Eli Ruffer is a musician currently hailing from Minnesota who released Wanna Hear A Song? Ruffer describes his music as Flight of The Conchords meets Violent Femmes. That feels like a good mix. Ruffer’s songs aren’t nearly as diverse as Flight of The Conchords and they stick to mostly a guitar and bass.
The songs came off as kind of cute and adorable. There isn’t a hint of aggression and the songs have this “Awww shucks” feel to them that reminded me of Pete Holmes’ character from Crashing mixed with a hipster tongue-n-cheek kind of irony via Portlandia. Ruffer is at his best when the songs are stronger than the concepts. Take for instance “In The City.” The song works well and sounds a bit like a B-side from The Shins. I really liked the main guitar point and the singing was good here. He does sound like he is intentionally trying to be funny at times but the best moments are when the singing is natural. “You Don't) Wanna Hear a Song, Pt. 2” is a short one but pleasant and like I said more cute than something I found myself rolling over in laughter over. “Ode to Writer's Block” had a funny concept but somewhat ironically could have just been about writer’s block. I liked the whole song except the really fast talking towards the end which just felt jarring. “(Accidental) Instrumental [Interlude]” isn’t in fact entirely instrumental. The dude is singing sort of. “(You Don't) Wanna Hear a Song, Pt. 1” pretty much sounds like the stream of conscious of a twenty-something with a couple of jokes thrown in. My favorite song was “(You Don't) Wanna Hear a Song, Pt. 3” for a number of reasons. I really liked the vocals. They are sung in a more sincere way and felt less like he was trying to land a joke and therefore I found myself giggling more. Food for thought. It feels like Ruffer is still feeling things out on how to approach the comedic aspects but definitely seems to be onto something. I hope he gets a TV show on HBO soon and can replace the void in my heart from the lack of new episodes of Flight of the Conchord. My only request is that they resurrect the role of Murray and cast Rhys Darby.
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Based out of Boston, the members of Cosmic Analog Blue continue having a long run of playing music together. First as Love Dogs between 1990-92 and then as the alternative band, Peace Love Dogs between 2012-2012. Now in their third incarnation, the band released their self-titled debut Cosmic Analog Blue last December. Using the tried and true Garageband software in their basement studio, the duo of Jeff MacLean (acoustic and electric guitars/bass/vocals) and Tim Kane (drums/percussion) describe their LP as a “kitchen sink approach to alt-country, progressive and bluesy rock.” The album was also produced, mixed and mastered by MacLean and Kane.
“Uncertain” has all the classic sounds of bluesy ‘70s rock – groovy, sludgy and heavy. A little Molly Hatchet, Mountain, ZZ Top or (name your band here). The sound and style of “Other Side” sounds much like late Led Zeppelin via Codaor In Through the Out Door. Great stuff to listen to in my opinion. “Back Home” has more of an old school country rock feel and you can hear MacLean’s voice really well on this one. I think he’s got one hell of a great voice for this style of music. Overall, I liked this one for it’s sad, melancholy vibe – a kin to the softer alt-country style Zeppelin or Clapton’s country-esque sounds. “Rejected” has great attitude, swagger and a blues-rock vibe that’s hard not to like. The funniest line was – “Went and got myself a big stack o’ meat, been layin’ in the back of the shed and rottin’ for weeks.” “After All” features piano and acoustic guitar and shows a softer side to the band’s catalog. The band sounds like it’s channeling The Allman Brothers Band or The Marshall Tucker Band or even Big Head Todd and The Monsters with harder edged guitar riffs and singing. “Creek Flow” is another tune that starts off slow but complex. The drumming takes creative risks – at times it sounded like they could have backed off on some fills and flashier points. Just keeping a steadier beat would have sufficed – I was lost most of the time. That said, I thought it was the band’s most dynamic and creatively written song. “All I See” features some great slide guitar action and lyrics that are tight and effortlessly in the pocket of the beat. With its infectious grooves and sing-along words, this number certainly became a favorite. Another favorite was “You Lose” – I’m a sucker, for the sappier and moodier sounds of any band, especially when they use strings, either the real ones or ones programmed on a keyboard. You can hear glimpses of Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song” or at least maybe a reminder of that song, and their dabbling into mystic Eastern sounds in their later years. It’s too bad this song was Cosmic’s shortest. The lyrics are really powerful – listen to this one for sure. On “Bad Way” the duo offers yet another slow rocker, complete with a swaying beat, acoustic guitar and a lead electric. Lyrically, it’s a song about finding a mate who picks you up after you’ve fallen on hard times, only to be cheated on again – thrown by the wayside, left for dead. This one has plenty of spirit and spunk. “Forest for the Trees” rips it up well with MacLean channeling southern-fried guitar rock and his guitar solo gets really good towards the end. The words tell about getting burned again by a former lover who drifts back into town and then leaves you for someone else. If you like gritty, alt-country flavored, balls out blues rock then I suggest you give Cosmic Analog Blue a try.
