MUSIC REVIEWS: Supergrass and Lady GaGa

Supergrass
Diamond Hoo Ha!
Astralwerks






Woo hoo! After three years, Astralwerks' Brit-pop superstars Supergrass have come out with another album, Diamond Hoo Ha, whose name I'd love to hear them inflect someday. I imagine it like Diamond HOO Ha! The album starts out crisp, bright and energetic, like all Supergrass albums do, with the song, "Diamond Hoo Ha," my personal favorite track. It's classic Supergrass rocking out, and you can't possibly sit still to its infectious, well-orchestrated arrangement.

Distorted guitars, keyboards, bass and singer Gaz Coomes’ signature vocals carry the entire album, all working well together. "When I Needed You" carries a cool, clear melody till the end of the track. Though Diamond Hoo Ha is definitely not as energetic as previous albums, I Should Coco and In It for the Money, it's still a very satisfying album to Supergrass fans because it retains the original style that made this band so famous in the first place.

--Christine Thelen



Lady GaGa
Just Dance
Interscope Records






Since the new wave, when Madonna fueled the airwaves of the eighties, pop music has taken a drastic turn. But out of the boy band littered airwaves of the nineties to the recycled pop beats used today, Lady GaGa, a disco-electro artist, brings pop music back to its heyday on her debut disc, Just Dance, released on Interscope Records.

Tracks like “Dirty Rich,” “The Fame,” and “Paparrazi,” are filled with lyrics about our celebrity-obsessed culture. My favorite, “Just Dance,” makes you want to get up and bust a move, as cliché as it may sound. For a truly phenomenal pop disc, check out the indescribable Lady GaGa.

--Corey Crossfield

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 7/23/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: Glass Candy and Jim Noir

Glass Candy
Beatbox
Italians Do It Better





With Beatbox, Glass Candy craft a sonically sweet synth-pop confection. Tracks like "Computer Love," an ode to lonely nights bathed in the pixellated glow of a monitor, and the anthemic "Candy Castle," with its refrain to "c'mon c'mon" capture the feel of the late 70s and early 80s when disco was dying, Blondie ruled New York nights, and all music needed was a Casio and a microphone.

It's the stripped down approach to making music that is most appealing. No one could accuse Glass Candy of being over-produced. It's not a wall-of-sound, but two collaborators confident in their voice, and their vision.

Rare missteps, like the unnecessary "Introduction" track or the "Last Nite I Met a Costume" interlude aside, Glass Candy's latest album is a delectable nod to a mirrorball world, lines on the mirror not required.

--Jonathan Shieber




Jim Noir
Jim Noir
Barsuk





Jim Noir’s second album, Jim Noir, sounds a lot like other bands’ albums. His influences are clearly discernible upon first listen. This cuts both ways: catchy tunes with poppy, psychedelic melodies, but falter as they directly invoke their predecessors. Whether it’s the Beach Boys on “Happy Day Today,” or Revolver/Sgt. Pepper on “What U Gonna Do,” the markers are unavoidable. And, with refrains such as, “I’ve broken all my cds…” and “I’m like a kid who knows exactly what he wants for his birthday,” I gotta pass.

I’ve read some interesting things about Mr. Noir and the quirkiness and likeability of this album—but I don’t get it; too many of the songs sound like they didn’t make the cut for a Bowie, Kinks, Beatles, or Beach Boys record. It’s undeniably difficult to absorb your strong influences and churn out a unique sound, but Mr. Noir seems to be letting his fandom get the best of him.

--David Levin

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 7/16/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: The Coral Sea and Goldfrapp

Patti Smith/Kevin Shields
The Coral Sea
PASK






If someone said that punk poet laureate, Patti Smith, would be pairing up with My Bloody Valentine’s, Kevin Shields, for a live performance, I would have told them to stop using drugs. The two paired up to do a live performance a few years back and the live album, The Coral Sea, is the result. The album is a musical memorial dedicated to Robert Mapplethorpe, a friend of Smith. The live disc includes excerpts from Smith’s epic poem of the same title.

Smith, a legend in her own right, comes through with a heartbreaking record and Shields is brilliant as always, accompanying Smith on guitar throughout her spoken word performance. If you’re a Smith fan or looking for an original kind of music, this is the album for you.

