SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: David Sasscer, Quiet Mind (Roomful of Sky Records)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 geetars

What a great way to start a CD! David Sasscer and the Mojo Conga Jam jump right into the depths of romance with “(When) She’s In Love With Me.” Sasscer’s voice burns with a gentle fervor and melts with desire. And if that wasn’t enough to get you feeling dreamy and maybe even a little weepy, it’s followed up with the title track, an even more touching and ethereal piece with gleaming chimes and philosophical and religious rhetoric.

Sasscer’s music showcases different sides of his personality. “Almost Perfect Weekend” has a Caribbean groove (his hometown is Aguadilla, Puerto Rico); “Jon Stewart Is God” is an absolutely hilarious gospel piece (one wonders WWJS [What Would Jon Say] about it?); even though Sasscer has written and produced children’s music in the past, he’s no prude: “Dynamite” and “I do, too” get a little saucy; and the live “Why I Love You” is an easy-rolling country love song that would make most women swoon.

David Sasscer is a good guy and Quiet Mind is one of the better releases that not enough people have heard. It’s time to change that. He deserves to be listened to, and you deserve to hear him.

CD review: Victims of Circumstance, Do It Yourself (Financial Records)

Rating: 3 out of 5 geetars

There’s punk rock and there’s ska, and then there’s Victims of Circumstance, a band that drinks pop, ska and punk down like water. There’s an obvious love of what they do that comes across in VOC’s image and music.

It’s usually indie bands that go the D.I.Y. route, but VOC has done it itself every step of the way by starting Financial Records with their own Glenn Stewart (drums), Michael Smyth (lead vocals, guitars) and Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton (Mighty Mighty Bosstones saxophonist), releasing its own CD and doing it’s own marketing and promotion.

The band may be about as pop as you can get, but that doesn’t stop it from dishing out its own ideas on current politics and social issues. “Me and Alex P. Keaton” is a mish-mash of topics – from a women’s right to choose to fiscal policies to religion and more. Love, not always a topic for punk bands to dwell on, is a much-loved theme for VOC, and “Post Modern Love,” “The Distance” and other songs make use of the trials and tribulations of romantic relationships. Finally, VOC has taken Elton John’s “Daniel” from a mellow pop song to an upbeat punk number.

CD review: Keram, Box (Constant Change Music)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Keram Malicki-Sanchez is what they call a Renaissance man: someone who works in a wide variety of media. Keram takes the title to the extreme as an actor (“Crazy/Beautiful,”,”Buffy The Vampire Slayer”), composer (film scores/soundtracks), writer, producer, director, founder of record label/new media group Constant Change Productions and musician.

Box is an acoustic collection of ballads, rich in self exposure and warmth of tone and soul. When not contemplating the twists and turns of affairs of the heart, Keram settles heavily on the theme of death. Whatever life-altering incident caused his subdued yet noticeable cynical disposition to surface may have altered how he pictured the world, but it brings out an intense determination that gets infused into his music. “Dove Bone” is made especially captivating because Keram tagged on spacey reverb at the end of phrases. Unexpected additions like these give Keram’s music a distinctive flair.

Also, check out Keram’s webisodic series “Rock Soup” on YouTube. The episodes offer information on how to make a record, Keram’s recording process as well as a look at his old-world studio recording techniques. Take it from a man who knows what he’s talking about – whether it’s playing or making the music.

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: The Shondes, The Red Sea (Self-released)

Rating: 3 out of 5 geetars

Considering the United States is the melting pot nation of the world, it would be a shame if music didn’t incorporate some of the same traditional ethnic sounds of outside nationalities. By combining hard, hip N.Y.C. rock with intricate violins, ravenous beats and ruthless vocals, The Shondes (whose name comes from the Yiddish word “shame” or “disgrace”) take music to a place that’s spontaneous and downright unruly. But, impressively, the unruly side is complimented by a conscientious nature, and the band uses its voice to help organize events like the Jews Against the Occupation Chanukah Ball and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project’s Valentine’s Day Party.

