MUSIC REVIEWS: Lee Fields, Miniature Tigers, Staff Benda Bilili, A Shoreline Dream, Five Corners Quintet
5:30 AM
Lee Fields & The Expressions My World
(Truth and Soul)
Only two tunes in and Lee Fields and The Expressions’ My World already had my ultra-white suburban booty grooving: “Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do)” and “Love Comes And Goes” move with cutting beats, upfront horns, Lee Fields’ wail and backing vocals from The Del-Larks. Digging the soft electric guitar of “Honey Dove” and “These Moments”-though neither really goes anyplace for me-The Expressions make good on “Money I$ King,” this one’s got it all, the guitar, the voice, backing vocals, organ, strings, a horn arrangement that’s more than just bleating solo lines and the bossa-nova like, great-backing vocal lament of “My World Is Empty Without You.”
The title track sees the first use of drums and bass in a real funky way; the band’s certainly saying something on this slightly dangerous tune. “Ladies” has some great organ, wha-wha guitar and a groove that few bands can achieve in this day and age. Fields is pretty much masterful here, spitting out chock-full lines along with long liquid passages about those ‘lovely ladies’.
Lush strings compliment his vocal showcase on the slow “The Only One Loving You” and “Last Ride,” the last tune of the eleven here’s is a solid guitar led instrumental.
My World is a classic Truth and Soul Production from the formidable production/label owners Jeff Silverman and Leon Michels. This is great soul with Field and his Expressions in the mold of The Stylistics and The Delfonics, but carving out territory all their own.
Ralph Greco, Jr.
Miniature TigersTell It To the Volcano
(Modern Art)
For an album that sounds like it might be a little rough around the edges, Tell it to the Volcano is quite delicate, with clear lyrics, and nothing gimmicky or over the top. It’s a very refreshing album, just good, clean music. Much of it contains simple guitar riffs, catchy and easy on the ears. The irony in the music is the juxtaposition between the bright melodies and the actual words. The titles of the songs are rough and tragic sounding, quite opposite of the songs themselves. “Hot Venom,” for example, has the duo singing in various tenor tones with light and bubbly electronics bopping in the background. Coupled with “Hot venom is mixing with my blood/I can feel it on my fingers and taste it on her tongue,”...well you can imagine what they are getting at. “Tell it to the Volcano,” the title track, is upbeat and feels like a rock and roll luau. I actually just plain adored listening to this album. It’s sing-a-long worthy and head-boppable. Almost every song has some sort of kooky hook that snares you, and catching a different cracked-out lyric with each listen gives you a new perspective every time. They’ll be coming to the Music Hall of Williamsburg with Kevin Devine on June 7th, and I think seeing them would be more than proper. It’s been a while since an album proves that the less-is-more theory actually works, and Miniature Tigers do it with shocking composure and quiet brilliance. You’ll want this album.
Marissa!
Staff Benda Bilili Tres Tres Fort
(Crammed Discs)
My favorite record label in the world, Crammed Discs, has introduced another world class talent to the international music scene from the Congo. Staff Benda Bilili are a truly unique ensemble. Composed of a group of paraplegic street musicians who live around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa, Congo, they achieve tight harmonies and rhythmic melodies that convey a melancholy nonchalance. Their voices convey a storied, unique identity. At times they're similar to Cuban son, other times they're more like Jorge Ben. They display a lot of versatility on their latest release, Tres Tres Fort. Their title doesn't false advertise. They are extremely powerful. Four senior singer/guitarists sitting on tricycles, occasionally dancing on the floor of the stage, arms raised in joyful supplication, are the core of the band, backed by a younger, all-acoustic rhythm section pounding out tight beats. Over the top of this are weird, infectious guitar-like solos performed by a 17 year-old prodigy on a one-string electric lute he designed and built himself out of a tin can. They are definitely unique.
