Posts Tagged: you are my sunshine

2009 / 4 stars / duncan sheik / reviews — 2 Comments
21
Apr 09

Whisper House (2009) by Duncan Sheik

Whisper House by Duncan Sheik

Duncan Sheik
Whisper House
2009, RCA Vicor
pop, indie
4

Released on the heels of his successful compositions for the Tony award-winning play Spring Awakening, Duncan Sheik’s newest Whisper House doesn’t seem all that different from a Broadway recording. Sheik’s storytelling techniques are spot-on and rather inventive at times; “The Tale of Solomon Snell” sing-song quality is a good example of how engaging Sheik’s lyrical stories can be. In fact, Sheik has stated that this album is an exploration of the songs used in his new play also entitled Whisper House.

Yet it’s these obvious Broadway tendencies that detract from this album. Other than some good lyrics, the songs are lackluster; in all honesty, one could describe all Sheik’s albums as relatively ‘lackluster’ but I’m trying to be objective. Essentially, Whisper House sounds like a play, and not in the good way that ‘rock operas’ or even ‘concept albums’ sound.

Great plus: Holly Brook of “Where’d You Go?” fame (remember the song by Fort Minor aka Mike Shinoda aka the dude who raps in Linkin Park) sings backup vocals on the album. Her voice is just great.

“Tale of Solomon Snell,” “It’s Better To Be Dead,” “I Don’t Believe In You.”
myspace, last.fm
Copeland’s You Are My Sunshine, Neverending White Lights’s Act I: Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies

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2008 / 5 stars / provincial parks / reviews — No Comments
10
Apr 09

Iron Ponies EP (2008) by Provincial Parks

Iron Ponies EP by Provincial Parks

Provincial Parks
Iron Ponies EP
2008, unsigned
indie pop, alt rock
5

It’s pretty easy to give an EP five stars, considering that you have a shorter number of songs and therefore have more time to spend in concentrating on lyrical meaning when compared to a full-length album. Iron Ponies is probably the one exception to that rule, because it jumped out at me through the first listen. Though a bit overproduced for my personal tastes, I can find no other fault in the EP. Every song flows nicely, lyrics are impressively personal and yet universal, and it’s overall a very professionally done work. Lead vocalist Will Hemmings has a raspy voice that hints he could probably do a decent scream or two. Most other male vocalists would end up sounding a bit strange but his voice compels you to pay attention. Iron Ponies is not necessarily what I would crown the best album or EP of the year, but it’s interesting enough that I can’t put it away. It’s a shame it took me so long just to get to this review!

“Young Bride,” “The Wasp and the Dragonfly.”
myspace, last.fm
The New Frontiers’s Mending, Copeland’s You Are My Sunshine

Disclosure: A free copy of this EP was given to me by someone affiliated with the band. Please see my review policy for more.

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anberlin / augustana / city and colour / copeland / jack's mannequin / the dodos / the new frontiers / thrice / tiger lou / year 2008 / yoav — No Comments
6
Jan 09

Top 10 of 2008: New Releases

Making a Top 10 list is practically a requirement when you have a music review blog, but it can also be a nuisance since people usually judge you based on your list. Regardless, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, chances are very high that you know exactly what albums I’m going to include. If not, here’s a hint: go to the sidebar and check out all the 2008 releases that I gave 4.5 stars or 5 stars.

So here’s the best of what I managed to review:

  1. The New Frontiers – Mending
    indie, acoustic (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    I simply can’t say enough about this album. It’s not very inventive lyrically or musically, but it’s been compelling enough that I returned to this album time and time again. It doesn’t matter what mood I’m in or what song I just listened to – the minute something from Mending came up on my shuffle, I was swept away. The fact that The New Frontiers have broken up so soon after its release makes Mending almost iconic.

  2. Copeland – You Are My Sunshine
    indie/alt pop (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    While I wasn’t so enthusiastic about this album when I first heard it, it’s certainly grown on me. Every time I hear something from it, I’m struck by a certain lyric or a nuance that I’d never heard before. While Copeland is certainly branching out into new directions, they do so very convincingly.

  3. City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love
    folk (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    I’m convinced that Dallas Green is physically incapable of writing a truly upbeat song, but this album was a strange mixture of the ironic and the depressing. I still haven’t wrapped my mind around it completely.

  4. Anberlin – New Surrender
    alternative rock (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    This album takes the prize of Surprise of the Year. I’m a self-proclaimed Anberlin fan, but even I didn’t expect the second half of this album. Interestingly enough, it works. I’d love to see where these guys go from this excellent start.

  5. Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vol. 3 & 4
    alt rock, acoustic, folk (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    This album is a revelation when one considers its source: a post-hardcore band expanding its horizons. Lacking the insipid love songs that we’ve grown accustomed to on the radio, this album would have been more talked about than Radiohead’s In Rainbows had all four volumes been released at once. As it is, these last two volumes are simply brilliant.

  6. Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger
    piano rock (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    “The Resolution” is, and will always remain, the best anthem to come out of this decade. I also enjoyed the fact that McMahon returned to his roots in pop/punk, because too much acoustic just wasn’t good for him.

  7. The Dodos – Visiter
    alternative, folk (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    As an eclectic mixture of the unexpected and the familiar, Visiter is the layman’s version of Portishead’s Third. Honestly, that fact alone makes me love this album even more. Portishead, take note.

  8. Yoav – Charmed & Strange
    alternative/indie pop (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    Simplicity in lyrics and form haven’t failed the music scene yet, and here’s another prime example. Yoav’s voice is a bit too stretched at times, but the album as a whole is a noteworthy debut.

  9. Tiger Lou – The Loyal
    indie-rock, alt pop (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    Although it was originally released in 2005, The Loyal was released in the U.S. via Eyeball Records this year, and gave me a newfound respect for that label. The songs here are repetitive but not at all tiring. I have to get my hands on some of their newer stuff.

  10. Augustana – Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt
    roots rock/piano rock (read review)
    Purchase: Amazon, website

    This country-tinged sophomore album by Augustana might not have garnered as much attention as it deserved but it’s getting its due here. Here’s a return to the basics in a laid-back California/Texas style. Yeah, I don’t get it either, but that’s what it is, isn’t it?

Here are some other releases (in alphabetical order) that you should check out:

Boris Smile’s Beartooth EP
Dido’s Safe Trip Home
Driver F’s Chase The White Whale
The Duke Spirit’s Neptune

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