SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 300 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Infected Mushroom, Legend of the Black Shawarma (Perfecto Records)

People don’t like change. We have the tendency to fear that with change will come something we don’t like or understand. Changes can certainly make life better, but there’s always the possibility that change will let you down. Infected Mushroom’s latest release, Legend of the Black Shawarma, is in no means a disaster, but their sound has changed, and it’s a bit of a let-down, considering how busy, trippy, exciting and boundary-bashing their psy-trance music has been in the past. There was a certain level of musical prowess expected here, but what the L.A.-based electronic duo pumped out is an especially straight style of electro-metal-rock, one that uses much fewer time sig changes, incorporates fewer truly exciting musical switch-ups and feeds on less technical ingenuity than before.

“Saeed” has a thumping beat that should have the ability to hook ravers around the world. Its melody has a weird movie soundtrack thing going on, and there’s something lacking on this song — and the disk as a whole. It’s hard to pin-point exactly, but basically it lacks … spontaneity … . Track after track vocalist Amit “Duvdev” Duvedevani and keyboardist Erez Eisen tease with the beginnings of what should become gripping techno masterpieces, but right at the crucial moment of climax go limp. They also bring in guest artists like Perry Farrell and Jonathan Davis, then push their parts so far into the backdrop that they are unrecognizable. You have to ask: “Why did they bother?”

Legend of the Black Shawarma needed more. More gusto, more passion, more transcendental leeway. But being this is only their eighth album, there are always future opportunities to twist the knobs of experimentation, and refine their trance craft further.

CD review: Brian Bonz & the Dot Hongs, From Sumi To Japan (Triple Crown Records) 

I love Brian Bonz and I want him to be my boyfriend.

It’s not his baby face or cute, curly-ass brown hair that does it for me, though those don’t hurt, it’s the playful ambient/indie music he writes that gets me squirming in my seat! From the first whispy notes of “Two Tree Blockade”, to the last chorus of “Goodnight, Captain Revelstoke”, From Sumi To Japan is a hit.  Super fans of Benjamin Gibbard/Death Cab For Cutie/Postal Service, will either love Bonz or find the similarities between the bands too close for comfort, but hell, if you like one you may as well like the other.

Bonz has this nice, subtle way of changing tempo and volume (I.e. “Christa McCauliffe’s Cacophony (Reprise)”); it’s smooth and seductive in all the right ways and places. And that’s just the music: His voice takes the songs to whole new levels … he even manages to make the “fuck” words sound sensual. The whole package is dripping with dreaminess and it’s a CD that you can put on repeat, crank up to 11 and fall back on, knowing that the melodies will catch you as you do. The Brooklyn native puts emphasis on his songs’ meanings, but it’s the type of recording that can easily get by on sound alone. It’s so listener-friendly and expressive that it’s possible to get the gist of the song without paying too close attention to the words Bonz is singing. The emotions are worn on the album’s sleeve, as it were.

Brian Bonz is young, vibrant and bursting with a fluid energy that comes across in each of his songs. He is one to keep an eye on in the coming years, because this, hopefully, is just the beginning. With continued dedication and a few lucky breaks along the way, this guy may be unstoppable.

CD review: Nathan Lee, Risk Everything (One Revolution Entertainment)

There is only one thing that makes religious rock-n-roll stand out from non-religious rock-n-roll:  lyrics. If you don’t pay close attention to what singer/songwriter/pianist Nathan Lee is saying, you’d never realize he’s dishing on religion. The artwork that accompanies his CD doesn’t point to any religious affiliation, and all Lee is quoted as saying is: “I sing to broken people because I am one”, so it’s easy to over-look the religious overtones in his music. Once aware of song titles like “El Diablo Y El Angel” and “Bring Down the Fire”, the pieces start coming together, and in the end, there’s no beating around the burning bush: Nathan Lee is a faith-based rocker.

For those who enjoy their tunes infused with theology, Lee will not disappoint, with numerous references to mercy, crucifixes and crosses. His gritty, intense vocals help to bring out the urgency in his words of personal journey and salvation. For those unconcerned with the WWJD aspect, his brand of rock/pop is strong in all the right places. Strings on “Bleeding Black” are expressive and perfectly infused with Lee’s delicate piano; diversity is displayed when pumped-up numbers are followed by emotional ballads; and rich bass lines, like on “Open Road”, are bold enough to carry entire songs.

Lee is nothing if not passionate about music. Risk Everything is an apt title for his recent release, as he did in fact give up various business ventures in order to follow the call of the music. That call is what makes Lee’s collection of work beautiful and powerful enough to support his unwavering messages of faith.