Marc Amigone
A Shoreline Dream Recollections of Memory
(Latenight Weeknight Records)
When it comes to all things melancholy, no front man or band comes to mind other than UK's guru of gloom Robert Smith and his goth pop band The Cure. With songs like “Killing An Arab,” and “Boys Don't Cry,” anything these tortured artists release is guaranteed to make one somber. Therefore, when a Denver-based alternative rock band is compared to The Cure, you're expecting to shed some tears. Too bad they were tears of boredom. A Shoreline Dream's second full-length album, Recollections of Memory, is a never ending cyclone of dragging, exhausting, mind-numbing ballads that are heavily instrumental, lacking in powerful vocals, and empty from poetic lyrics that could attempt to convince any listener to continue. “Manhattan Beach” has some promise with an ethereal, haunting voice mastered by Ryan Policky. Sadly, the track has little substance and loses its charm thanks to a repeating spiraling melody, a tortuous theme found throughout the entire album. “Seattle” goes darker with persistent drumming by Sean Merrell, but the song's angry psychedelic beat did nothing to make one pay attention. “NeverChanger” featuring German producer/artist Ulrich Schnauss was the only track worth listening to, with Eric Jeffries and Policky slowly pulling the strings from their guitars, along with dreamy, hypnotic vocals that take one out of a crowded arena and into a relaxing state of mind. Sadly, one song isn't enough to make anyone stick around for more. A Shoreline Dream's expertise in dense, shoe gazing rock is a hard pill to swallow and not nearly a dream worth remembering.
Stephanie Nolasco
Five Corners QuintetHot Corner
(Ricky-Tick Records)
Smooth, savvy, seductive and charming is the new album by Five Corners Quintet. Moving with all the stylish fury of a modish attitude, flutes often chirp their way into fashionable yet subdued coolness. The jazz swing of drums is sweltering and uninhibited. Having formed in 2005 and hailing from Helsinki, Finland, this jazz band is hardcore, funky, and crazy righteous. Offering up a bit of a golden era jazz sound, they create a dizzying allure. The wild-eyed dance rhythms make the album thrilling and terribly fun. Raw and stripped pianos bounce around a wicked samba palpitation of flittering flutes that make yesteryear jazz freshly innovative. The pure musicianship and originality is astounding. The music moves with such rhythmic style and conviction that it elevates moods. “Habib’s Habit” willfully falls into a pure jazz tightness, then bellowing trumpets surge above. The piano moves with an abated slyness. After the groove loosens up, the song unfolds into elegant mellow harmonies. It is no wonder that The Five Corners Quintet were awarded two Emma Awards which are equivalent to the Grammy’s in 2009. “Hot Rod” moves with all the dramatics of watching a tight rope walker. Grace, balance and drama all intertwine in this upbeat pop jazz explosion that moves with a delightful jaunt of hip-cat swing. The Five Corners Quintet gets the honor of uplifting the genre which is not easy to do.
Chanda Jones
Andrew Palm Said,
I disagree about Recollections of Memory by A Shoreline Dream. If you take the rest of the band's catalogue into consideration it's quite a leap. If you don't take the rest of their catalogue into consideration and just compare it to the plethora of uninspired corporate-radio-rock, then it's a triumph of originality; yet how could we expect someone who's a fan of a band like "Avenged Sevenfold" to know anything about creativity or originality?
Nobody sounds like A Shoreline Dream, with The Cure not even being close to an apt comparison. The one thing I agree with is that the vocals lack power, but each track is diverse and far from monotony; the drumming in "Seattle" is edgy and terse; The Night Before is introspective and spacious; there's nothing anywhere like "Pasadena."
Maybe Ms. Nolasco should stick to writing about masturbation, relationships, and restaurants while leaving the music reviews to those of us who actually know something beyond whatever top 40 corporate radio regurgitates. If the best you can do for comparison is The Cure then you are clearly lacking in musical education and should stay out of music editorials. The only reason she liked "Neverchanger" was because it's the closest thing to the boring, uninspired, radio-friendly dreck that probably comprises the bulk of her musical tastes. 9 out of 10 reviews I've read (maybe even 19 out of 20) praise this album for things which you not only failed to mention, but probably lack the musical education/vocabulary to even perceive or appreciate.
