Reviews

Weekly Reviews For April 3, 2005

Review Index

I am also Assistant Editor & reviewer at MetalUK.

I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock

Recent reviews include
Rush - Chronicles (The Video Collection)
Deep Purple - The Early Years
Damageplan - New Found Power
Whitesnake - The Early Years

You will also find some reviews at spacerock.co.uk

The Rocker
New releases from;
Superczar - Pop Art
Various - Further Adventures of the Telepathic Explorers
When's The Future - Then
And many more....

 

New Reviews

The Bobbleheads – Automatic Fun

Happy people, don’t you just hate them. Apart from when they come across like the Beach Boys crossed with Caravan. In which case, they’re almost tolerable.

This is the kind of power pop the Americans have done better than anyone for the last thirty years or so. Perhaps, no-one else that strange optimistic vibe going, but over here in dour, dark Britain, people think we’re taking the piss if we appear chipper.

There’s lots of jingle, a fair amount of jangle, and one classic song - "Denver" – which is just so up, it induces a touch of vertigo. Only relentless exposure to the Partridge Family and the Monkees will prepare you for this. Top tapping, catchy and sometimes infuriatingly so. Imagine being beaten about the head with candy floss.

The Bobbleheads are determined to reclaim the word ‘nice’ and restore it to its former glory. According to The Bobbleheads, the world isn't such a bad place after all, and they’re going to try and make it a little bit better in three minute segments. A laudable aim, and one I hope they achieve.

Johnny Domino – Solid Ground

Psychedelic indie rock. Nice. At least here’s a band trying to extend the boundaries of a musical form, instead of slowly choking the life out it. Hello, Chris Martinand spawn thereof.

In the same way that the Zutons have taken a sixties template and overwritten it with their own thoughts and ideas, so Johnny Domino mash up the sixties and the eighties into an electronic psych, which is rather beguiling.

This goes from straightforward pop songs - "Vocodamol" to the funk fuelled “UR My Oar”, either of which could and should be hits. If you’re looking for something more out there, then may I proffer “Nim Nom” for your psychedelic delectation?

Sometimes they fall into the bad habit of thinking Pavement were any good, but there’s three quarters of a good album here, with only a few tracks not passing muster – “Dutch Girlfriend” for example. But take a skip through to the aforementioned “U R My Oar” for the full glory of their whimsical indie pop take on psych. Marvellous stuff.

Miss Kristin - You Can't Hide Love!

The Indigo Girls with rock guitars. There you go, reviewed in 6 words. Not close to my all time record of 1 word, but not bad.

But I assume you want more details, so what about classic rock with folk overtones, allied to politically and socially conscious lyrics, from the feminine perspective.

Too right on? OK, the highlights are "What a Feeling!" (not the Flashdance number), which is a splendid ballad, as is the more power ballad oriented “Rocking Away”. In fact, it’s the slower numbers which work best, as Miss Kristins voice is more suited to the slower tempo.

The rockier tunes sometimes fail to hit the mark, although "Monkey See/ Monkey Do", a tale of peer pressure kicks ass in the correct manner. There’s no musician credits, so I don’t know who did what, but some of the melodic guitar solos are spot on.

Beverly Taft - How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down the Farm?

Beverly grew up in a musical home, listening to her parents music - Ella Fitzgerald, The Mills Brothers and Broadway show soundtracks, amongst others. She developed a strong affinity for this era of "classic jazz", tough talkin' dames, flat-footed fellas and American film noir, which a few years down the line has led to this exemplary set of standards.

Beverly has been singing on the club circuit for close on ten years, and this is reflected in the craft she brings to her delivery, including a delightful “Autumn in New York”' and a fabulous turn at Duke Ellingtons “Sophisticated Lady”.

This is very deliberately a retro take, there’s nothing avante garde here, and it’s all the better for it. Sometimes, just singing a song beautifully is all it takes. A sense of fun and vitality is often missing in the jazz world, so it’s a real treat to here someone going about their way in a warm and winning way. Although whether we needed “I’m An Old Cowhand” is another matter, altogether!

David Dzubinski – Recyclical

It’s either a very brave or very foolish jazz pianist who starts off his debut CD with three (count ‘em) Thelonious Monk compositions. Fortunately, for all, David Dzubinski is the former, taking on the giants at their own game and coming away unbowed.

Taking the songs as starting points rather than ends in themselves, Dzubinski does what the greats of jazz should do – treating music as an exploration. Granted, he still has some way to go before claiming a place on the pantheon, but there is so much promise here, it behoves you to have a listen immediately.

Elsewhere, he dips into the standards – “Autumn Leaves”, “Blue Moon” (in three ‘phases’) and “On the Sunny Side of the Street” are given whole new readings, especially the latter, one of two vocal tracks on the album, courtesy of Kayle Brecher. The originals here seem to have a common Latin influence, with "A Little Demon - A Little Dance” the highlight.