Its imaginative storytelling qualities are effective at times and overwrought at others, as narrator g. Eddison — it’s unclear whether Mr. Eddison is an actual person or just a fictional device — cries woe over the generation his junior. Woody Guthrie’s an obvious influence, as the bluegrass band tackles the taboo with obvious language and […]
CD review
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Carter Sampson — Mockingbird Sing
The album’s 12 tunes brim with crystal-clear, country guitars celebrating all the joys of rural life — and not necessarily just the whiskey-related ones. It’s a dusty gem of an Okie-born album (Sampson’s now based in Fayetteville, Ark.), spiked with the occasional blast of organ and glimmering pedal steel from Chris Moore. Wanda Jackson and […]
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Snow Patrol — Fallen Empires
The resulting album optimistically handles maturation and the journey from regret to embracing imperfection, only to be set back by the occasional self-indulgent, plodding love note from vocalist/songwriter Gary Lightbody. Fortunately, the incorporation of playful melodies and eccentric synths leave impression enough to warm even the coldest heart. Jacknife Lee returns for the fourth time […]
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Peach — Peachy-P
On its 15-minute debut, Oklahoma City fusion trio Peach seems content playing on words and naming the last song “Short Record.” And setting its genre at “metal” when it pulls up in the listener’s iTunes library. For all this and the casual, greasy-lounge feel of some of these songs, I wonder how serious these guys […]
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Big Fresh — Moneychasers
Employing the talents of 10 musicians, this Kentucky indie ensemble handles pop, rock, reggae, ska and everything in between. The problem is, it loses its identity in the process, forsaking accessibility for technicality. The single, “Rumours,” features the most restrained use of horns on the album, as well as a quirky piano accompaniment and the […]
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Los Campesinos! — Hello Sadness
Their neckbreak rock style that somehow straddles post-rock and post-punk — as best exemplified on the explosive “Youngster …” opener “Death to Los Campesinos!” — no longer catches listeners unaware, but singer and songwriter Gareth Campesinos!’ vocal improvements and knack for darkly comical, hyperdetailed storytelling really focuses this disc’s stories about messy relationships and death. […]
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Various Artists — The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams
Now unearthed, some genius (not sarcasm) at Columbia thought it’d be a great idea to recruit a handful of singers indebted to Williams for the purpose of recording an album that simultaneously acts as tribute and debut. None of these songs were ever recorded, according to Columbia. Who finished writing them, we don’t know, but […]
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St. Vincent — Strange Mercy
No longer girlish in her vocal performance, Annie Clark grips a “horsehair whip” brought to life by her sinister voice that’s simultaneously desperate for intimacy and confident expressing it. The line “no kisses, no real names” makes it pretty clear that she’s playing the dominatrix here. All that’s missing is a black mask on the […]
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Stoney LaRue — Velvet
The song opens Edmond resident Stoney LaRue’s second studio full-length, “Velvet,” six years after “The Red Dirt Album.” At times, LaRue and his band (which features CMA favorite Randy Scruggs on guitar) kid themselves with the limited singer’s range, but they really nail the dark, smooth feeling suggested by the title, with soft-rock guitar fills […]
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Red Hot Chili Peppers — I’m with You
And it almost didn’t happen. The band went on hiatus after its “Stadium Arcadium” tour wrapped up in 2007. Bassist Flea hit the books, studying music theory at the University of Southern California;, singer Anthony Kiedis was a new father; and drummer Chad Smith began playing with other bands. It looked like the Peppers might […]