--Corey Crossfield




Goldfrapp
Seventh Tree
Mute





Dance party people, alert. Goldfrapp’s latest release may not be on your playlist. If you've got the patience, and if you liked her earlier material, still give this a listen.

It's fitting that Alison Goldfrapp looks like a grown-up Goldilocks. Her latest, Seventh Tree, evokes images of riding through a forest, in the middle of a kind of offbeat fairy tale. Though not as energetic or glamorous as recent releases, this album seems to be a return to her debut Felt Mountain. Beautifully arranged, Seventh Tree offers plenty of sensual, soothing songs, both contemplative and healing.

"Little Bird," the second track, is practically symphonic. The way the music sways and builds until it's all around you, with Alison's angelic voice, backed by drums and atmospherics, is absolutely blissful. "Happiness," is like a tiny, cheerful circus with its playful rhythm and catchy introduction. "Road to Somewhere" gently pulsates and guides the soul. "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" is sultry but sophisticated.

Seventh Tree brings us into the summer soothing and gently edging the soul forward.

--Christine Thelen

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 7/09/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: Hercules and Love Affair

Hercules And Love Affair
Hercules And Love Affair
DFA/Mute Records





As someone who’s not too impressed with the dance music coming out nowadays, after hearing Hercules And Love Affair, I’m happy to say I was blown away. As a fan of Antony and the Johnsons and the DFA label, seeing these two work together, along with other fantastic new artists on this album, under the guidance of ringleader Andy Butler, a DJ making big waves on the dance scene here in NYC, together they take the groove of disco and add over 30 years of electronic and dance music progress to it, creating one of the most inventive albums in a long while. “Blind” is a total blast from the disco past, and hearing Antony sing over dance music rather than his slower paced solo work, is completely refreshing, and he makes it work beautifully. While also touching on dance music from all over the place including the 80s and much of the 70s, Hercules and the Love Affair is worth picking up and dancing to all summer long!

Here’s a look at the album’s first video, “Blind”



--DaVe Lipp

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 7/08/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: Dead Child and B-52's

Dead Child
Attack
Quarterstick Records






Who says that hard rock is all about tight leather pants and cookie monster growls? The guys behind Dead Child believe so and it painfully backfires on them. Their debut album Attack, a supposed homage to ‘70s and ‘80s metal, is as bad as the big hair that once dominated these eras. Dead Child was born only to disappoint.

“Sweet Chariot” has a barely-practiced garage band sound with erratic guitar riffs and vocalist Dahm screeching. While the track “Eye to the Brain” is a slight improvement, Dahm’s attempt to sing of gore is just a bore. If you make it to “Wasp Riot,” don’t let the growing guitar riff fool you. Dahm’s virginal wailings are no match for Thor-like frontmen in metal who can wreak havoc. Dead Child, stop attacking listeners with a first draft attempt to rock and stick to Guitar Hero.

--Stephanie Nolasco




The B-52’s
Funplex
Astralwerks






With a title like, Funplex, you cannot help but expect a party, but with a band like the B-52’s, you get originality and a little bit of the future. The disc is the band’s first full-length album of the twenty first century. Encompassing funk, disco, pop, and good ole rock, the album is sure to please their old fans and garner them plenty of new ones. The title track, “Funplex,” has plenty of vocal interplay among the three singers, Fred, Kate, and Cindy, and raucous guitar from their main man, Kevin. Another noteworthy track on the album is the first track, “Pump,” which is full of the famous drawl and lyrics that seem absurd at first yet work well with the funky and eclectic group.

This album showcases the brand of music and originality which brought the B-52s fame over twenty nine years ago. For a good time at anytime, check out Funplex.

--Corey Crossfield

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 7/02/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: Katy Perry

Katy Perry
One of the Boys
Capitol Records






There’s a reason why Lindsey Lohan is puckering up for Samantha Ronson and it isn’’t just because girls are cheaper to shop for. With a beat that sticks for hours at a time, it’s no wonder girls just wanna have fun. Katy Perry, the 23-year-old daughter of ministers, is celebrating girl power with her debut album, One of the Boys.

