Archive for the 'Folk' Category

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Album – Undercurrent – Steve Robinson

Posted by admin on 26th September 2007

Anyone who has an association with Roger McGuinn from the Byrds, is certainly going to cause my ears to prick up big time. However I didn’t find out that Steve sometimes sings harmonies with Roger McGuinn, until after I had his album in my hands. Not that it would have made much difference, as I heard a few tracks before requesting the album and really enjoyed what I heard.

This is very much a feel good record. I find myself returning to it frequently, as it never fails to deliver that feel good factor, especially needed after a hard day at work. The album opens with “Wooden Hill”, a very jangly, lazy day summer kind of song and you can’t help but wonder if Roger’s influence is in there somewhere. “Please Emmalene” takes a subtle change in direction and immediately reminded me of Harry Chapin, with a smattering of one of my other favorite Indie Launchpad bands, 3 Blind Mice.

“The Best Days of Your Life” is one of those killer tracks. Not only because the lyrics and music are great, which they are, but also because it’s able to evoke very strong memories, specifically my childhood school days. When I went to school in England, school uniforms were the order of the day. I can remember the first few weeks, arriving at school with nicely pressed shirt and trousers. A school blazer, emblazoned with our school’s badge, nicely dusted a top a perfectly tied, school colours tie. A few weeks in and your standards begin to slide, not because you can’t be bothered, but you want to mix in with the rest of the school and not have the “I’m a Target” look. Ah yes, those were the days. Brilliant stuff.

“Love is Real”, has that McCartneyesque vocal style to it, with wonderful keyboards and is that tubular bells I hear. There’s also a very interesting, almost George Harrison guitar solo, in the middle, giving this track a real assortment of interesting influences. Although I generally love slower, ballad style songs, I get much more satisfaction from the tracks of Steve’s that are slightly more up tempo, “Wasted and Waiting” being a prime example. “Forget About Love” is another one, that has your feet tapping and head bobbing.

“Road to Ruin” sounds a tad like a Cat Stevens song and yet again I find myself making comparisons, but they bubble so vigorously in my mind’s eye, that it’s almost a sin not to mention them. “Class Clown” leads us into the last few tracks and you can almost hear that it’s the tail end of the album, which suggest to me that this is a very well balanced album. I thought “Boring God” was going to be my least favorite track, as the beginning is pretty uninspiring, but again as soon as Steve’s vocals start, the song comes alive. “I’m in Trouble (Again)”, almost takes me back to my childhood again, but we won’t go there. It rounds the album off nicely and something that I feel is very important in a CD. I like to feel like I’ve experienced something. Like a good book, I generally like a beginning, middle and end, and this is a perfect example.

Conclusion : I love this album and return to it often. You really can’t get a better recommendation than that. Looking forward to what the future may bring.

Posted in Folk, Pop, Rock | No Comments »

Album – Reunion Tour – The Weakerthans

Posted by admin on 25th September 2007

The Weakerthans are a band I got into relatively late in their 10 year career, only recently reviewing their third release, “Reconstructive Site“. Now 4 years after that album was originally released, we have “Reunion Tour”. I suppose I’m lucky, as it’s only been a year since I previously discovered and reviewed their last album, but for many fans, I’m sure this album has been eagerly anticipated.

Opening with “Civil Twilight”, I had an amazing sense of excitement wash over me. It’s certainly easy to recognize as a Weakerthans record, as that sound is immediately recognizable. Part way through the opener, I had a bizarre sense of loss and then joy at rediscovering this terrific band, it’s hard to describe it any other way. Listening to “Hymn for the Medical Oddity”, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the indie powerhouse band, They Might be Giants. Certainly vocally, there are some great comparisons, but also lyrically, there’s that great humor and relaxed style. “Relative Surplus Value”, gives us something rockier to munch on and you can sense that a lot of thought has gone into the balancing of this album.

“Tournament of Hearts” stands out as one of my favorite tracks on the album, with a driving guitar and drumbeat, managing to bubble under, rather than drown out the vocals. On the flip side of that “Virtue the Cat Explains Her Departure”, whilst having an amazing title, fails to live up to it, for me, proving one of the two humdrum track on the album. The other mediocre track, is the one that follows it, “Elegy for Gump Worsley”. It’s way more Leonard Cohen (whom I actually love a lot), than what we come to expect from the Weakerthans, way too dour for my tastes. This blip in the album, is only slight and things rebound nicely with “Sun in an Empty Room”, giving pure and unadulterated Weakerthans goodness, followed closely by the excellent “Night Windows”.

“Big Foot!” leads us into the last third of the album and has a very familiar feel to it. I’m never sure if it’s deja vu, or just the Weakerthans being exceedingly good at what they do, lulling me like a muse. The title track at last, manages to deliver and not let the album down, as seems to be the case with many title tracks of late. “Utilities” ends the album with a twist and fade to black.