CD review: TECH N9NE, K.O.D. (Strange Music)

By Rachel Heisler

Music should evoke feeling … and great music always does. Often, music makes people laugh or cry or desire to express themselves in some way, but rarely does it scare. Fear is a difficult emotion to encapsulate and express through simple musical notes — it’s much easier done through video — where you can see the bad guy chasing the good guy or a victim cowering with terror in his eyes. With K.O.D., TECH N9NE has created a world where dark forebodings are paramount, and chilling, violent images are found at every turn. The darkness is startling. It’s slap-you-in-the-face, knock-you-off-your-chair scary; it’s forceful and it’s unapologetic. Aaron D. Yates isn’t f*cking around. (more…)

CD review: Rob Blackledge, Inside These Walls (One Revolution)

By Adam Baer

Mississippi-born singer/songwriter Rob Blackledgehas a problem. He’s in love and he sucks at it. At least that’s what’s to be taken from the majority of tracks on his piano-laden whine-fest of a debut record. While being inept in matters of the heart is an easily relatable subject (at least to most of us), Blackledge falls flat in conveying the emotion of such a situation. (more…)

CD review: Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle, Let’s Just Stay Here (Mint Records) and “Terrible Hostess: Recipes for Disaster, Volume II, Road-Tested by Carolyn Mark”

By Rachel Heisler

Carolyn Mark has a flair for the dramatic, and it’s this flair that makes her music so damn fun to slosh around in. Her musical base is a kind of light, twangified country, but she expands it to include raunchy twists and mysterious turns. You jump into a song thinking you know what’s coming, only to be flicked off course when you least expect it. It’s difficult enough to keep up with the wicked little nymh when it’s just her, but Let’s Just Stay Here is doubly tricky to track because it is a collaboration with musician NQ Arbuckle, a playful chap in his own right. (more…)

CD review: Hollis Brown, Self-titled (Vibe Theory Music)

By Adam Baer

“Show Love”, the opening track to the debut of Queens, NY, foursome Hollis Brown displays the type of pop/rock hook that can turn heads. Just don’t turn too quickly or you’ll miss the good stuff. It’s easy to be fooled by the borderline bubble gum of “Show Love”, but it’s when the bubble bursts that you realize that these boys have some sawdust and whiskey pumpin’ through their veins. Take part Old 97’s, mix with a splash of Drive-By Truckers and garnish with a pinch of Exile-era Stones and you’ve got a helluva cocktail of bar band noise. (more…)

By Adam Baer

I gotta admit, the story of a haunted recording studio caught the attention of my inner music geek. With rock’s long history of mystery and mythology: tales of brave Ulysses, stairway to heaven and sympathy for, of all things, the Devil, what’s another log on the pyre? The studio in question belongs to former Primus drummer, Tim Alexander, and the presence residing therein, is how these boys get their name: Into the Presence. The spook-fest vibe can be felt throughout this debut, but the most chilling moments come when singer/guitarist Luis Maldonado parts his lips. (more…)

CD review: Phish, Joy (JEMP Records)

By Rachel Heisler

If I had my way, Phish and I never would have crossed paths. The tidbits I heard here and there over the years at parties were enough to keep my Phish quota quite filled. But sometimes life doesn’t work the way one plans, and when I met and started to hang out with this really cute Phish-Head, I found myself unwillingly submerged in music that I, up until that point, lovingly referred to as The Jam Band from Hell. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: The Helio Sequence, Keep Your Eyes Ahead (Sub Pop Records)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

The more you listen to The Helio Sequence the more it grows on ya. Probably because with each new spin you catch something you didn’t hear the times before. And that’s odd, ’cause mates Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel made Keep Your Eyes Ahead more polished and minimalistic than any of their previous albums. And, though they’ve stuck with a simple and basic guitar, drums, keyboards, vocals set-up, have used effects to the heights of their potential, so there really are lots of understated noises being played “behind the scenes.”

Summers, who lost his voice in 2004/2005, has recovered and gives brilliant performances on every song, but especially noteworthy is “Shed Your Love,” which also has stunning acoustic guitars and shimmering key effects. (What’s up with the Bob Dylan influence that creeps in on songs like “No Regrets”?) The Helio Sequence does have a Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie, Blonde Redhead thing going on – but that’s somewhat expected considering the electronic-shoegazer-emotionally driven genre. But it gets two thumbs up for being full. Full of crescendos, insightful lyrics and (not to beat a dead horse) really fetching vocals.

CD review: Brooke Fraser, Albertine (Wood & Bone Records)

Rating: 3 out of 5 geetars

Native New Zealander Brooke Fraser has made her U.S. debut with Albertine, and there are a few special miracles at work on this soft pop disk, which was named for a young orphan Fraser met while touring Rwanda.

First, the young Fraser is a gifted songwriter who has a great comprehension for piecing segments of songs together well and for fetching arrangements. Second, her band compliments her piano/acoustic guitar-playing perfectly. They are neither overpowering or yielding, and let her songs live in their own time and space. Next, she has the “it” factor – she’s a youthful, gorgeous, talented philanthropist, and this is the time for her to introduce Americans to her brand of kind-hearted, selfless music. Lastly, producer Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Matt Nathanson) has done an excellent job making individual songs and the CD as a whole flow as smoothly as a bird floating on a summer breeze.

