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| From | "Stewart Mason" <craigtorso@verizon.net> |
| Subject | recommended new releases |
| Date | Fri, 21 Oct 2005 01:13:51 -0400 |
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L.A. pop-punk quartet Go Betty Go's full-length debut, NOTHING IS
MORE, is hugely enjoyable. It's not just the similar name and gender,
but the closest comparison I can think of is the early Go-Go's, on the
Stiff single and the rockier parts of BEAUTY AND THE BEAT: the pop to
punk ratio skews toward the former, but there's definitely some bite
to these songs as well. Other differences: Nicolette Vilar is (unlike
Belinda Carlisle) a surprisingly technically accomplished singer, but
she's not showy or precious about it, and a couple of the better songs
are in Spanish. (Besides being an all-girl band, they're also an
all-Latina band.) Details at www.gobettygo.com and the album is
available on eMusic. Video and mp3 available at www.sideonedummy.com
In an entirely different mode, Hexes and Ohs are merely the latest
band introduced to me through the glory that is the CBC Radio 3
podcast. They're a boy/girl duo from Montreal (the boy does most of
the singing, in the standard breathy/whispery indie-boy voice that Ira
Kaplan spearheaded), and their album GOODBYE FRIEND WELCOME LOVER is
highly recommended for anyone who likes the twee side of electronic
pop (Air, St. Etienne, Postal Service, etc.) Bonus: the album is
packaged with a second disc, a label sampler from Noise Factory
Records with several rare or remixed tracks from various folks in the
Broken Social Scene axis, among others. Details at
www.noisefactoryrecords.com and streaming songs at the amazing New
Music Canada site at www.newmusiccanada.com -- I like "Whadaya Know?"
best.
I also returned to an older record that I had put aside for awhile and
have been charmed by it all over again: I'm telling you, Jon Harrison
could put any song from ALL SONGS WRITTEN BY: HUMAN TELEVISION on
Little Hits and tell you it was an obscure 1985 release from some band
from Athens, Chapel Hill, Lawrence or maybe Hoboken and you wouldn't
bat an eye. A little Feelies, a little early Chills, a little
Guadalcanal Diary, it's all there. Details and clips at
www.giganticmusic.com
S
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