“I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf, while jacking off, listening to Mozart,” croons Perry in “Ur So Gay,” a hip pop dance off to her metrosexual ex. “Hot n Cold” has an infectious hook, where Perry sweetly claims that her man’s ways are a case of “love bipolar.” “If You Can Afford Me” should have been a fist-pumping melody for today’s material girls, but instead is an acoustic track with pseudo-punk influences. Although One of the Boys isn’t a bold, rebellious album, if it’s good enough for Madonna, then it may just be good enough for us.

--Stephanie Nolasco

Check out the video of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 7/01/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: The Love Guru and Nada Surf

Various Artists
The Love Guru (Soundtrack)
Lakeshore Records





If you're like me, you've seen the trailer for the feature film, The Love Guru about 50 times and you still don't know what the hell it's about. Usually, the way to suss out the meaning of any movie is through it's music, but oh lord, this is one soundtrack that I have to throw my hands up at. It's not enough that the film's star Mike Myers sings on six tracks, but when those tracks include covers of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" and the Steve Miller Band classic "The Joker" (complete with Meyer's doing his "Love Guru" accent) well, let's just say the kitsch factor is overwhelming. Also thrown into the mess are Celine Dion's cover of Cyndi Lauper's "I Drove All Night" and the 1980's Robbie Nevil tune "C'est La Vie" but at least they didn't get personally mangled by Myers.

--Amy Wagner





Nada Surf
Lucky
Barsuk





Nada Surf's latest, Lucky, released in the U.S. this past February via the Barsuk label, presents a radio-friendly air of calm for all to hear. Within those lyrics lies as much realism as the upward gaze at the night’s sky that the cover of the album has. My personal favorite track is "Beautiful Beat," a song that floats along, building its layers, before fading away. It puts me in such a good mood.

Though it was released last February in the U.S., I find this album matches the weather we're now experiencing (the good summer days, I mean), such as the song "From Now On." Lucky is such a cohesive album that it is over before you know it...just like the summer.

--Christine Thelen

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 6/25/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: Radiohead and Plants and Animals

Radiohead
Best of
Capitol





It's not hard to cash in on the last greatest band in the world, and after Radiohead's surreptitious departure from Capitol Records, for its experiments in the Internet age - the label was bound to try.

The greatest hits catalogue comes in three very different packages. With the first, a single-disc collection, Capitol succeeded in repackaging some of the band's biggest hits into a record that lacks cohesion or much care for the artist's catalogue.

The individual tracks are incomparable, Selections from The Bends and OK Computer show how Radiohead pushed the limits of music in the late 90's and for a listener looking for a first taste of what made Radiohead great, the record opens the door.

However, it's the double-disc and record set, which includes more material from Kid A and Amnesiac that truly shows the full breadth and ambition of the band.

--Jonathan Shieber




Plants and Animals
Parc Avenue
Secret City Records





Montreal trio Plants and Animals play whimsical folk rock songs with titles like "Faerie Dance" and "Feedback in the Field." So it's not surprising that there's a pastoral slant to their musical musings. Lead singer Warren C. Spider has a reedy timbre to his voice that gives the band's airy tunes an immediate and authentic quality. It serves them well on joyous woodland romps like "Bye Bye Bye" and an exquisitely hushed song called "Early in the Morning." But if there's one song that brings all of the group's best elements into play, it has to be the chillingly lonesome "Sea Shanty" - a perfect hymn to the mysteries of the deep. The album finishes with an eastern flavored jam called "Guru" that closes things out on a high-spirited note.

Take a listen to Plants and Animals song Faerie Dance

--Amy Wagner

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 6/24/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: My Blueberry Nights and Tristan Prettyman

Various Artists
My Blueberry Nights (Soundtrack)
Blue Note





The soundtrack for Wong Kar Wai's film My Blueberry Nights features an eclectic collection of musicians - everyone from Ry Cooder to Cat Power contributes. Singer/songwriter Norah Jones, who stars in the film, also lands on the album with a smokey jazzed up song called "The Story." Cooder adds to the desolate dangerous feel of the soundtrack with a trio of songs, the best of which "Ely Nevada," could score plenty of stories in it's 2:33 running time. There's a good amount of heartbreak thrown around in the movie, and no song captures the lovelorn melancholy nature of the film better than Cassandra Wilson's cover of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon." Even more scaled back than the original, Wilson embodies every note and lyric with world-weary loss. Hello Stranger also score points for adding a lighter touch to the disc via their pretty yet winsome track called "Devil's Moon.”

