SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: OMNI, Ghosts (Faux Pas Records)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Omnipresent. Omniscient. Omnipotent. The English prefix meaning “all” or “fully encompassing” is a fitting one for this Seattle-based group. Shining spotlights on alt.rock, experimental and even metal, OMNI encompasses a lively array of noises. The band’s belief that “music is not supposed to sound a particular way” leaves them standing outside the box and free to dabble in as many kinds of music they want.

OMNI juts from a barrage of heart-pounding, double kick drum metal ball-busters to monster ballads, sometimes doing so within the context of one song. But whether hard and mean or soft and determined, OMNI retains an aggressive edge that no one should mess with. Step in front of that bus and you’re gonna get flattened.

The only thing OMNI needs to come full circle is figure out who to sell their product to: India kids? Metal heads? Experimental buffs? A smattering of each is viable and once their metal-toed boot is wedged in the door it’s unlikely the trio will stop trying to push it open fully. But when you know your music will appeal to a large audience, what’s the point of doing anything but knocking that door off its goddamn hinges?

CD review: Get Set Go, Sunshine, Joy and Happiness: A Tragic Tale of Death, Despair and Other Silly Nonsense (TSR Records

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Conjure up a picture of 1950’s beach bunnies with their old school padded bikini tops doing their super-happy peppy dance to peppy pop songs. Now throw on Sunshine, Joy and Happiness, and give a listen to the first two tracks. The picture in your head and the music coming out of the speakers should mesh perfectly. Although Get Set Go borrows these safe and innocent vibes of yesteryear, they’ve updated the past’s happy-go-lucky lyrics so they’re a lot more gloomy and depressing.

With lyrics like “Kiss me, hurt me, don’t desert me / Smack me ’round and do pervert me / Break me, take me, love me, hate me / Overwhelm and desecrate me / Please destroy me, oh please destroy me / I’m in love with you,” Get Set Go makes pain fun and destruction cute. Its yummy rock with a bitter lemon twist, and it’s perfect for anyone looking to put down the Champagne of Beers and add a little flavor to their palette.

Get Set Go’s self-destructive posturing can be outlandish at times, but at the end of the day this band can walk away knowing it has released unto the public is entertaining and engaging.

CD review: The Bangkok Five, We Love What Kills Us EP (Long Live Crime Records)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t need substance, but it’s always extra great when it does. Substance in terms of lyrical content as well as in sound and charisma … these are the things that count. The tribal beat, a primitive scream, a heartbeat that exists in every molecule that runs through rock’s soul. The Bangkok Five walks the rock ‘n’ roll walk and runs on animal instinct. Emerging from Los Angeles’ underground scene and escaping it, they guys later returned with a clearer picture of the city’s versatility and its shortcomings. The Bangkok Five uses L.A.’s insane energy to create a thriving, drilling intensity.

“This record reflects the treachery, deceipt, manipulation, loss of love and identity theft that surrounds us everyday in Los Angeles,” bassist Coatez said. Lead guitarist Sweeney adds: “These songs were written by a band on the road being a band.”

What these statements fail to mention is that although brutal, this CD isn’t so chaotic that the average Joe can’t get a foothold. It may not meet the requirements for adult contemporary radio stations, but fans of Queens of the Stone Age, Wolfmother and Papa Roach should give it a thorough run through.

CD review: Ladytron, Velocifero (Nettwerk Records)

By Captain America

Almost 10 years on, Liverpool’s Ladytron (formed in 1999, first release in 2001) can claim as strong a sound as ever even if Velocifero at first listen hits less hard than Witching Hour (2004). The darker, even heavier sound of this new release can be explained by the fact that Ladytron took only one day off after touring Witching Hour (for two years!) before heading into the studio to begin Velocifero. Audience feedback and the simple weariness of playing your old stuff makes a new approach beckon like a shimmering oasis. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Nigel Clothier, Book of Days (Leftarm Records)

Rating: 1 out of 5 geetars

Nigel Clothier’s music is weird. It’s a neither here-nor-there type of thing that just is. It’s hard to comment on a CD that exists, but doesn’t move or speak or barely even breathe. Put this album on life support, give it a hit of crack – something – just make it wake up!

