Volume Three of New Arrivals features 19 tracks by independent artists who are devoting their music for a great cause: National Eating Disorders Association.
Probably the biggest trap into which a live album can fall is that of sounding too much like a studio album. After all, if it sounds pretty much like the studio cuts with crowd noise in between, what's the point? A live album should inject different energies or arrangements into the songs we already love, not just rehash them. It's an all too common disaster and any band on the verge of it would be wise to use Still Dangerous as a guide toward righteousness (just as much as Lizzy's established classic Live and Dangerous).
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.
Don’t be fooled by honeyhoney’s moniker. The debut album from this duo, composed of Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe, is anything but saccharine and repetitive. It begins with Santo’s beautiful voice singing slow a cappella, usually an indication of a soulful ballad, before the band jumps in and turns the song (“Black Birds”) into a mid-tempo jazzy tune. It is the first of many pleasant surprises.
This album is a regression for The Secret Machines – and one that is to be expected with the amicable departure of guitarist Ben Curtis, who focuses now on School of Seven Bells.
Because of The Mountain's emotional depth and Erika Wennerstrom’s amazing voice, this album is a rare and a very beautiful work, reminiscent of the old time blues that inspired Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and countless others.
Keane, much like several other contemporary British acts have the terrible luck of getting record deals around the time Coldplay and David Gray became world-renowned acts – and unfortunately to the untrained, American ear, there’s almost very little sonic difference between Keane, South and others.
Like their adopted African roots, Toubab Krewe’s music is meant to be shared, not locked behind soundproof glass, so while Orange Peel does at times lose some bite beneath the club’s high ceilings and constant white noise, it captures the band better than their 2005 studio debut.
Following his epic solo debut, The Land of Pure Imagination, Roger Jospeh Manning Jr.'s Catnip Dynamite is an addictive concoction of hook-laden melodies, soaring harmonies and complex arrangements that would astound the likes of Brian Wilson and even Prince.
Though Wellspring is only the second offering from singer-songwriter Ashton Allen, it seems that he’s got the relaxing-acoustic-pop-art thing down to a science.