--Amy Wagner




Tristan Prettyman
Hello…X
Virgin Records






"If someone were to say to me, 'Tell me about yourself,' I would just hand them a copy of Hello…X and say, 'Here, this is everything you need to know.'" Those are the words Tristan Prettyman uses to describe her second full-length album, Hello…X, from Virgin Records, a twelve track storybook collection of thoughts, musings, and portraits that are enticing and edgy.

Prettyman has a sexy, smoky, bluesy alto voice that glides perfectly over the musical backdrop of steel-pedal guitar, Rhodes, bass, and drums throughout her album. She's got a signature style of blues/folk/pop. Her voice is deep but lively, feminine, and sexy. Put simply, Prettyman has character. She plays the type of music that has depth if you care to listen, rhythm if you care to dance, and soul if you care to feel. Hello…X explores Prettyman's love of country-blues and folk from the '60s and '70s, artists like The Band, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. "There's something really pure and uncontrived about what they do," she says. "I really connect with that simplicity."

----Marc Gabriel Amigone

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 6/18/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: NOMO and Ladytron

Nomo
Ghost Rock
Ubiquity Records






Do you like music that's unique, music that takes elements of music you love and transforms it into something totally different and amazing? If your answers to those questions are yes, then you need to check out Nomo's new album Ghost Rock.

Nomo is a jazz fusion band out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. While they have a sound reminiscent of Afrobeat, they're simply too unique to classify. They have an aggressively dynamic horn section that cuts hard horn lines over an even nastier rhythm section.

Ghost Rock, the band's second release with Ubiquity Records, accentuates an other-worldly electronic vibe that brings in an entirely new element to their already incomparable sound. Nomo will simultaneously make you dance and expand your mind. If you haven't heard their first full-length album, Nu Tones, go out and buy it today to tide you over until Ghost Rock comes out on June 17th.

--Marc Amigone





Ladytron
Velocifero
Nettwerk





Remember how you thought Ladytron was good? You were right. This is dirty, champagne drinking, I’d go to the club, but I’m too cool for that music. If you were a really good DJ, and a robot took over your brain, this is music you would make. Dirty synths and drum machines doing a theatrical Gary Glitter thing. They loop over and over till you’re back where you started and aren’t sure how you got there. Prozac vocals lay on top of all this with the nonchalance of a model from Antonioni’s Blowup. You get the idea. So stop reading this review and go buy the CD. Then put on a very small dress (guys too), buy an 8 ball, and get home 3 days later.

--Gidalya

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 6/11/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: Tim Fite and The Helio Sequence

Tim Fite
Fair Ain't Fair
ANTI





These 16 tracks hint at Tim Fite's abundance of creativity, and quickly its unconventional nature becomes apparent. Fite's talk/sing vocal style gives a staccato feel to the compositions. It's a curious modern mix of punk, vaudeville, and country western heard through a spoken word filter.

That complicated set up demands attention much of the time. While there are intriguing bouts of word play throughout the record like the excellent "Big Mistake," it's hard to walk away feeling possessed of any greater understanding of what Fite was aiming for with the words he chose.

Halfway through the record, his monotone singing voice starts to wear thin, only to win a slight reprieve a few tracks later with the subtle overdubbed harmonies on "Harriet Tubman." The remaining tracks see the record coming to a laborious end. Fite is an intriguing songwriter, but brevity as well as less reliance on opaque lyricism would have done him well.

--Chris V



Helio Sequence
Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Sub Pop





Keep Your Eyes Ahead sounds like the background music to your new favorite sitcom. Songs like "Can't Say No" will get you on your feet, while songs like "No Regrets" will make you stop to think about every relationship you've ever had. "Shed Your Love"--which acts like a dividing line in the center of the album--may in fact be the best ballad written in the last 10 years. The electronic feeling of their earlier work is most present on "You Can Come to Me," but instead of the usual synth action powerhouse, it works itself into the song like the newest found instrument. The band's mellower sound on this album is due in part to singer Brandon Summers re-learning to sing after damaging his voice, however the album still stands brilliant on it's own.