The simplest remedy for fixing songs like the snail-paced title track is to speed it up. An easy fix to a serious problem. Tap that foot a little faster, grasp that guitar pick a little harder and just go for it! Clothier’s bio says his song, “Exceptin’ a Beach,” hits a “honky tonk path via rockabilly,” and that’s a stretch. It’s more of a lazy, 1-4-5 configuration, that again, could use a blast of C.P.R.

Clothier is a very mediocre hybrid of Chris Issak and Neil Young. Making those comparisons isn’t even fair to Issak and Young, but maybe a comparison like that will kick Clothier into overdrive. We can always hope.

CD review: Buckra, Camouflage Playboys International (Detonation Laboratories)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 geetars

If you like ska speckled with jazz, jazz feathered with funk and funk accessorized with blues, then you need Buckra to be a part of your daily listening schedule. Admit it – in this ever-evolving, always advancing world, music doesn’t always keep up the way we think it should. But Buckra, with its swinging grooves and rockabilly/old school virtuosity, knocks the half-hearted bands off the stage and into the wings.

Rising from the gloom of America’s Bible Belt (Cincinnati, Ohio), Buckra is anything but Bible thumpers. Nah, these guys trudge through the layers of bullshit and grab at the heart and sould of music, leaving what’s left over for the less enthusiastic musicians to dig through. Not versed in sophistication, this is a majestic project that wallows in the glorious world of back woods brawls and beers.

Buckra isn’t perfect by any means, but it stays true to its core values. Their live shows are hailed as jumpin’ jivin’ good times, and you may even have to pop some uppers in order to keep up with their reckless nature. But hey, do whatcha gotta do to make it through!

CD review: Jamie Craig, The Lost Dream (Craig Sound Productions, Inc.)

Rating: .5 out of 5 geetars

For those musicians out there who don’t think the rest of us can’t tell between a real saxophone and a synthesized one, guess again. even if the average, part-time listener doesn’t know exactly what going on, they can tell something is different and very, very wrong with the sound. It’s like those TV commercials where the people are animated, and even thought they kinda look human they’re really freaky looking.

Well, Jamie Craig, not only is it obvious that you have perverted the sancity of real instrumentation by creating music on keyboards, synthesizers and computer, the music itself sounds like that used in a really low-quality 1970’s porno.

Pushing the boundaries of science and experiementation is a good thing. Think where we’d be if inventors didn’t invent! So you, Mr. Craig, get points for that, but sometimes just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s a fine line we should all consider before crossing.

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden, Self-titled (Red Valise Recordings)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Ya just can’t help but compare Kate Tucker’s voice to Alanis Morrisette, Nina Gordon and even Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. Good for people who like to feel familiar with new artists on a basic level right from the get-go, but highly distracting when you keep thinking, “Oh, this sounds like … “. But factoring in Tucker’s gifted abilities as a songwriter, especially on songs like “Faster Than Cars Drive,” and she ranks right up there with those ladies who have already made a name for themselves. Tucker is spellbinding on “In Your Dreams” and “The First Day of the Year,” and she’s created the musical equivalent of stars shooting across the night sky.

Tucker isn’t a rocker per se … not that she’s not a powerhouse, ’cause she certainly is, she just happens to pull off powerhouse while at the same time being soft and delicate. Fragility is the album’s main theme, maybe stemming partly from the fact that she was sick with Typhoid Fever while recording the album. Beyond, her songs are a reflection of a woman’s vulnerable soul, and the song “In the End” says it all, and it says it loud and clear.

