Before I can even start this review, you need to check out the genres this album covers. Yes, that would be hip-hop there, your eyes are not deceiving you; just think of it as 80s hip-hop rather than the mess that calls that genre home today. Continue reading →
2007
6
Oct 09
One Cell in the Sea (2007) by A Fine Frenzy
A Fine Frenzy
One Cell in the Sea
2007, EMI
piano pop
½
Piano-pop and myself have a love-hate relationship that I have yet to figure out, but was definitely brought up while I listened to A Fine Frenzy’s (aka Alison Sudol’s) debut One Cell in the Sea. The piano sounds great and even Sudol herself sounds great, at least when she’s not attempting to sing at a lower register as in “Rangers,” but I can’t seem to really like this album as much as I should. It could be because Sudol sounds like a little girl playing at being an adult much of the time, or maybe it’s because of over-production and the ever-dreaded Coldplay influences that are rampant. This album is too much of a debut for me to listen to it seriously; the only song I can stand to listen to again “Almost Lover,” and that’s because the beginning chords are lifted from the famous “Part-Time Lover.”
“Almost Lover,” “Last of Days,” “Borrowed Time.”
myspace, last.fm
Sara Bareilles’s Little Voice, Stephanie Dosen’s A Lily for the Spectre
14
Sep 09
Combinations (2007) by Eisley
Eisley
Combinations
2007, Warner Reprise Records
indie rock/pop
½
This may be Eisley’s second album, but it’s the first I’ve heard of theirs. I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised. This is a pretty strange analogy to make, but if you could bottle up folk rock, soft pop, and a dash of vaudeville, you’d have Combinations.
Eisley has a haunting quality to their music, vocals, and lyrics that permeate everything from their rock songs like “Invasion” to their sweeter numbers like “Like The Actors.” As the band is essentially a family affair (everyone’s related in some way), the tight delivery and rich vocals should come as no surprise, but I have to admit I envy that cohesiveness. Lyrically, this album is darker than the lighter background would imply, but the contrast is what makes this album that much more appealing.