Tania Katherine

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 6/04/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: Flight of the Conchords and Digitalism

Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords
Sub Pop




Long before Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, or Flight of the Conchords, as they're better known, were the next hip thing on HBO, they were two ordinary musicians from New Zealand. Their musical comedy act took them across the globe and gained them recognition. First came a BBC radio series; then came the break that put them on the map: their HBO series, Flight of the Conchords.

Sub Pop Records, in conjunction with HBO, released an album of all the jams from the series that made you chuckle earlier this year, and they're just as funky and funny off the screen. Here Bret and Jemaine use their musical talent to make you laugh, as well as dance on this funky collection of musical comedy songs. While you may not get all the jokes if you've never seen the show, you'll still rock to the beat all the same.

-- Marc Amigone




Digitalism
Idealism
Astralwerks





Acid trips, rainbows and other quirky items have been used to create the most original and complex electro-indie album of the year. Digitalism showcases their brilliant talents in combining hot beats, great guitar solos and an off yet subtly brilliant noise machine on their album, Idealism. The album is sure to leave people wanting more from the band but after listening to the album, you can only ask: What could they possibly come up with next? If you like a subtle brilliance mixed in with an original DIY electro pop ditty then pick up the album.

--Corey Crossfield

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 5/28/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: Martha Wainwright

Martha Wainwright
I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too
Zoe Records





Singer/songwriter Martha Wainwright's second full-length I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too, picks up where her 2005 self-titled debut left off and then takes a big leap forward. Love is still a sticky situation, full of more barbed lows than euphoric highs. The song titles themselves ("Bleeding All Over You," "You Cheated Me," and "Love Is A Stranger") read like taglines for tales of women scorned. Lucky for Wainwright, the daughter of a musical dynasty that includes brother Rufus Wainwright and parents Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, her feisty take on heartbreak is backed up with a pulsing production and clever lyrics that keep the album fresh and exciting. Switching between raw heartbreak and airy sweetness, Wainwright has more than bettered her first effort and will leave you dreaming of what she has in store for #3. The album also includes a wonderful brightened up cover of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play."

--Amy Wagner

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 5/27/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: Dark Meat and We Are Scientists

Dark Meat
Universal Indians
VICE





I saw Dark Meat live before I'd heard them recorded or read much about them. The acid riddled 14 plus-piece band took up a large stage and much of the floor space in the venue. It was a barely controlled mess of face paint, brass instruments, streamers, and confetti. The audience including myself looked on with curious glee.

Universal Indians saw VICE Records sending the Atlanta based band to New Orleans to live in a house, do drugs, and record. What could have been a disaster somehow ended up perfectly capturing the vibe of the Blues Brothers meets Captain Beefheart outfit. Vocals mimic a ghostly Appalachian croon, a myriad of marching band instruments swirl around each other chaotically, blaring with a confidence that ties them together. If you're one for pitch perfect melodies, start with the pop minded "Angels of Meth" and work your way into the record from there.

--Chris V



We Are Scientists
Brain Thrust Mystery
Virgin Records






The dance-pop scene keeps sending release after release but how do We Are Scientists (pioneers of the present scene) stand up to it? With tracks like "That's What Counts," where dance meets a lush brass section sound; "Lethal Enforcer," where the 80's meets the band Men, Women & Children and; the mostly electronic ballad "Spoken For," the band does pretty well to keep their billing as supreme. However, the album is not without it's kinks. Noise-ridden and overproduced "Dinosaurs" is the most skip-able track on the album and "Ghouls" is a ballad in the same formula as "Spoken For" but not done nearly as well. Overall, with stand-out track "Altered Beast," the band will keep you on your feet just as easily before but—as a whole—you may have to skip a few songs here and there to stay on your toes.

Tania Katherine

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 5/21/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: DeVotchKa

DeVotchKa
A Mad and Faithful Telling
ANTI




From the get-go, what struck me about DeVotchKa’s sixth album A Mad and Faithful Telling was the opening track, “Basso Profundo,” and the warbly tone of singer Nick Urata’s voice, coupled with a slightly off-key chorus of Ooooooooohs: something akin to a half-in-the-bag Desi Arnaz fronting a Cuban Arcade Fire, which, to me, was pretty great.