CD review: Sandy Zio, All That I Am (ZioSongs)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

She may be new to recording, but incorporating the talents of co-producer and Grammy Award-winning Glenn Barratt (Jill Scott, Diana Ross) didn’t hurt. She’s also had the help of Billy Joel bandmates Liberty DeVitto (drums) and Richie Cannata (sax), horn players from Tower of Power, Jef Lee Johnson (guitarist; Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin) and others to further highlight her musical abilities … can’t go wrong with help like that.

The New Jersey singer and pianist makes easy listening fun with original tunes coupled with covers of songs by Stevie Wonder (“Overjoyed”) and The Carpenters (“We’ve Only Just Begun”). Original “Don’t Stop Takling” is playful with a more pop jam, while still pulling off a romantic flavor; the disk’s title track is a heartfelt piece that comes across as Zio’s favorite due to exceptionally fervent vocals; and “Sister Madeline” offers an unexpected, jazzy dance groove with mischievous lyrics.

Sandy Zio is an all around pleasure to listen to, both as a vocalist and songwriter, and she evidently has a way with getting what she needs from those with whom she works. It’s very mellow, very straight-forward music, and classical romance sounds great when pouring from this lips of this natural-born entertainer.

CD review: Rachael Sage, Chandelier (Mpress Records)

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 geetars

Singer and self-taught pianist Rachael Sage has some e-splaining to do. Why, how, do so many of the lyrics and music demonstrated on Chandelier sound so very similar to that recorded by Ani DiFranco?

With opening number “Veritgo,” Sage unleashes a dizzying number of DiFranco-isms. Her vocals are filled with bitterness but lack the dramatic metaphor displayed by DiFranco. Sage’s phrasing, whether on the angry songs or the more subdued love songs, reflects Difranco’s almost to a T. When she pulls away from the DiFranco sound, Chandelier has a hard time pulling its own weight. Sage tries to use her voice to express the importance of her words instead of writing words that can hold their own. Of course, anything on this disk would be perfect music to be played on One Tree Hill or any of those other mainstream girlie television shows.

Sage needs to buy some well-written songs and see where they take her. Maybe move towards the genre of adult contemporary and give the low-resolution pop a rest for awhile. While all artists should stay true to their craft, Sage needs a few adjustments if she wants to strike a chord with a larger audience.

CD review: Lili Haydn, Place Between Places (Nettwerk Productions)

By Rachel Heisler

Make no mistake, Lili Haydn is a violinist at her core, and the classical aspects of her training are in the forefront of her soulful recordings. Her yearning vocals add to the mystique created by her fingers as they press against her instrument’s four vibrating strings. Called “The Jimi Hendrix of violin,” by Geroge Clinton, the Los Angeles native is not only an amazing artist but also a humanitarian and activist who performs regularly for human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Right Action Center. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Logs In The Mainstream, The Ridiculous and the Sublime (Corporate Greed Conglomerate Music Division)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Experimentation breeds some weird shit to be sure … just ask the men of Logs In The Mainstream. Witnessing New Jersey’s boring trend of cover and tribute bands, Logs jutted to the left and instead of spewing more mindless junk onto the Jersey bar scene it released a cascade of unexpected sounds, which they dubbed “eccentric rock.”

Logs isn’t the wierest weird band in the universe, but they are great at creating silly grooves and pairing them with unexpected lyrics. “Don’t Come to Maryland” is a great bag pipe-fronted punk Celtic rocker (done Flogging Molly style): “Don’t come to Maryland if you don’t like fishin’ / And if you don’t like fishin’ then get off of my lawn / Everybody knows down in Maryland we just don’t trust the chicken / So run off back to KFC and Jersey with your spawn.” They’ve also run with ska in “If Hitler Had Sideburns” and a bouncy pop in “Tequila and Power Tools.”

Violent Femmes, The Kinks, They Might Be Giants … and now Logs In The Mainstream. Goof rock is alive and well and it’s doing wonders to liven up North Brunswick’s night life.