So even though it is “only pop” and doesn’t differ tremendously from other popular contemporary female singing, song-writing, piano-playing artists, Fraser has every right to be a U.S. sensation – if not overnight – at least eventually. She’s already a hit in New Zealand, so why not here?

CD review: Night Ranger, Hole In The Sun (VH1 Classic Records)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Hole In The Sun marks Night Ranger’s first studio album in a decade and celebrates the group’s 25th anniversary. A long track record of monster hits like “Sister Christian,” “When You Close Your Eyes” and “(You Can Still) Rock in America” made Night Ranger a household name, and it’s now trying to revive that honor.

Hole In The Sun isn’t as grungy as bands like Velvet Revolver (though it tries to on songs like “Drama Queen”), but the men haven’t lost their ability to rock. “We wanted to sound new, but still keep our roots,” said Kelly Keagy (drums/vocals). “We grew up in the ’70s, when pop music was really starting to thrive. Sometimes … the songs were so poppy that you couldn’t get them out of your head … . We wanted to portray some of that on this album.”

There’s mosh pit-inducing grooves that can put today’s emo bands to shame, arena rock ballads and for those who can’t let go of the past, warming versions of “Sister Christian” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.’ It’s a bit ’80s, a bit 21st Century all rolled into a CD with big rock harmonies and even bigger guitars.

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Ascention of the Watchers, Numinosum (13th Plant Records)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

According to Carl Jung, a numinosum is a mystical/religious experience that occurs within the self. Guitarist/vocalist Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory) had such an experience in a dream, and because of it he names his band’s full-length debut simply, Numinosum. Bell, along with keyboardist/programmer/spiritual cohort John Bechdel (Fear Factory, Prong, Ministry) and guitarist Edu Musso, have stumbled upon a dark, luring and evocative vehicle of expression.

The music itself is almost sinister in nature, but it is a musical vision said to have been born out of life, love and spirituality for Bell and Bechdel. That noted, Bell’s lyrics reflect a tortured soul, one trying to free itself from life’s bleak, pulling undercurrent. But his sadness occasionally falters, which allows a little joyfulness to come stumbling through on songs like “Moonshine.” Though still lyrically melancholic, its melody is lifted and gushes a suggestion of possibility. “Violet Morning,” with beautiful and easy acoustic guitar work and delicate vocals is truly loved-filled: “You pierced my soul and touched my faith / You are the light for my love.”

The dark vs. light battle that plays out on Numinosum is fascinating, as is the ebb and flow of traditional instrumentation and electronic experimentation.

CD review: White Light Riot, Atomism (50 Records)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Minneapolis band White Light Riot has been bitten by the indie rock/Britpop bug. Brothers Mike (vocals, guitars) and Mark (drums) Schwandt, Joe Christenson (lead guitar) and Dan Larsen (bass) have amassed 12 songs that deliver a credible amount of redeemable melodic pop, influenced by the time Mike spent studying in England.

White Light Riot is putting forth music that bands like The Killers (hear “Forever In the West”) or The Strokes have already released, however, it is better than your average indie band, but it’s not nearly as clever or hook-driven as predecessors like the afore-mentioned The Killers. But with structually sound songs like “Dive” and quirky ones such as “Transit State,” there’s no reason for them not to be featured on alternative radio stations. No need to hold your breath waiting to see them win a Grammy or anything, not at this point in their career at least, but they are admittedly better-versed musically and much more deserving of accolades than 95 percent of indie bands that are currently making the national rounds.

CD review: Curtain Call: New Songs From Past American Idol Finalists, Volume I & II (Artists’ Addiction Records)

Rating: You decide

Instead of actually reviewing the music on these two disks, this is more of a public service announcement just to let you all know that these recordings are available for purchase if you’re actually interested in what past American Idol contestants have been doing since their time on the hugely popular talent show came to an end.

Each CD features four singers (Vol. I: Ryan Starr, Al Tabaldo, Jon Peter Lewis and Stevie Scott; Vol. II: Alaina Alexander, Rudy Cardenas, Sarah Mather and Gedeon L. McKinney) perfrming three songs, each that were specifically chosen for them by the God-like heads that make the decisions over there at American Idol.

For singers like Tabaldo, who, by age 12 was becoming known for performing the Star-Spangled Banner” for HBO and Showtime boxing matches, being selected for season six of American Idol was the chance to revive a singing career he had put on hold to go to college. The soul singer shines on his songs “Let You Go,” “So Glad” and “Tell Me.”

Watch for two more Curtain Call volumes to surface over the next few years. And for now, refamiliarize yourself with your favorite young American Idol singers.

CD review: Ahn Trio, Lullaby for my Favorite Insomniac (Sony BMG Masterworks)

By Rachel Heisler

Born in Korea and trained at the prestigious Julliard School of Music, sisters Angella (violin), Lucia (piano) and Maria (cello) Ahn have spent many years and albums changing the public’s view on 21st century classical music.

“Every century has its own distinctive style of classical music,” Angella said. “And our album reflects classical music in the 21st Century, which, of course, is influenced by all different types of music in the modern era.” (more…)