The standout first-listen track(s) are a toss-up between, “Along the Way” and “Blessing in Disguise.” Both are sweet melodies that really highlight Nick’s tenor and conjure up feelings of dancing with your sweetheart in the twilight, which I like.

The album scurries from tender to melancholy to raucous in an agreeable manner that makes for an enjoyable listen. For fans of the Latin-influence, it's definitely worth checking out. For others, there’s not too much subtext to unearth, just well-structured songs ripe with panache.

--David Levin

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 5/13/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: The Gutter Twins

The Gutter Twins
Saturnalia
Sub Pop




The combination of Greg Dulli's fallen angel croon and Mark Lanegan's raspy voice of the damned raise The Gutter Twins' first album Saturnalia beyond a collaboration project between two of the 90's best-voiced frontmen.

Dulli, known for his work first with The Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers, and Lanegan, the former voice of The Screaming Trees and checkered solo career, tread familiar ground, with songs of devotion and despair.

However, instead of simply revisiting the sonic soundscapes that made them semi-famous, the collaboration brings out the best in both artists. It's an expanded palette that puts samples in the tense "Each to Each." It also allows Lanegan to try a little Dulli croon on the winning "Seven Stories Underground."

Still, the album's biggest appeal should be for fans of the cigarette-and-whiskey-voiced crooners. The dark lyrical obsessions and grunge tones are unmistakable and perhaps too-dated for post-millennia tastes.

--Jonathan Shieber

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 5/07/2008 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEWS: The Boredoms

The Boredoms
Super Roots, Vol. 9
Thrill Jockey





As self-deprecating as they probably are, this band is not at all boring. Hailing from Japan, the Boredoms latest album, Super Roots, Vol. 9 is another dose of noise rock to relieve us of our boredom with the cookie cutter mainstream music. The entire album is live, so there are occasional cheers but it doesn't interfere at all.

Blending together angelic voices, tribal beats and a mesmerizing, transcendental sound, they sound like an inspired gospel group rocking out. Towards the end of the one, forty-minute track on the album, the beats start to pick up more, but the end is as soothing as sleep.

--Christine Thelen

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 4/30/2008 09:30:00 AM 0 comments

Music Reviews: They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants
The Else
Zoe Records





New York's They Might Be Giants are not only one of the quirkiest bands to grace the music scene, they're also one of the most consistent. The Else is the 12th album for the ever-morphing group who have cranked out everything from kiddie pop to alternative hits like "Birdhouse In Your Soul" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)." This time around, the duo of John Linnell and John Flansburgh are trying out a harder sound. The guitars have garage rock riffs and the vocals almost snarl at times on songs like "Take Out The Trash." Their silly side comes out on the romp of a song called "The Mesopotamians" but the overall tone is steeped in such a gloomy shade of gray that you can't help but wish that the old merry pranksters would come out to play.

--Amy Wagner

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 4/29/2008 09:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: Great Northern

Great Northern
sleepy eepee
eenee meanie records





sleepy eepee may be short, but is it ever so sweet! Consisting of 5 brief songs, this prequel to Great Northern's highly acclaimed Trading Twilight for Daylight, packs a whole lot of talent into a teeny (eenee) space. For starters, the vocals are pretty great. Great Northern's primary songwriter, Solon Bixler, delivers his disaffected lyrics with a scratchy voice that is perfectly picturesque. However, the songs get boring somewhere in the middle of the album, on tracks like "summertime," in which Bixler's vocals are not heavily featured. But the album's best songs – "loose ends" and "this is a problem" – feature memorable vocal melodies and skillful harmonization over a spare instrumental framework of piano, guitar, and percussion. And as if simple, adept songwriting weren't enough to make an album great, producer Mathias Schneeberger has helped create a highly polished package, with sounds reminiscent of works by New York's The Fireflies.

--Gregory Hyman

Posted by Short and Sweet NYC at 4/23/2008 09:30:00 AM 0 comments

MUSIC REVIEW: The Duke Spirit

The Duke Spirit
Neptune
Shangri-La Music





Neptune, the second full-length from U.K. band