CD review: Elliott Carlson Botero, Parasite: A Love Story (Self-released)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Success is a slippery bitch! Elliott Carlson Botero knows this firsthand having a potential record deal with Sony Records fall through … but some people just don’t take “No” for an answer. After borrowing some money, purchasing Pro Tools and packing his world up and moving to New York City, Botero put his nose to the grindstone and began recording what would eventually become the beautifully well-rounded Parasite: A Love Story.

This disk meets at a delicious crossroads of electronic, rock, blues and Latin. Botero elevators all the way from poetically reverent love songs to loop-filled dance hits and then to bluesy grinders full of passionate crescendos and juicy harmonies. He uses a perfect amount of Latin flavor – Joao Joya’s Spanish rap on “Starless Lounge” meshes gracefully with the music that surrounds it. But the best song, easily, is “Chop Chop.” Electronic in sound, classic in word and emphatic in nature, both the English and Spanish version kick serious ass and make you want to throw your hands in the air and swing the hips.

This is a great example of eclectic without being so far out that it’s inaccessible or incomprehensible to the general public. If Bolero is as sensuous and exciting in person as he is on record, he’s certainly one hell of a guy.

CD review: Glen Phillips, The Secrets of the New Explorers EP (Umami Music)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 geetars

What do space travel and music have in common? Ask singer/songwriter Glen Phillips, the son of a physicist and chemist who grew up reading Heinlen, Herbert and Asimov. Science and rock are two great tastes that Phillips has mashed together to invent an even better-tasting, never-before-tasted flavor that can be dubbed Sci-pop.

Anyone familiar with The Postal Service will hear similarities in “The Spirit of Shackleton,” and the sing-along ditty “Solar Flare” binds childhood’s explorative nature with the excitement of charting territories unknown: “Goodnight moon, goodnight air, goodnight captain in the captain’s chair / Goodbye teeth and good bye hair, you were taken by the solar flare.” His voice rings as distinctly as a bell and the tunes are infused with loops that add onto the already fantastic dreamy works.

Phillips, who started the band Toad the Wet Sprocket, is a worthy adversary in terms of being a solo artist and has an uncanny ability to make music that soars beyond heads, clouds and heavens. Watch for his new group, The Scrolls (with members who’ve played with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nickle Creek and Elvis Costello & The Attractions), which is scheduled to release an album by fall 2008.

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Serena Ryder, Told You In A Whispered Song EP (Atlantic Records)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 geetars

With nothing but her voice and a six-string guitar, Serena Ryder creates a more moving sound than a 100-piece orchestra. Ryder isn’t consciously trying to change the face of music (“Everyone’s trying so hard to do something brand new, something they think people need or want, but really, we don’t need anything else,” Ryder said), though it’s possible she might. Ryder is just doing what comes to her naturally. Having been raised by a singing go-go dancing mom and a Caribbean-folk music-playing dad, she was exposed to a wide range of musical worlds, and began performing at the age of 13.

Ryder’s singing style is unique, but at the same time most of the songs on her five-song EP can be compared to another female artist: the title track is especially reminiscent of the ’60’s folk singer Buffy St. Marie; “Brand New Love” is upbeat like stuff by KT Tunstall; and “Brown Like the Wind At Night” walks the line drawn by Melissa Etheridge. Still, Ryder is one of the coolest, smartest and wittiest songwriter to pop up in a long time, and she rocks as hard as anyone out there. Her full-length CD can’t be released soon enough.

CD review: Ryan Cabrera, The Moon Under Water (Frolic Room Records)

Rating: 2 out of 5 geetars

Mix together Coca-Cola, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, root beer, Squirt and add a jugger of grape soda, shake well, and what will inevitably splatter uncontrollably all over the walls and ceiling of the kitchen will be akin to the sticky pop rock created by Ryan Cabrera.

