Archive for the ‘Pop’ Category

Out There

Sunday, September 2nd, 2007


Luka Bloom - Tribe

Summer must be coming to a end. My music and the music being released right now, echo the changing of seasons and it’s melancholy feel. One of the more interesting releases is Luka Blooms “Tribe”.
This a very different selection of songs for Luka, thick bass lines with ebo textured guitars that brings a new sound to his work. It is familiar and balanced, new but not jarring and very enjoyable in these cool New England mornings.

Fred sings Brazil

Friday, July 27th, 2007


Cornelius - Point - Brazil

When does strange turn to really enjoyable? When there is a cover the song “Brazil” that sends you into Terry Gilliam flash backs?

Cornelius, who yes does a cover of Brazil, is on of the modern artist that I have been watching and “Point” is a very approachable abstract almost dance music that explores music in a no conventional almost noise form. He fits somewhere between “The Books” and Fennesz, playing with loops and pressing on with a message of understand the “point” of view. I have to say I hate “I hate hate” thought I have been caught chuckling at the power cords once, I debate if the song is worth the hard-drive space.

I fall into the more laid back songs, Tone Twilight Zone and Brazil on this CD, but there are treats to be found if you are looking for it… Yes I think that is Fred… that Macintosh voice that visits on the weekends…

David Sylvian - Maria (Live In Tokyo 4/24/04)

Thursday, June 28th, 2007
Rating: 5 out of 5

To the David Sylvian fan’s out there here is a rework of a classic. I really like the samples that are used in this track. David, we need this on a CD…

I can’t make real life as good as television

Monday, May 21st, 2007


Jenny Owen Youngs - Batten the Hatches

I think one of the hardest things about writing about music is finding a complete CD that you can make a fair comment on. The new / reissue Jenny Owen Youngs CD “Batten the Hatches” leaves me in the flux of trying to find a balance of very bad and really create music.

In the middle of this CD there are three very nice creative tracks (Voice on tape, P.S., Bricks) these tracks at times sound like Joni Mitchell with lyric writing that could take twist like Robyn Hitchcock. They are three very enjoyable folk pop tunes that I am happy to have in my collection.

But regretfully, the rest of the tracks seem deep in the youthful disfunction angst of relationships gone south and the desire to try to create some sort of shock, slim. That just turns the CD into a lost set of pop tunes that fall short.

Retro Retro

Monday, May 21st, 2007


The Clientele - God Save the Clientele

The Clientele has always had a great talent of creating pop music that sounds as if it came from another time period. I have made comparisons to the songs on there latest CD “God Save the Clientele” as something that sounds like a lost Monkeys / Davy Jones and the Zombies.

I have to say that I have not enjoyed this recording as much as I enjoyed there 2005 recording “Strange Geometry”. That being said it still makes good background music in the kitchen that will not horrify the kids or guests.

But some sap on the floor might be expected.

The sound of a long repetitive beat

Wednesday, April 18th, 2007


LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

I blame NPR. This is dance / house music and for the most part I don’t like this type of music, but the NPR reviewer made similarities to Talking Head, Bowie and the Pixes and I had to find out more.
First off, there are a few songs that are so repetitive I just can not stand them and the title track is so poor that it is just frustrating to listen to. Thought there are a few enjoyable tracks that stick out, Us V Them, Someone Great, Watch The Tapes and North American Scum, they stretch between of retro 80’s synth music to a more raw a scream.
This is music that you really have to be in the right mood for and sometimes I wish there was just radio versions of the songs.

A Great Escape

Thursday, April 5th, 2007


Patrick Watson - Close to Paradise

There are times that you buy a CD with no knowledge or understanding of what you are purchasing. This is one of those CD’s for me and I very surprised on how enjoyable it has been. Mr. Watson has a raw jazzy feel to his work that has been working very nicely with my enjoyment of “The Good, The Bad, The Queen.” This selection of songs may have some dark undertones, but not depressing and has a great ability of create some real amazing transitions and crescendo of musical enjoyment.

The Dynamic ipod

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007

I make mix CD’s, lots of them. I guess it is a function of spending so much time in a car and listening to music on my ipod. I am in the constant search of the perfect summer, winter, new music, international, mix.

Over the years I have taken to the process of listening to my music on shuffle and if I feel like I hear a song that would work on a mix I would mark the track with a star. I Currently have three concepts mixes going on on my ipod. The one star tracks are songs for the summer mix, two stars is the International mix and three is new music.

At home I have itunes set up with smart play list, a play list that collects only tracks marked with one star, another for the two stars and the third for three. Now when I sync my ipod I have play lists that I can work with and create, hopefully better mixes.

Well, to my surprise today, I noticed, that Apple some time in the last year has added a really great feature that allows the smart play lists to dynamic change on the ipod. This means that I do not need to sync the ipod to itunes to have the play list updated. If I mark a song one star it goes into the one star play list immediately.

Now I can edit my mixes and play around easier with sound combos creating that monster summer mix. Keep mixing, keep listening…

Anatomy of Protest

Thursday, March 15th, 2007
When I first heared Funeral by Arcade Fire, I was struck by the music, listing to it over and over again. Then one day it struck me on how sad and depressing the songs were lyrically. Arcade Fire’s new CD Neon Bible is a bit jarring and striped down if you compare it to Funeral. There is a lot less hiding of themes and is a little more in your face. It is a brilliant work of music, that sonically simpler, darker and seems to challenges the political climate and the religious extremes of today.

fresh and familiar

Sunday, February 18th, 2007

Take a member from Blur, The Clash, Verve and add in Tony Allen and you get the sounds of The Good the Bad and the Queen. I have been listen to this disc for the last week and the retro non-interruptive feel to it has been a great pleasure to listen to in the studio.
There is a sort of dirty time machine sound to this group of songs that seems to want to transport me to some street in London. It has been a fantastic sunrise that seems fresh and familiar with a great balance in rhythm and expression.