Posts Tagged: a lily for the spectre

2009 / 4 stars / reviews / the bird and the bee — No Comments
14
Oct 09

Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future (2009) by The Bird and The Bee

ray guns are not just the future the bird and the bee

The Bird and The Bee
Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
2009, Blue Note Records
electronic, indie pop
4

The Bird and the Bee seem like yet another artsy duo attempting to find success in the indie pop field with their second album Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future; even the title of their album is appropriately off-beat to fit that image. But the songs on Ray Guns are rather simplistic instead of esoteric, both in lyrics and in beats. Yet even those lyrics and beats are haunting enough to be memorable, and it’s that catchiness that really carries this album – see “Love Letter to Japan.” I do have to applaud them for subtle jazz influences and the fact that lead vocalist Inara George’s voice is great when she’s singing or speaking. Hey, let’s face it, a good singer doesn’t necessarily know how to pull off a chant or even sound good when they’re not singing, but George does.

“My Love,” “Meteor,” “Diamond Dave.”
myspace, last.fm
Moonbabies’s War on Sound, Stephanie Dosen’s A Lily for the Spectre

  • Share/Bookmark
2007 / 3 stars / a fine frenzy / reviews — No Comments
6
Oct 09

One Cell in the Sea (2007) by A Fine Frenzy

a fine frenzy one cell in the sea

A Fine Frenzy
One Cell in the Sea
2007, EMI
piano pop
3½

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

  • Share/Bookmark
1996 / 5 stars / fiona apple / june is for women / reviews — No Comments
25
Jun 09

Tidal (1996) by Fiona Apple

fiona apple tidal

Fiona Apple
Tidal
1996, Clean Slate/Work
alt rock, soul
5

I’ve mentioned before that my musical education pop began in 1997. Well, I still remember the single “Criminal” from that time as one of the songs that really shaped my musical tastes, and my recent ‘rediscovery’ of this album only makes me appreciate Fiona Apple that much more.

If one were to really describe Apple’s voice, I’d say she is the vocal child of Jane Monheit and Grace Slick with double Slick’s charisma. The strength of vocal delivery despite the fact that she doesn’t have the typical pop voice, and the astonishing array of styles she shows in Tidal indicates a pop star in the truest sense of the term: a vocalist who can convincingly inhabit and deliver every song she sings, regardless of lyrics or style. The fact that the lyrics to this album are just as respectable as her vocal ability set aside Apple as a star to begin with. It’s too easy to swim aurally through this album and not even realize that you’re listening to distinct songs. If there’s any album from this month’s set of reviews that you must listen to, it is this one.

“Sleep to Dream,” “Never Is A Promise,” “The First Taste.”
myspace, last.fm
Bird York’s The Velvet Hour, Stephanie Dosen’s A Lily For The Spectre

  • Share/Bookmark
← Older Entries