But the masses love this kind of stuff, and Cabrera has had his taste of the good life. He went on to sell more than a million records and make the Top 20 with songs “True” and “On The Way Down.” The 2006 single “I Will Remember You” was featured on television shows “Will & Grace” and “So You Think You Can Dance”. Saying “I can’t just write stuff to make money or [keep] the people at the record company happy,” he went on to create his own independent Frolic Room Records label.

This is an album for the Disney generation, those Hannah Montana wanna-bees, Hilary Duff ecstatics and Cheetah Girls lovers. But Ryan Cabrera is inadvertently giving the people what they want and they’re eating it up. Hey – it’s a dirty, gummy, mainstream job, but somebody’s gotta do it, and Cabrera does it better than anybody else.

CD review: Redcast, The Redcast EP (Self-released)

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 geetars

When The Shins came along with their retro sound, everyone began saying it was the next new wave of original music. I argued that they just took melodies and inspiration from ’60’s pop bands and reworked them. In reality, that’s all they did. So, when bands like Redcast come along and do the exact same thing as The Shins, it’s pretty disappointing. It’s just copying what has already been copied.

Of the five songs on Redcast’s EP, four are this jingle-jangle happy bippity-boppity stuff that makes you wanna knock your own front teeth out with a hammer. The only song that has its own personality is “When You’re Falling,” a love song with smooth vocals and a message of hope. But one outta five ain’t good odds in gambling, love or anything else.

“We really want people to be able to listen to these songs, relate to them and just feel happy,” said frontman Seth Brock. I guess that will depend on who is listening. The cutesy pop may make some smile, but others will frown at Redcast’s inability to write something new and exciting.

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Chicane Theory, Lose Track of Time EP (NRGalaxy Music)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Chicane Theory has mastered something most alternative, indie bands find impossible to do: not sucking. While not conjuring up a truly self-made sound (“Fuzzy” and “Cairo” resemble old Nirvana tracks), singer/songwriter/guitarist/bassist Nicholas Roesler at least appears to be trying to bring something melody-rich and lyrically idiot-free to the table.

The pop of “Decision” is nicely offset with a beautiful ethereal guitar part; the drums on “Same Old, Same Old” are somewhat bland, but the bass line has great movement and lifts the song to a better level; and instead of copping out with a half-assed downtrodden chord progression on the romantically challenged “Torch”, Roesler offered up something somewhat dark and slightly foreboding … a nice twist from the norm and a good way to portray what love is really like.

For a six-song EP, Lose Track of Time isn’t so bad. Granted, it could use a little cleaning up here and there and maybe some more time spent on production, but that will mostly come with time. Or money. Or both. Let’s just hope that Chicane Theory gets out of the small clubs and into bigger venues ’cause America deserves to hear a high-quality band like this.

“The guy who stays in the game the longest is the guy that brings change.”

CD review: Lyfe Jennings, Lyfe Change (Columbia Records)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

As a youth, R&B great Lyfe Jennings spent 10 years in jail, and his childhood was filled with negativity and pitfalls. Now, as an adult, he’s using his talents to help others help themselves. “My music has always been positive …,” Jennings said. “But I named this album Lyfe Change because this time I wanted to take it a step further and invoke people to make a change in their lives and in the lives of others. That’s how we’ll change the world, one life at a time.”

Jennings puts his cards on the table with the biographical “Warriors,” discussing growing up without a father figure and his time spent in the pen. Though he doesn’t need it, he has the help of R&B and rap artists T.I., Wyclef Jean and Snoop Dogg, as well as producers Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis, The Underdogs and Rich Keller.

With Jennings’ positive messages and the backbone to speak on issues others shy away from, plus his soulful singing, it’s no wonder Lyfe Jennings is already a platinum-selling star. Just goes to show how optimism, hope and gumption cannot only change a man’s life, but change the perspectives of those who listen to him.

CD review: Elevation, Strangelove (50 Records)

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 geetars

Elevation’s debut album, Strangelove, was produced by Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra), mastered by Grammy Award-winner Adam Ayan (The Rolling Stones, Nirvana) and the first single, “Razoreyes,” was mixed by famed producer Mark Endert (Madonna, Maroon 5).