Conclusion : A shining example of all that’s great about the independent Canadian music scene. With many peaks and just a couple of very small troughs, make no mistake this is a cracking album. It may take the Weakerthans a while to come up with a new album, but man, when they do, it’s worth the wait.

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Album – The Flame You Follow – Jason Spooner

Posted by admin on 16th August 2007

I first heard this album while wearing my review headphones. Those are the big bulky kind, that used to be popular in the 70’s. Whilst they’re no match for the epic 70’s proportions, they do have a deep rich sound and compliment this album very well. The album opens with “Black and Blue”, and I was immediately struck by Jason’s voice. I have to be honest, male vocalist, don’t have the same kind of impact on me, that their their female counterparts do, but there’s something about Jason’s voice that really held my interest.

Musically the album has a very Paul Simon feel to it. Vocally it’s a lot richer, but there’s no mistaking, the musical genius that lies beneath. “All That We Know”, has a very bluesy/rock feel to it. Most of this comes from the double bass that drives the beat along and man does it get my toes going. “Spaceship” for me is a truly magical track and probably the highlight of the album. It’s while listening to this track, that I really became aware of how good the production of this album is. Everything about it is well balanced and you can’t help but feel that a lot of hard work has gone into it.

The title track on the album, while a good track, doesn’t have the fire in it’s belly that I expect a title track to have. Not that it has to be fast paced, or in your face, but I always expect it to be a track that should showcase the album. This seems to be something that’s happened quite a bit lately, especially on the albums I’ve reviewed.

The album rounds off with “Hover”, a wonderfully laid back, that serves as almost a lullaby, putting the album to bed. Fantastic. Another unsolicited gem, that was thankful thrust under my nose by my old friend Jeffrey at Crash Avenue. Cheers mate.

Conclusion : This is one of those albums, that I’ve played to death, since I got it in. Pure gold.

Posted in Acoustic, Folk, Folk Rock | No Comments »

Single – Dreamer – Jenn Grant

Posted by admin on 5th August 2007

It’s not often I cover singles, but when I got this one in, I just had to post something, as it was too good to pass up. Jenn Grant is just one of the amazing talents to come out of Canada, or specifically in this case Prince Edward Island (PEI). Jenn’s had 1 EP and an album out so far, with this track and indeed the second coming from the 2006 album Orchestra for the Moon.

The instant I heard the guitar intro of “Dreamer” I knew I was going to like it a lot. As soon as I heard Jenn’s vocals I was smitten. There’s a very definite Canadian feel to both tracks, but ask me what constitutes a Canadian feel and I’d be hard pushed to define it. The second track “Britt n’ Kipp”, starts with a very interesting, almost country sound. Actually it’s not country, but a sort of country hybrid. This is rapidly replaced with a more folksy sound. There are however numerous sounds gelled together making this a very interesting track to listen to.

Conclusion : A wonderful voice and indeed talent. I haven’t yet heard the album from which these track are taken, but will be looking to add it to the review pile in the near future.

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EP – In the Woods – Polly Paulusma

Posted by admin on 31st March 2007

I love the many ways in which I find new artists. Many of my finds come from podcasts, mySpace, magazines and occasionally through word of mouth, which is probably my favorite way to learn about new artists, as it’s just incredible to see how animated and excited people can get when they are talking about their favorite artists.

Polly Paulusma, was actually recommended to me by a colleague at work She’d bought Polly’s album and just loved it. While talking about female vocalists, she mentioned Polly’s name to me and I was off, like a racehorse out of the starting gate. I listened to a few tracks of hers on mySpace and boom, loved what I heard. Within a week I had Polly’s new single in my grubby little hands and what a joy it is.

The first track, “The Woods” is a really subdued offering, reminiscent of Alanis Morrisette, but with an unmistakable English twang. It’s rather a long track at just under 5 minutes 30 seconds, but it doesn’t feel like a drawn out track. The second and indeed final track, “Put Your Suitcase Down”, has a more folksy sound to it. Polly’s voice has a smoke and huskiness to it, which gives it a real character and flavour. It also really evokes a sense of emotion and is just a joy to listen to.

Conclusion : As I said before, this was a great find for me and with a new album coming out sometime in May, I’m really looking forward to listening to it.

Posted in Acoustic, Folk | No Comments »

Album – Dreamers and Children – Cliff Rubin

Posted by admin on 24th February 2007

I essentially received this album in the middle of last year. Just when I was about to post the review, I sent Cliff an email to check on some details and he told me he’d signed to the Crossroads label and was going back in the studio to rerecord the album for his new label. I finally got the new album in a few weeks ago, thinking my original review would just need a tinker hear and there, but in the end, it was apparent that it was easier to just start all over again.