Girlie and pretty it ain’t, though perceptive (“Winter”) and bitter (“What Love Is”) and rebellious (“I Watched The Temple Fall”) it is. In a world where it’s easier to “let somebody else do it” than work for change yourself, it’s invigorating to come across people who have stayed true to their beliefs and heritage.

Even if you’re not a supporter of politically charged grrl rock mixed with traditional sounding Jewish-style violins, it’s nice to know it’s out there if you change your mind.

CD review: Yea Big + Kid Static, Self-titled (Jib Door Records)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 geetars

I’ve been reading some reviews on Yea Big + Kid Static’s new self-titled CD and most of them make a point of mentioning how weird the Chicago natives – Kid Static (emcee) and Yea Big (deejay) – act and how upside down their music sounds. As I listen to the insanely creative loops and mixes of “Low Budget Battle Scene” and “Repairs Are Needed” the words that come to mind to describe YB+KS are refreshingly innovative and inventive. Even when they’re taking a more straight-edge approach to songwriting (“The Life Here” or “Speak The Facts”), they can’t help but add twists that are so unexpected they make you stop what you’re doing and wonder, “What the hell?”

The rhythms are wild and slightly schizophrenic and the rhymes are sometimes borderline ridiculous, but more often than not they’re fast and furious examples of wit and models of what to do if you want to be a credible rap artist. Yea Big and Kid Static have their own separate projects, but when they come together and do their mind-meld thing it’s guaranteed that something truly remarkable will be born.

CD review: The Billie Burke Estate, Let Your Heart Break (Self-released)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Andy Liotta spent the 1980s and ’90s fronting power trios Smokin’ Rhythm Prawns and Walrus, but since packing up and moving from California to Seattle and starting a family, has unplugged his distortion pedals and changed his focus to piano-driven, pop-motivated songwriting. On Let Your Heart Break, Liotta works not only his vocal and piano muscles, but also his keyboard, bass, guitar and percussion skills. BBE has a Randy Newman phrasing vibe, a dramatic passion that stands up to that of Neil Diamond and a Cake-like freedom of melody.

Liotta’s faculty for the piano is evident from the opening notes of “99 Liberty Lane,” as is his vocal strength. Songs like “Hold On” demonstrate confident, robust and expressive singing that escapes being too sing-songy or harsh (though the vocals are brought very much to the forefront of the mix, which takes a few minutes to get accustomed). Liotta also has a gratifying lyric-writing style (i.e. “Like I See You”) that suggests a strong sense of self and clearly defined, stream-lined thought processes. Whether he’s in a fresh and upbeat state of mind or a more perceptive and softened one, Liotta makes both believable – a notable feat in itself.

Book review: Nirvana: The Biography (Da Capo Press)
Author: Everett True

By Rachel Heisler

Your average Nirvana fan probably knows the basics about Aberdeen, WA’s most beloved band: Kurt Cobain’s addiction to heroin, his self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head at the tender age of 27, the conspiracy theory that wife Courtney Love was the one who pulled the trigger … and we all know the music. The chart-topping “Come As You Are” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the beautiful “About A Girl” and the ball-busting thrashings of “Blew” and “Breed” are just a few of the songs that have been staples on radio since the 1990s. (more…)

CD review: The Presidents of the United States of America, These Are the Good Times People (Fugitive Records)

By Rachel Heisler

The Presidents of The United States of America have always been a little off its rocker. Consider that head songwriter and vocalist Chris Ballew plays what he calls the basitar – a bass guitar with only two strings – and Andrew McKeag jams guitar riffs on his guitbass. Gimmick or genius? Probably a little of both when it comes right down to it, but either way the uniqueness has worked since the trio’s wondrous break-out hits “Lump” and “Peaches,” which were released 12 years ago. (more…)

