Posts by Jeremy Lukens

On their fourth release, the Kills place more emphasis on melody than on angsty rock riffing. Blood Pressures features fewer squealing guitars and buzzing feedback and more vocal harmonies. Hell, there’s even a piano ballad. Not to worry, though; the duo’s gritty sound, combining blues with a punk swagger, is intact.

For an artist that previously combined bluegrass and traditional Chinese music, it would seem that no territory is beyond reach. With her third album, though, Abigail Washburn experiments with something even more foreign to her than the eastern land where she studied: pop music.

The Valence Project was created in an attempt to revitalize trip hop music and bring it into a new era of creativity. Combining acoustic and electronic sounds, the collective strives to create trip hop that is more artistic and emotionally charged. The result is a mixed bag that succeeds at times and falls short on occasion.

Ethan Gold’s debut, Songs from a Toxic Apartment, began as a 75-song epic recorded in a dilapidated apartment that was literally toxic. Though he vacated the unit when it was condemned by the health department, all of the grime, restlessness and despair remained intact in the 12 songs that made the final cut.

On his fourth album, Mission Bell, Amos Lee decided to take his time to get it right. Though the previous two releases weren’t bad, Lee admits that they were rushed and were easily lost among a myriad of rootsy singers strumming an acoustic guitar. The result of that deliberation could be a career-defining album.

On his debut solo album, Mikey James rebrands himself under the pseudonym Mikey Jukebox and reinvents himself by packaging a disparate collection of influences. It’s not surprising, given the artist’s background. James cut his teeth as a drummer for post-punk band Longwave and a frontman for punk rockers The Blood. That work is contrasted by endeavors as far from punk as possible – fronting DJ Dick James/Footage and power pop band The Mercies.

Does the world really need another young woman with an acoustic guitar, soulful voice and ear for melody? Yes, it does. Don’t take my word for it, though. Goodnight Company, the third album by Jane Lui, exists because the people demanded it. With half of the album financed by donations from fans on PledgeMusic.com, Lui’s new album is the direct result of making music that the world wants to hear.

With their second full-length album, Distortionist, the Murdocks harness the raw power of grunge, the energy of punk and the hooks of indie pop while still remaining accessible enough for the modern mainstream.

No one can accuse Kristian Hoffman of playing it safe. Rather than aping the trends of current pop music, Hoffman draws his influences from 60’s rock and pop, theater and even vaudeville on Fop. Hoffman imagines himself a modern-day David Bowie and spends large portions of the album trying to live up to that self-billing. At times it works – such as in the glam rock of “Mediocre Dream” – at times, not. 

A decade has passed since the Jigsaw Seen’s last full-length album of original material, the Grammy-nominated Zenith. Since then, the band has released a number of singles, EPs, and a covers album, but Bananas Foster is the first proper follow-up. Anytime a band takes that long to release an album, it had better be ambitious and it had better be good. In this case, it is both.

Though the landscape of rock music has changed drastically since Helmet’s founding in 1989, Helmet has never worried about what music is popular. With Seeing Eye Dog, Page Hamilton and company offer their most experimental set yet, but it is still undeniably Helmet.

New Idea Society have crafted a sonic landscape that relies on nuance and sleight of hand rather than a routine pop rock formula. Though the music has a minimalist approach, its layered quality rewards repeated listening, with each play revealing something new. Sounds that don’t traditionally go together are combined, such as the frenzied drum rolls and jangling guitars of “Autumn You” or the marching drums and brooding melody of “Come Outside.”

The release of 100 Miles from Memphis was preceded by more buzz than is typical of a Sheryl Crow album, mostly because of the news that it would be a soul album. Though many people were excited, most were skeptical. Whenever talented artists step outside their comfort level to take on a new type of music, the results can be profound (Cat Power’s The Greatest) or disastrous (Chris Cornell’s Scream). Luckily, Crow’s latest effort is an example of the former.

When reviewing I'm Having Fun Now, it's important to state what it is not. It is not another Jenny Lewis solo album with Johnathan Rice on backing vocals and guitar. It does not continue where Lewis left off on Acid Tongue, her finest work and an album that was one of the greatest of 2008.

As Band of Horses strays farther from the sound of their debut, undoubtedly some fans of their earlier material are going to feel let down. Grandiose rock anthems like “The Funeral” are nowhere to be found here. Instead, their third effort sets a mood of subdued melancholy. Infinite Arms is an album whose sound is a better fit on the front porch of a country home than in an arena.

She & Him’s detractors were few and with the release of Volume Two, they are probably still unconvinced. Of the album’s 13 songs, 11 were penned by Deschanel but it still has that vintage feel, as though you expect to hear a needle occasionally scratching the old record only to remember that this is a CD from 2010.

In their full-length debut, Worth the Weight, the Fling flesh out their blues rock sound and explore greater depths than on their EP, ranging from the Led Zeppelin-style riffs of “Only So Far” to the breezy waltz of “Worth the Wait.” There is a momentum that drives each song, keeping even the lighter tracks from boring. “Reclusion” starts mellow but gains intensity as the song progresses, from the first humming bassline to a sustained vocal harmony that outlasts overdriven guitars.

In an era where technologically savvy producers can make even the likes of Katy Perry sound decent on CD, it’s always refreshing when an artist’s performance outshines their album. Such was the case with Jenny Lewis.

Can music be cute? And if so, can it be a good thing? If Anya Marina is any indication, the answer to both questions is yes.

Subtle sonic beauty is the core of Speck Mountain’s second LP. At times haunting, at times warm and breezy, there is a dream-like ambiance that permeates the collection. Marie-Claire Balabanian’s soulful vocals are strong without ever over-singing (pop divas should take note). Instead, her vocals, like the swelling organ, well-placed tambourine, and fuzzed guitars, are one of many sounds mixed together to comprise a complete auditory picture. While nothing ever stands out, repeated listens reveal an intricacy to the song-craft. The throbbing baseline of “Angela” would be nothing without the harmonized vocals; the guitar arpeggio at the root of “Shame on the Soul” is complimented perfectly by a minimalist percussion, including reverb-drenched tambourine. Because of the emphasis of ambiance over hooks some of the songs have a hard time distinguishing themselves, but if there ever was a good drone, this is the one.