It’s hard to write this review without referring back to the album as I originally received it. This was an album that had a very personal feel to it. It was like being part of some kind of healing process. It was a much more raw and intimate album, but where the new one is more produced, it still has that intimate charm. Vocally, Cliff’s voice isn’t the greatest, but this isn’t an album that’s all about hitting perfect notes, it’s much more than that.

The album opens with “Love is Knowing You” and from the get go, you can’t help but like it. Cliff is one of those rare people, who comes across as a nice guy. Now I could be totally wrong, but I like to think the music speaks volumes. I’m not going to dwell at all on a track by track comparison between this and the original version of the album, but suffice to say, that warmth is evident on both. “Life’s a Mystery” has that wonderful storytelling quality, that makes it a pleasure to listen to.

If I were to pick out my favorite tracks, they would have to be “Love is Knowing You”, “It’s Her Smile” and “My Mom” which at the beginning bares a striking resemblance to that great Elvis track “Always on My Mind”. I’m not overly enamoured with the final two tracks, “Sweet Little Feelin'” and “Divine Guidance”, whose musical styles seem at odds with the rest of the album.

Conclusion : It’s not often I receive albums that have that real personal touch. It’s also not often that I receive an album and then another re-recorded one, but when comparing the albums, I think Cliff made the right decision, as this one is much more polished, without any kind of overkill.

Posted in Folk, Folk Rock | No Comments »

Album : Before They Were Famous Volume II – 3 Blind Mice

Posted by admin on 11th December 2005

I make no secret of the fact that I’m a big fan of this band. This is the second volume of their Before They Were Famous series and although recorded at around the same time as volume 1, it has a much more rounded sound with some great harmonies. The song Emily Has Compassionate Fatique was the track that first brought the band to my attention and it is still my favorite song of theirs. It’s one of those songs that fools you with it’s simplicity, but man does it tick in your head. Another of the wonderful thing about this track is the lyrics. Where else can you find a line like “pizza eats a millions tree”, fantastic stuff.

I’m finding a pattern at the moment, in that I often find the opening track of a CD to be my favorite. I wonder if this is bands putting their strongest track first, or mere coincidence.

With 8 tracks this is again a little on the short side, but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. Storyteller has one of those great openings with beautiful harmonies that unfold into a wonderfully simple melodic piece. Other stand out tracks on this CD are Don’t Go Telling me and Baby and All.

A special mention has to go to track 6, Steel, which is a song of epic proportions, not only in it’s very Genesis sounding production, but also in it’s epic 10 minute 33 seconds length. It starts very simply and build and builds. A very interesting sounding song, which I’m sure was very interesting song to produce.

Conclusion : For anyone who is a fan of 3 Blind Mice, you won’t need any prompting to go out and buy this CD. For anyone who hasn’t heard 3 Blind Mice before, I personally would say this is the best of the two CDs, to purchase first. With a new album on the horizon I’m looking forward to hearing a lot more from them in the near future.

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Album – Before They Were Famous Volume I – 3 Blind Mice

Posted by admin on 29th November 2005

I heard 3 Blind Mice the first time a few weeks ago on the Digital Flotsam podcast. Since then I think I’ve heard them on a further 3 or 4 podcasts, including right now as I listen to the latest BitJobs for the Masses podcast. Their style of music is very mellow, sort of folk with a hint of pop/rock. I’ve heard them compared to early Genesis and until I heard that, I had a real problem trying to think of anyone they actually sound like. Even now, I think the only other band I can think of is Steely Dan. That’s’ not a bad thing in my mind, as I think it’s a very powerful to have your own distinct sound, as long it’s something people will enjoy.

Before They Were Famous Volume 1, is the first in a two part set and contains 8 original songs :

  1. Hellbound Eyes
  2. Let Me In
  3. The Bear Lies Down
  4. Doing The Best I Can
  5. The Sun Still Shines
  6. Piggy In The Middle
  7. Jack & Billy
  8. Welcome to the Water

of which tracks 3 and 7 are downloadable from the bands website. I’ve played the album numerous times as I normally do and have left the CD in the car a few times. Consequently my wife has had a good chance to listen to the album a few times and she also loves it. This is one of those great albums to play on a Sunday afternoon, whilst getting comfy next to the fireplace, with a nice mug of hot chocolate. It just has that feel good vibe to it.

I think the only real criticism I have is the album length. At just over 30 or so minutes, it’s a little on the short side, which seems to be a popular occurrence lately with albums, but still this is one fabulous sounding album. “Let Me In” is my favorite track on the album, however “Piggy in the Middle” isn’t far behind and has one of those hooks that keeps you humming it long after it’s finished.

Conclusion : If you like to relax and listen to something a bit laid back, this is a great album. I’m looking forward to hearing more from them in the future.

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