Rieflin (who's now with REM) is on drums and on background vocals is the excellent Sarah Shannon (from Velocity Girl, and speak of, weren't they getting back together?) "Let Me Do" may be my favorite track he's ever done. It's fairly epic and almost gospel like. An easy contender for at least Top 5 Album of the Year.
Chris Stamey/Travels in the South- Stamey meets Phish? Not quite, but a few of the songs break the 6 minute barrier, but don't let that worry you. This is the most sophisticated set of songs he's released. There are some extended guitar solos that I don't think I've heard on a Stamey album before. But the songs are extremely well produced and arranged beautifully. Most of the songs are uptempo bordering on rocking out. Only a few slower ballads. Guests include Holsapple, Ryan Adams, Don Dixon, Ben Folds, and Caitlin Cary. More than worth the lengthy wait.
Lackloves/The Beat and the Time- Wow- is this a missing album from Green? Some songs keep the 60's vibe of some of Lackloves' past songs, but several others are dead ringers like they were written by Green's Jeff Lescher (who himself is no stranger to a 60's sound). Overall if you're a Lackloves fan, you'll love this one.
Contrast/Fade Back In- Not nearly as jangly as most bands on Rainbow Quartz. I really liked the first Contrast album, but their second one didn't do much for me. Nor does this one.
Jay Bennett/Bigger Than Blue- Sounds like Jay has been listening to a lot of Gordon Lightfoot. Mellow and folksy.
Grant Lee Buffalo/Storm Hymnal- Always loved this band, but have recently been listening more to Grant's solo albums. This is the first time in a while I've listened to any of their early stuff. Like a well worn pair of jeans- everything fits just right. Great stuff.
Calexico/Convict Pool EP- Absolutely love this band. They don't sound like any other band I can think of. Excellent incorporation of Mexican-style music and instrumentation into their songs. They sound like what Southwestern cooking tastes like. Killer cover of Love's "Alone Again Or."
David Mead/Indiana- Not as immediately catchy as his others, but a real grower. Very reminiscent of some recent work by Rufus Wainright. Nice mellow cover of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature."
Spymob/Sitting Around Keeping Score- A little funk, a little Steely Dan, a lot of Fastball. Hard to believe sometimes that this is N*E*R*D's backing band (which that band's new one "Do or Die" is excellent as well, but not as good as their debut).
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