Jason McNear is no novice when it comes to music. Apparently he wrote his first musical at sixteen years old. He studied composition in college and started playing gigs some time in the mid ’90s. Despite all this experience Harlequin Moon is the debut album under his name.
McNear mentions he thinks his songs fit into the category of indie rock. There is definitely an argument to be had here but the songs felt a little too aligned with classic rock and folk to be considered indie rock which usually feels a little more off-kilter to me. You can hear subtle shades of Neil Young in the vocals. I liked his vocals and thought they fit well with both the folk and rock tracks. Things get going with “So Beautiful” which is an energy filled rocker. It felt like a good opener that comes quick with waves of distorted guitars and infectious hooks. It’s a well crafted song going through rock 101 type moves. “Every Moment” slows thing down a bit and felt like a ballad. It’s reflective and nostalgic. “Europa” actually reminded me of early R.E.M. which is a band I always had a mass amount of appreciation for. “The Great Divide” goes right down the middle in terms of a rock song while a clear highlight “Trade the Moon” is an uplifting song with clean elements that really blend well with the vocals. “Where You Are” has its moments. “Each” was the most epic song in the batch and also the most unique. The song is around seven-and-a-half minutes or so and a fitting closer. McNear brings us a classic rock album that I think will ring most with a lot of the purists out there. Check it out.
The aesthetic difference between the first release from Brandon Fields Experience entitled L.A.'s Finest and Out Of This World is huge. The band comprised of Brandon Fields (vocals/guitar/bass), Dustin Witt (guitar) and Tyler Thomas (drums) went to a notable studio to record their latest and the proof is in the pudding. They are also much tighter and the band just seems to finding their footing.
The album contains seven songs which are straightforward rock. Field himself mentions a '90s vibe to the songs which I agree with. The songs are by no means pushing boundaries in any direction but they are catchy and easy to appreciate. The band gets going with “I’m Not Afraid.” You can hear a lone growling bass before it gets joined by distorted guitar and heavy drums. This song in particular reminded me of Rage Against the Machine. Up next is “Rescue Me.” This song was a little lighter and catchier than the opener. It also felt heavily steeped in a ’90s flavor. “Narcissist” has my favor riff yet. The intro is great and the song in general felt similar to the energy of a song by Queens of the Stone Age. “Fallin' Down” has more of a kind of classic alternative ’90s flavor. The lead guitar work is notable here. I thought the fills were creative. They got slightly bluesy hard rock with “Disgrace” while “On A Cross” is the reflective ballad of the batch. I loved the closer with “Down The Line” which is arguably the most memorable and single worthy song in the batch. The guitar sound they captured really worked for what they were playing. I love the story of a band that starts from humble beginnings and just comes into their own. That’s what I heard here. Recommended.
You know sometimes I am almost disgusted at how much I will fawn over a band. For f**k's sake, I'm 33 and here I am swooning, good grief. Brooklyn's Jack & The Beanstalk has me undone with their album You Got Me All Wrong. Their sound falls somewhere in the area of indie soul? That's the best I've got at this particular moment. I've got four lovely tracks to gush over and best believe I will do so, so let's dig in.
