SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

CD: Bedroom Walls, All Good Dreamers Pass This Way (Baria Records, 2006)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 guitars

Bedroom Walls is a great band for many reasons: high-class poetry, fine technical ability, a great ear for transition and the use of orchestral instrumentation. But even beyond those noteworthy traits there’s an interesting quality that implies an influence by bands such as The Beatles, Hole, The Lovemakers, Bardo Pond and a handful of other emo and shoe-gazer bands out there. All these sounds have been blended into a cocktail that Bedroom Walls has added its own secret ingredients to and made its own. The songs on All Good Dreamers Pass This Way beautifully combine rock with ambient, and just when you think you know where a song is going it switches back on itself and heads in a new direction that manages to flow in a surreal yet confident way. Bedroom Walls never pushes too hard, the music is easy to understand without being dumbed down and when this CD comes to an end the only thing left to do is go back to track one and listen to it again. There’s nothing better than finding a record that makes you feel safe and warm, and All Good Dreamers Pass This Way does exactly that.

CD: The Family Values Tour 2006 (Firm Music, December 26, 2006)

Rating: 3.5 guitars out of 5

It’s all live recordings and they need to be played as loud as you can play ‘em. Most represented: Korn (with songs “Right Now,” “Coming Undone,” “Blind” and more), but includes Flyleaf, Deftones, 10 Years, Deadsy, Dir en grey and Stone Sour. Since 1998, Korn has been headlining the Family Values Tours, and they have been the best way to experience the hardest fucking rock out there. The CD’s guest artists include Corey Taylor on Korn’s “Freak On A Leash,” Filter’s Richard Patrick on Flyleaf’s “Pride (In The Name of Love)” and Chino Moreno on Korn’s “Shoots and Ladders/Wicked.” The CD provides the biggest radio hits, and if you’re wondering if these heavy bands put on decent live shows, the answer is yes. Though there’s an abundance of screaming (rather than singing), it’s pretty much all on point and the recording itself is of high quality. A live DVD is also available and contains performances by bands on the tour that didn’t make it onto the CD. This is a great little compilation, and the only thing better would have been to see it live. Don’t miss it next year.

CD: Goldenboy, Underneath the Radio (Eenie Meenie Records, October 3, 2006)

Rating: 2.5 guitars out of 5

Goldenboy, aka Shon Sullivan, may not be an open book when it comes to discussing his personal life or explaining his lyrics, but that’s part of his subdued charm. Sullivan (lead vocals, guitar and keyboards) and bandmate Bryan Bos (drumsand backup vocals), may dodge the press but are up to their ears in their music, which promotes a sound not unlike that of The Smiths, Belle & Sebastion and The Cure. The tinkling of piano keys, rythmic acoustic guitar and soft, tender vocals make for an album that is ideal for those times when you need to stop and take stock. The lyrics are descriptive and nonchalant, as heard on the song “Motorbike:” “Motorbike down the afternoon boulevards/billboards drive up and down the city street,” but always involve simple, quite moments of reflection “I’m feeling complete.” Fans of this brand of late ’80s, early ’90s mellow garage pop will find that this record fits perfectly into their tape collection, but in many ways this style of introspective pop has been worked over to the point where there’s nowhere new to go and nothing new to say. For those who were happy to leave the days of Morrissey behind, Goldenboy’s Underneath the Radio may be better left untouched.

By Rachel Heisler

By Rachel Heisler

CD: The Cogburns, Pay Up, Sucker (Be Particular! Records, 2006)

You don’t have to like punk rock in order to thoroughly enjoy The Cogburns, though it would probably help, considering the band’s forte is a delicious blend of punk/pop. And you don’t have to be a punk to enjoy it, but if you were it would probably be more fun, especially at a live show where you could get your drink, groove and mosh on.

Veterans of the Atlanta music scene, the band has been around since 2002, and the current touring line-up has come together over the past two years. According to bassist Jenn Cogburn, she, Doug and Tony were going to The Cogburn’s shows to watch and listen, but as band different members took on other projects or priorities, the three fans muscled their way in to what they all thought was the coolest band in town. Glenn, the founder of the group, has kept it going strong over the life of the band. And we’re glad he did. Another interesting note concerning The Cogburns is that Be Particular! Records, the label on which the new album, Pay Up, Sucker was released, is owned and operated by bassist Jenn Cogburn (proof postive that chicks can play the rock, and record the rock, and promote the rock, and …).

The Cogburns sound on Pay Up, Sucker, is big and bold. Opening numbers “Bending Knees” and “If You Want to Be My Girl” are classic pop punk that fans of The Hives should be attacted to, while “Little Castaway” dives head first into the pop pool. There’s a great vocal semblance to Goober & the Peas on the hyperactive “Nagging,” which for anyone who is familiar with Goober and the boys will be a nice blast from the past; and, maybe intentionally, the vox and melody on “My My Lola” resemble a track long-ago recorded by The Kinks. And for those who dig the music’s country side there’s the twangish “She Don’t Mind.” The mixing up of a few differing genres keeps this recording fresh. One thing’s for certain: You have to stay on your toes when listening to The Cogburns.

The Cogburns’ energy is matched only by its creativity when it comes to penning wildly upbeat, entertaining songs. The Cogburns rocks, rolls, takes it up and never lets it come back down to boring ‘ol Earth. Get a copy of Pay Up, Sucker, but also keep in mind that in order to really understand the group’s charismatic nature, it simply must be seen live. Again, just so we’re straight: GO. SEE. THIS. BAND.

