Blogcritics

Music Review: Indie Round-Up - D'Haene, June Moris, Back Door Slam

Jon Sobel — Fri, 2 Jan 2009 18:01:27 EST

In a world of hyper-talented young musicians, Back Door Slam plays truly impressive stuff, because it feels real.
D'Haene, VinylD'Haene's new disc is spring-loaded with hard-locked rhythms, chunky guitar riffing, and metalized melodies sung with a bluesy, soulful inflection. If, vocally, D'Haene tends to be a touch more convincing on more easy-going fare ("Took Me So Long"), that's because of the soulful quality that defines his...

Music Review: Indie Round-Up - Matt Morris, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Asylum Street Spankers

Jon Sobel — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:34:01 EST

Matt Morris's high, fluty tenor wafts his words into your consciousness like a message carried on the wind.
Matt Morris, Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic PerformancesListening to Matt Morris, intimate is the word that comes most readily to mind. His high, fluty tenor, recorded closely into the mic, wafts his words into your consciousness like a message carried on the wind.The first three songs on this sparsely produced EP have little more than...

Music Review: Indie Round-Up - Laura Vecchione, Red Wanting Blue, and More

Jon Sobel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:30:01 EDT

Laura Vecchione's second disc is a consummately crafted and craftily written set of tunes that touch on commercial country, country-rock, and alt/Americana.
Laura Vecchione, Girl in the BandLaura Vecchione's second disc is a consummately crafted and craftily written set of tunes that straddle the borders between commercial country, country-rock, and alt/Americana. My colleague Michael Bialas detailed Laura's devotion to and work on behalf of post-Katrina New Orleans. Notably, on this CD, she covers...

Indie Round-Up: Cadillac Sky, Lewis, Dupree, Dunn, Minissale, Vigil, The Break and Repair Method

Jon Sobel — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:41:02 EDT

Cadillac Sky is every bit a bluegrass band, but the Texas quintet quietly expands the frontiers.
It's been goshawful busy over here at the Round-Up, with summer and fall releases piling up and lots of good music bursting insistently out of the piles of magical plastic. There's something for nearly everyone in this week's edition, from bluegrass innovators and a blues traditionalist to a solo disc from a member of Matchbox 20 and a...

Music Review: The Keith Reid Project - The Common Thread

Jon Sobel — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:51:10 EDT

Procol Harum's legendary lyricist collaborates with John Waite, Southside Johnny, Terry Reid and more on his first solo CD.
In the age of the singer-songwriter, the lyricist has become a rare creature (outside of musical theater). Yet some of the greatest rock acts of all time had one member or partner who wrote just the words. Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, Bernie Taupin, and the Grateful Dead's Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow are just a few of the famous...

Indie Round-Up: Boggia, Coppola, Saunders, Jezzro

Jon Sobel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:53:56 EDT

Jim Boggia makes melodic, smart pop that's warmhearted but never overheated.
Jim Boggia, Misadventures in StereoJim Boggia makes melodic, smart pop that's warmhearted but never overheated. He obviously internalized a lot of Beatles along the way, but he's actually mastered and incorporated a whole range of pop music strains into this engaging collection.Boggia divides the disc into two "sides" (it's...

Indie Round-Up: Mojomatics, Duane Andrews, Brandie Frampton, Alex Statan

Jon Sobel — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:07:21 EDT

Canadian guitarist Duane Andrews grafts strains of the traditional music of Newfoundland onto Django Reinhardt-inspired "gypsy jazz."
The Mojomatics, Don't Pretend That You Know MeThe Mojomatics make a lot of noise for two guys, and a joyful noise it is. Their hype makes much of the country and bluegrass strains in their hard-driving pop-punk, but despite the presence of harmonica and a certain hillbilly Kentucky Headhunters vibe, the music fits right in with the post-Green...

Music Review: Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Arabia

Jon Sobel — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:35:02 EDT

It's sad when artists (and others) have to leave their native lands to pursue their dreams.
World music label Putumayo has explored the Arabic milieu before, with collections of pop, dance music, and electronica from the Arab world. Its new compilation, Acoustic Arabia, shows a softer side of that set of traditions - quiet, but not without variety and pulse. "Arabic" music spans a wide range of flavors, voices, and...

Really Bad Promo Copy

Jon Sobel — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:10:11 EDT

The names have been deleted to protect the stupid.
From the archives of the "To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good" Department here at the Indie Round-Up, we present these promotional blurbs from some of the musical artists and music services that have come to our attention.Musical talent doesn't necessarily require facility with the written word - we understand that. Still, we can...

Music Review: Indie Round-Up - Bonet, Jeanrenaud, Citizens, True Heart, Sakata

Jon Sobel — Fri, 8 Aug 2008 16:16:16 EDT

Former Kronos Quartet cellist Joan Jeanrenaud releases her first solo CD of all original compositions.
Deni Bonet, Last Girl on EarthDeni Bonet has always been more than the in-demand session violinist many know her as. Her new CD shows her, with her clutch of co-writers, in excellent songwriting form.The arrangements meld 1980s plastic with new-century thump. Local luminaries like Sara Lee and Richard Barone keep everything solidly grounded, but...