Kicking it all off is the first song, "Just Fine" and it was here that I was immediately suckered in. The lyrics and stunning vocals by Jackson Perrin - I was a total goner. The playful structure of the song is deeply defined by the fabulous drum work of Mikya Ito. It build into a sweet little jam where bassist Giammanco and guitarist Maxwell Schroeder flex their muscles. From this track alone I realized this was a group with all creative pistons firing. Next up is "Dear Fear." This one takes on a bit of a more somber note. For this one I strongly recommend keeping an ear out for those lyrics. There is a great narrative at play that had me listen to it again immediately after the first time. The song explodes into a beautiful emotional outburst made of gorgeous guitar work. It really is fantastic and tugged on my heart strings. Number three is “Dakota." This time around they went very mellow and dreamy to start. Again, very thick and emotional narrative. A similar structural element comes into play at the end where you a heart pounding climax. I almost wish this song wasn't right next to "Dear Fear" in the lineup because at first listen it was a little flat for me. After listening to the whole album I came back to "Dakota" and realized it really does stand on its own as almost like a ballad. Tying a bow on the whole thing is the final track, "You Got Me All Wrong." This one really perks up and takes an interesting ironic and cheeky approach. It was at this point that I could really take in all the excellent production work that was done. Recorded at Holy Fang Studios, this album sounds like a million bucks. To be fair, the clay production had work with is pretty damn fabulous, but it’s impossible to ignore that professional finish. This album has all qualities for mass appeal. Now I know to some bands that may be seen as an insult, especially in Brooklyn. However I genuinely feel I should run out there and catch these guys live before their ticket price reflects Brooklyn rent. This album is an incredibly enjoyable and grounding experience. I want to congratulate the band on this album and I am holding my breath for what comes next because apparently I have devolved into some obsessed teenager.
Chuck Phillips is an artist from Washington, North Carolina who recently released Tragic Beauty. Phillips, like the majority of artists we review on this site, has a day job. He is First Officer aboard several multi-million dollar yachts, sailing the high seas and navigating from Cape Cod down to the Bahamas and back. It’s on his travels that the songs seem to come to him.
The six songs on this album are warm Americana rock and for the most part are somewhere between Tom Petty and The War on Drugs. Things start off with “William Tell” and it is perhaps this song that most reminded me of the aforementioned artists. It’s very familiar rock that is just classic Americana. The lyrics, the nostalgia, the perseverance. It’s a predictable song however it’s beautifully delivered. Phillips sings “Lessons learned, No need to return / You watch the sunset from the hills and reflect on your life.” Up next is “Ship Goes Down” which is a softer, melancholy folk song with acoustic guitar. The title freaked me out knowing his occupation but the song isn’t about a ship sinking. It’s about lost love, the past and general nostalgia. Phillips returns to a more fun, vibrant Americana rock style with “Diamonds.” The song perhaps is a little more aligned with John Mellancamp this time around. “Tragic Beauty” combines a smidge of country with rock while “Heart Keeps Pumping Love” has a little crunch and tons of hooks. “Behind The Balloon” is a classic close revolving around acoustic guitar and vocals. The EP is very polished with exceptional production value. Furthermore, Phillips is a talented songwriter with an appealing voice. The songs don’t seem to push past age old tropes but that doesn't need to always happen. Recommended.
Ford Natirboff is an artist from Savannah, Georgia who recently released Keep on Dreaming. The songs were recorded on a TASCAM 4-track cassette recorder and has been described as “1960s baroque pop sensibilities.” There is a range of styles here with more acoustic stuff to heavier rocking ’70s inspired songs. Suffice it to say there were some standouts amongst the diverse material.
Up first is “Street Sweeper.” It wasn’t quite there for me in terms of one of the standouts but I did like the chorus. The song is fairly straightforward acoustic and vocals. Up next is “Luke the Drifter.” The song contains drums and distorted guitars. I liked this song a lot and thought the vocals were well delivered. It’s a derivative song where you could cross reference about a dozen bands from the ’70s but was a standout. “Missing Your Ghost” has its moments. The lo-fi quality works especially well with piano and fiddle in the first moments of the song. “Australia” felt like an inarguable highlight. He hits upon a Hawaii vibe with some slide guitar and the song also contains a more subdued vocal performance. The subdued vocals especially pay off around the one-minute-mark where Natirboff is at his best in terms of inflection, tone and textures. “Too Much Space” is another highlight. It’s an off kilter song that’s delicate. The vocals are again well done because they are subdued which for whatever reason sounds good on Natirboff. The second half of the album is even stronger overall than the first. “Denial” has a bit of a ’60s revival sound to it while “Won't Be On Your Hook Again” and “There's Always Tomorrow” seems like an ode to ’50s pop. “Saturday Morning Come-Down ‘ is more loose with a Velvet Underground type swing to it. He closes strong with the oddly psychedlic “Born Adult Baby.” Natirboff hits a lot more than he misses. In fact I just think some some minor tweaking on the vocals on a couple of songs could have made a difference. Overall, I think there are some gems on this album and well worth your time to check out.
