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Weekly Reviews For February 8, 2006

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Beth Orton - Conceived

This is strangely subdued considering its the first single from Beth Orton since "Thinking About Tomorrow", waaaaay back in 2002.

Beth seems to be progressing her music in reverse, having stripped things further back over the years with "Conceived" being rooted in the California sound of the early seventies and B-side "Endless Day", the folk of the late sixties.

I suppose it's fair enough with the recent success of Katie Melua and Jem, that this could find a market, but unless the Joni Mitchell throwback of "Endless Day" takes your fancy, it's not really distinctive enough.

Matt Woods - Something Surreal


If you have a yen for the adult oriented rock so popular in the colleges of North America, then this is the CD for you. Working in the same idiom as Counting Crows, Matchbox 20 and the Barenaked Ladies, young buck Matt Woods has the voice and the songs to lift him up the ladder.

His debut album, "Something Surreal" is chock full of radio friendly anthems, any of which would sit happily on a US teen angst TV show soundtrack with "Bottled Up Inside" going all John Mayer on your ass, and the driving power pop of "Gone" is just made for listening to in the car, driving down some long, lonesome highway, a sweet young thang at your side and an angry father with a shotgun on your tail.

I can think of no reason why Mr Woods won't be a huge star - he has talent and youth - he's even a bit of a rough edged pretty boy, so the evil emteevee would take to him like a shot. Now all he needs is a windswept video for "Hiding" with lots of deep meaningful glances to camera, and it'll be a shoo in. Ridiculously good.

Howard Glazer - Patriot Act Blues

And here come the commies with their anti American tirades forgetting that it was people with guns that built the country! How else do you think it was stolen from the Native Americans. And he's got long hair! Freakin' hippy, we should have gunned them down when we had the chance back in 1971.

"They call it the patriot act but how can a patriot act that way?"

Taken from the album "No War, Free Thought, Equal Rights" which features several artists and musical styles, this is a blues lament, far removed from his more frenetic band material, which takes us back to the days when the blues had a message and knew how to deliver it. Howard has a gritty voice and knows his way down a bottleneck.

Highly recommended, even if hes is a pinko:-)

Nektar - Pure: Live In Germany


Nektar first formed in Hamburg in 1968/69 and were at the forefront of European progressive rock in the early seventies. Those of a certain age, i.e. even older than me, may even remember them appearing on the Old Grey Whistle Test back in 1974.

They even managed the rare feat of cracking the Amercian charts when "Remember The Future" got to No.13 in the American charts. Even "Down To Earth" and "Recycled" managed to shift over 250,000 copies each. As with a lot of prog bands they staggered on into the eraly eighties before grinding to a halt.

However, the power of the 40 something disposable income saw them get back together for some live shows in 2000, and with a couple of new members, they're still going strong with a line up of original members Roye Albrighton, lead guitar, and Ron Howden, drums, with new members Randy Dembo, bass guitar, and Tom Hughes, keyboards.

2005 saw them taking their show to the Harmonie Club in Bonn, Germany, for a TV special, and this DVD is the result. To be honest, were it not for the truly outstanding keyboard contribution of Tom Hughes, I doubt their somewhat pedestrian prog would have got me going back for more. But he is a star, lifting the material out of the mire and into the stratosphere. It may be no coincidence that the new material outsrips the old.

Having said that, there are good songs tucked away under poor arrangements as the second DVD is an acoustic set recorded the following day, when "Do You Believe In Magic" and "Always" absolutely shine.

There are a few special features to draw in the fans, but it's not for the uninitiated. However, new album "Evolution" may be well worth tracking down.

DVD One: The FULL CONCERT - Live at The Harmonie: A Tab in the Ocean, Dream Nebula/Desolation Valley/Waves, RTF part 1, RTF part 2, Cast Your Fate, The Debate, Cryin' in the Dark/King of Twilight, That's Life, Show Me the Way, A Day in the Life of a Preacher/Squeeze/Mr. H, Recycled, Good Day, Fidgety Queen

DVD Two: Acoustic Set: Do You Believe in Magic, Telephone, Always, Good Day

SPECIAL FEATURES: Interview, Slideshow, Biography, Discography

Indukti - S.U.S.A.R.

Wow! It takes a lot to flabbergast someone like me, but this album did it. It's so rare to hear a CD that actually brings something new to the world of music, but this certainly does.

Polish band, Indukti have taken the riff heavy side of King Crimson and Neurosis, grafted on some eastern tinged instrumentation and some Steve Hogarth style vocals and ended up with an album that sounds unique.

The music here is largely instrumental with the vocals taking on a subordinate role in a mid seventies Pink Floyd style with opening track "Freder" the undoubted highlight. They've also done the eminently sensible thing of drafting in Mariusz Duda, vocalist for Polish proggers Riverside to sing on the two vocal numbers, the shorter, and more commercial, tracks, "Cold Inside... I" and "Shade". They're both excellent and could help get the music noticed.

It makes a pleasant to change to have a psychedelic violin underpinning the music and even though a lot of people are waving the name Tool around when describing Indukti, don't be fooled - they're much better than that!

!