Upcoming tour dates:

2/2/07-The Map Room, Charleston, SC with The Defilers

2/3/07-The Art Bar, Columbia, SC

2/9/07-Head On the Door, Montgomery, AL with guests

2/10/07-Little Willie’s, Tuscaloosa, AL with The Woggles

2/24/07-International Pop Overthrow, Atlanta, GA at Vinyl-11:30pm

3/2/07-The Corner Lounge, Knowville, TN with Sodajerk

By Rachel Heisler

CD: Sean Lennon, Friendly Fire (Capitol Records 2006)

In some ways, Sean Lennon was born the luckiest kid of all time. In othershe wasn’t lucky at all, being dealt a hand that included problems the rest of us could never even begin to understand. It wasn’t enough that some lunatic killed his father and left him with a mother who is blamed for breaking up the most important rock band of all time, but the man has some seriously large shoes to fill–and some people will never be able to think of Sean as anyone but “John’s son.” However, the second son has been able to reach beyond both his father and mother’s artistic acheivements and create his own style and sound.

With the release of Friendly Fire, Sean has yet again proven himself to be an innovative artist who is worthy of recognition on its own merits. His latest 2-disc set contains 10 new music tracks and a film that he wrote and, with the help of Ms. Ono-Lennon, produced.

To be sure, Sean’s music is still somewhat influenced by daddy, it would be strange if it wasn’t. But there’s something weird, beyond the Beatles’ similarities, about the music on Friendly Fire, and after a few run throughs it dawns on you that it has to be a soundtrack to a movie. This means the music doesn’t have as wide of a range as it might if it was a music-for-the-sake-of-music record. But lyrically the songs are interesting and are full of brooding with dark ideas and bouts of anger that just beg for a fight, and the love songs are painfully bitter.

On the visual side, it seems that mommy’s bizarro take/interpretation on/of art has infiltrated her son’s psyche, and has most certainly rubbed off on the lad, especially when it comes to his artwork and films. The film turns the album’s songs into a story in a whirlwind of avant-guard strangeness, and shows that Sean is more than a musician and/or filmaker: He is an artiste.

The DVD begins with vaudvillian shorts that all end in tragedy, where each song has its own scene, more like music videos than a movie. Sean’s lead character roles range from a sword fighter to a man who finds an underwater mermaid village to a nerdy kid who wants to win the girl by winning a rollerskating championship. Each storyline is off-kilter but each manages to tell its tale in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Half-way through the shorts, the film turns into, well, a film, with plot and spoken lines. By its finale, the shorts and film end up meshing and coming full circle to tell an abstract tale of one man’s miserable existence. The movie brings the music to life, and the songs work well in telling this twisted yet imaginative tale. And though it doesn’t need big names to help it along, there are a few, including Lindsay Lohan, Bijou Phillips, Carrie Fisher and Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam, Tori Amos).

Though this is not Sean’s first creative attempt, Friendly Fire seems to be his first really powerful work. His footing is grounded, his metaphores are steadfast and his talents are limitless.

Upcoming tour dates:

Sean is currently touring overseas. Visit www.seanonolennon.com for more information.

Photo: Steve Gainer

By Rachel Heisler

CD: Here & Now (Burgundy Records, January 16, 2007)

In 1972, the world was treated to the music of a band by the name of America. Three guys who were barely in their 20s were writing songs that told mesmerizing stories that were encompassed in beautifully catchy, lusciously mellow melodies with sophisticated and dramatic vocal harmonies. With such huge musical talent, there was no place for America to go but to the top of the charts, and “Horse With No Name” and “Sister Golden Hair” became #1 hits.

Those songs, along with nine other well-known, now classic rock songs, such as “Tin Man,” “Muskrat Love” and “Lonely People,” are included on America’s new 2-disc set. While disc two is completely oldies but goodies (that were recorded live at XM Studios on October 23, 2005), disc one contains 12 brand new songs that show off America’s older and wiser side without losing touch with the special sounds that made them superstars so many years ago. How many years ago was that exactly? Well, let’s just say that America hasn’t had a major label studio album in more than 20 years.

The new songs were predominantly written by Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, America’s two remaining original members, but the Americans have been joined by a number of fantastic “contemporary” musicians, including producers Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) and James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins).

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By Rachel Heisler

CD: Deadsy, Phantasmagore (Elementree/Immortal Records, August 2006)

Deadsy got its first taste of fame back in Los Angeles with club shows where the avant-guard was used to stun people … and inevitably turn them into fans. The band has been able to continue with its theatrical style, and over the years its cult following has turned into much more, and the five-piece has toured with bands like Korn on The Family Values Tour in 2006.

“Sometimes I feel like we’re living in a time bereft of imagination,” says frontman Elijah Blue, aka Exeter. “As far as Deadsy’s concerned, we pride outselves on being permanently adjacent to the prevailing culture.”

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By Rachel Heisler

Book: Grateful Dead Gear: The Band’s Intruments, Live Sound Systems, and Recording Sessions, 1965-1995 (Backbeat Books, January 2007, $34.95)

Deadheads and Merry Pranksters know a lot about the Grateful Dead. Which songs are on which albums, how many times they saw the band when Jerry was still alive and even what songs were played at each live show. But what many don’t know is on what gear the band played and what exactly went into making the sounds that were unmistakeably Grateful Dead. Fortunately, with the new book Grateful Dead Gear, they can learn about all the technical aspect of the Dead. Author and a top Dead journalist for more than 25 years Blair Jackson has gone above and beyond with this fascinating collection of information, which includes interviews with band members, roadies, producers and tech personnel, more than 100 pictures and diagrams and even suggested listening for those who want to hear for themselves the differences between instruments and the technology that was used over the eras. (more…)