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Chrissie Romano Band is an artist who recently released Photo. The album center around warm songs that for the most part fall between pop and rock. Her style is about as straightforward as her lyrics. There isn't any ambiguity here as the artist embraces a lot of popular rock tropes we have have heard over the last couple of decades. That’s not to say the songs aren’t well written or well delivered. They are. They are also just predictable and there were a number of songs which felt like I heard them before.
The album starts with the title track “Photo.” It’s a warm song and easy to appreciate. The lyrics are catchy and I thought the bass player rose to the occasion. Lyrically, the song has its moments. There really are no thought provoking metaphors to be had but the concept of looking at a photo of someone and having old emotions stir up is a real truth. Up next is “What About Her?” Now this was a song where I swear I have heard this chorus before. It reminded me of a ’90s alternative song. “Stay” is another and I have to again give props to the bassist who controls the song besides the vocals. Things keep rolling with the light rock of “Dance Outside” which is one of the more festive songs while “Bittersweet and Unkind” is a little more thought provoking and atmospheric. “Grow Old” is surprisingly upbeat with some notable guitar licks. “Broke Mine” is a slow and nostalgic ballad of sorts about old love. Things are still slow and nostalgic but also hopeful on “Morgan’s Song.” Up last is “Romeo.” The whistling was seriously maybe my favorite part of the album which reminded me of Simon and Garfunkel. Photo doesn't break outside any convention in the least but it’s a pleasant album from beginning to end and takes zero amount of effort to enjoy.
Mike Rebeschi and Collin Glasow are the Terrible Fates. The duo who met in college have released Ballads of Fate EP. The album contains very lo-fi folk songs that often deal with lyrics about video games like Zelda. It feels very tongue-n-cheek at times. They say, “our vision is to create songs that sound as if they could be played at a tavern in Hyrule.” I get that. The songs also seem they would fit around a campfire and sung by those who like to engage in live action role play with plastic swords and pillows for shields.
The first song might be the best. It revolves around around a rusty acoustic guitar, some bells and vocals. It’s pretty catchy and feels traditional in plenty of ways. The song could be played at the beginning of a fantasy based movie about dwarves and mages. Although the movie would have to be whimsical and playful a bit like Stranger Things. The sound quality was fine on the first song. I’m not sure what happened on “Back to Kakariko” but the warm frequencies are gone and it is a little harsher on the ears. Regardless, the song is pretty catchy and is just acoustic guitar and vocals. “The Pale Hands” immerses you in the fantasy theme and really isn’t much of a song and more like something you might hear in a low budget play. It’s definitely silly spoken word and sort of cute. They close with a song called “For Home (For Hyrule)” and it is another catchy song. There is a sing-along type quality to it. The band isn’t exactly Radiohead but I have a feeling the duo know that. Their mission is pretty simple and good. They only thing I would say is to try and raise the production value. You can get better results with a cheap interface and proper miking techniques. If you love World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, Zelda or anything steeped in folklore you just found your new favorite band.
I was checking out all the releases from Fred Argir. He sure is prolific. I have to admit I found it somewhat funny that each release is another picture of him. Argir seems to go full DIY as he records and mixes his own albums. Argir plays guitar based rock plain and simple.
Still Alive is a very long album. It contains fourteen songs. In all honesty I think cutting this down to his nine or ten best would have been more effective. I always try to listen to an an album from beginning to end and by the time I was to the closing song I felt like I had my fill. The album starts with “The World Isn’t Round.” It starts off with a drum beat and what sounds like pure ambiance in the background. I thought something was wrong with my headphones at first. I soon discovered it was just part of the song. The ambience goes away and Argir goes into a straightforward yet powerful rock song with distorted power chords, lead guitar and a fairly catchy chorus. The guitar is really the main focus along with the vocals as the album goes forward. I found the album following a predictable pattern of songs. You have a couple rocking numbers, along with a couple of ballads. The songs especially the first time around felt interchangeable. It really took a couple of spins to appreciate some of the songs. “Too Tired to Fight,” “Asylum of the Human Resistance” and “Burn the Bridges Down” were notable songs. My advice to Argir at this point might be to hit a professional studio and maybe surround himself with more musicians. Argir has some talent but seems content with recordings that aren’t studio quality. I think working with more musicians as well might open him to new sonic territory.
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