Elevation is a mediocre band even though its five members are proficient enough musicians. Boringly, their indie rock (which reminds one of something between Oasis and My Chemical Romance, etc.) isn’t wrapped in originality, and no matter who they have working on tweaking their compositions and turning console knobs they can’t shine a turd.

But fuck, at least “Razoreyes” doesn’t blow chunks. You do have to admit that these guys are romantics who can write some decent love song lyrics. But other than that, it’s all just more of the same alternative gone awry.

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Joshua James, The Sun is Always Brighter (Intelligent Noise Records)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Is Joshua James Paulo Nutini’s brother? No, but musically they’re related. The same soft essence streams through both and they travel in the same pop roads.

But James has a few things going for him that Nutini doesn’t. First, James picked up the guitar for the first time in his twenties and his playing is impressive for starting so late in life. Second, Nutini always seems to be trying too hard, while James lets his music flow naturally. James is pure, natural and sincere. He is a saint in a world of sinners and thieves.

“Geese” stands out not for being noisy and bold, but for being mellow and bold. For anyone raised in the country or for those who find solice in nature’s solitude, the words will ring true: “Where the grass covers up my body / The river taught me to hear / Where the trees serve as my refuge / And the dark taught me to fear.”

But be forewarned – the sad melodies and sentimental words are bound to make you think, and not necessarily happy thoughts. Just break up? Just lose someone close? Feeling blue? If so, prep yourself for water works, ’cause they’re coming.

CD review: Mayfield, Self-titled EP (Glorious Homeless Records)

Rating: 3 out of 5 geetars

Mayfield, one of the newest break-out bands from Australia, is beasty. Picking up exactly where Nirvana left off, the self-titled EP rocks with gusto on songs “The New Black” and “Against the Grain.” With “Sinnerman Smell Like Cinnamon”, the sound brandished vox and riffs that are part Linkin Park and part Alice In Chains. But it’s “Self Desruct” is the Nirvana wanna be with a melody all but copied from “Pennyroyal Tea” and very Kurt Cobain-flavored lyrics: “There’s a stain all over me / Scratch myself until it bleeds / I’m my own worst enemy / When I’m drowning in a world and I can’t breathe.”

Mayfield’s strength is unleashing tidal waves of teenaged and mid-’20’s angst and biting commentary on current social descrepancies. But it’s music brings up the old question of whether it’s smart to base your sound on a band that has already trailed a distinctive path, in this case Nirvana for the most part, or whether it’s fuckin’ lame to not find a new sound? What Mayfield does it does well, but Kurt and boys did it better.

* Mayfield is currently the house band at The Plush Lounge (in the Key Club) in Hollywood, CA, Visit www.mayfield-music.com for details.

CD review: CIAM, Anonymous (Self-released)

Rating: 3 of 5 geetars

It’s hard to get a feel for a band that sells itself as more than a music-making entity without checking them out live and seeing the entire big picture. London-based CIAM, brainchild of vocalist/guitarist Jeff Shapiro and viola/violinist Hadar Goldman, is much more than a band concerned with playing interesting melodies. Their experimental electronic music is accompanied by various medium of visual art, and the band has collaborated with people in the fields of architecture, photography, film and animation. “Just picking up a guitar and writing a few chords is not enough anymore,” said Shapiro. “I’m trying to enjoy something that I’m doing the way that I believe in it – without compromises and several perspectives simultaneously.”

When heading to a CIAM live performance, expect to see short films that are said to be entities unto themselves, but work seamlessly alongside the music. All songs from the album will be matched with a video – the first to be worked out is the song “Here I Am”, and can be seen at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NbzXCk28Mbs. Since the music is neither too psychedelic, too pop, too shoe-gazer or too anything else, it’s a good idea to juice the CIAM experience up colorful images.