CD review: Big Head Todd and The Monsters, All The Love You Need

By Rachel Heisler

Todd Park Mohr started Big Head Todd and The Monsters way back in 1986 with high school friends Brian Nevin (drums) and Rob Squires (bass), and eventually hired Jeremy Lawton to take on the role of keyboardist. The blues/rock band made it’s biggest statements with songs like “Bittersweet,” “Broken Hearted Savior” and “Sister Sweetly,” and with those became a regular on the radio for a significant length of time. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Liquid Jungle, Tiny Heaven (Self-released)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Self-instructed musicians – identical twin brothers Josh and Graham Yoder (head songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist and lead guitarist and backing vocalist, respectively) – have been pressing against the musical grindstone since the age of 12. It wasn’t until 2003 that the now 20-something siblings founded Liquid Jungle, and started opening eyes in and around their hometown of Atlanta, GA. Along with drummer Jason Monseur and multi-instrumentalist Zach Varner, they created Tiny Heaven, the group’s debut release, which is an ear-twisting culmination of rock, pop and funk, with a zesting of jazz and ’80s rock.

“Unglued,” with its driving drum work, represents the group’s harder edge, while songs like “Broken” introduce a tender, introspective personality, and Graham even finds time for a wailing guitar solo. “Turn To Stone” brings to mind Yes, and “Programmed” will find Primus fans jamming on their air basses.

“We used to consider our sound more progressive but now we’re incredibly song based, very much into the craft of creating strong, listenable tracks of great energy and substance,” Josh said. Job well done … Liquid Jungle is well-rounded and unpretentious, and its music has a promising and all-inclusive feel.

CD review: Lawrence Blatt, Fibonacci’s Dream (LBM Music)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Flamenco guitar is all the rage these days, and folk guitar is, as it has been forever, a mainstay on the circuit, though both genres are often practiced by those who shouldn’t be practicing. It’s refreshing when an extremely talented guitarist such as Lawrence Blatt comes along with a mature yet playful and soulful guitar style that is neither doused in Flamenco or folk. Blatt is categorized as New Age and/or adult contemporary, and without uttering a word, his instrumental works tell tales of other times and places.

“With Fibonacci’s Dream, I didn’t set out to make an album of any particular genre,” Blatt said. “My music creates a personal oasis and space of solitude in a busy life.” The disk also incorporates mathematical ideas that 13-century Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci introduced. “I studied the basic structures of musical scales and realized they all have Fibonacci sequences. The idea was to consciously try to interject these rules into the music … .”

Personal and communicative, Blatt has achieved greatness with his recent release, and proved that, without a doubt, simple steel and nylon strings can create not just music, but worlds and moods.

CD review: John Amen, Ridiculous Empire (Self-released)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 geetars

Singer/songwriter, poet and artist – John Amen is one of those guys who is impossible to date because he always has 1,000 other things on his plate and never any time to spend with his significant other. However, Amen’s diet of art is a blessing to those who have encountered his craft in any of its forms.

Amen will provide alt.country/Americana buffs an earful of what they’ll quickly admit deserves to be played alongside Wilco, Arlo Guthrie and Bob Dylan. He throws caution to the wind on the opening “Harbingers & Alcohol” – a song that’s unapologetic in its modest production, background bar noises, perfectly placed harmonica and vocals that sound like they’re being blurted out by experienced, near-to-being-shit-faced whiskey chuggers.

Amen is obviously a well-read man who finds a certain sense of satisfaction in jabbing a pointy elbow in the ribs of those who spew hypocrisy and turn a blind eye to the weighty issues that plague our world. Amen’s cheeky wit and cutting political digs, along with his spry guitar-playing and dramatic storytelling, make him one inspired individual who sees things a little differently than the average Joe. And different, in this case, is damn good.

Just a note to all our readers, PR executives and record and publishing companies: Since my move to Los Angeles last month, I’ve had no access to our beloved Internet, thus, the lack of recent reviews. Happily, we’re back online, so rest assured that new reviews will be coming your way in the next few days. Thank you for your understanding, we look forward to bringing you new information on the best and hottest bands around the world!

Cheers,
PPR Editor-In-Chief,
Rachel Heisler