Down with dumb journalists!
Posted on July 8, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Anonymous Said,
Just be glad you've never been to one of her poetry readings...
Posted on July 9, 2009 at 7:43 AM
Craig Reed Said,
it's funny because these responses to the ASD album caused me to ignore the review and check it out, and it's actually pretty good. it's definitely different than a lot of other stuff out there. i am curious where andrew got the information that the reviewer is into avenged sevenfold because she doesn't mention it. maybe he knows her or something, but either way i agree that this review was not correct or well written.
Posted on July 22, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Jason Medina Said,
I don't get it. Why do people think ASD's new album is so great. It's a fucking sleeper! If anything, I don't think the writer fully described how bad it was. Better luck next time...or not.
Posted on July 25, 2009 at 9:00 PM
sliMjiMMy Said,
Jason: I agree that it's not the best thing I've ever heard, but there are promising moments there. I wouldn't call it a "sleeper" though. I think the production sucks more than anything else. The songs are fine, & the drumming seems like it's awesome (hypermode!) compared to their other releases, but the mix is so terrible and muddy that it doesn't matter. It's sounds like someone who didn't know what they were doing or what they had mixed it in 2 days and pressed it. I have to agree with the first poster that this review seems inept, & doesn't really use very good language. I mean, if the author had more musical knowledge she would have been able to do what you wished, and could have written a more descriptive review saying why she didn't like it. The band would probably appreciate that more than this piece of journalistic hackery. I'm all for bad reviews as long as they are well-written. So, yeah, I guess I also agree with you that she should have gone into more detail, but it doesn't seem like she's versed in music history enough to do that.
Posted on July 26, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Anonymous Said,
Good (sometimes great) rhythm section. Lazy guitar-playing (thanks to Kevin Shields for inspiring a legion of shitty guitar players to just coverup their laziness with shit loads of effects, even if that's not actually what you do). Crappy production. The aforementioned rhythm section is way, way underplayed and should be the forefront. Agreed that hypermode is great. I have listened to the whole record a handful of times, and it probably won't find its way into my player for a while if ever again. Hypermode sticks with me though, and it's staying on my ipod.
Posted on July 26, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Chandra Moore Said,
Um, this website is called short and sweet for a reason...because the reviews are supposed to be short and to the point! If you guys want a more descriptive review of why this band sucks or not, go elsewhere. Plain and simple. I think Ms. Nolasco did was was expected of her to do and that's letting readers know that ASD sucks...plus, why should she agree that the album is so great just because everyone else is saying so? Personally, the review touched on exactly what I was feeling when I first heard the album. Sure, I would have wanted her to go further in her thoughts, but Ms. Nolasco managed to hit all the points, while being very brutally honest...if you can't appreciate the perspective knowledge of another writer, than perhaps you shouldn't be reading reviews period. I've been a fan of short and sweet for a while and that's why I love it...because it goes straight to the point without beating around the bush or going on bullshit mode. I'm really happy that for once, a writer was able to experience what was on my mind. And by the way...this album was a waste of time...
Posted on July 26, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Stacey R. Said,
It can be difficult to write about something when it's that bad. I haven't heard anything by a ASD yet, so I can't say if I can agree with Ms. Nolasco or not yet.
I will say to everyone else that arguing online is like winning the special olympics...you're still a retard. In other words...it's just a review, get over it! Ms. Nolasco must be doing something good if everyone else is commenting on it.
I agree that short reviews are meant to go straight to the point, although it wouldn't hurt to read longer reviews just to compare different ideas. Although I can't say if people still read long reviews online though.
Seems to me like this album is a hit or miss. You're either going to love it or hate it. In a way, Ms. Nolasco is doing the exactly the opposite of what she may want, which is encouraging people to pick up ASD and find out if it's actually worth it! I think I'm going to go download some ASD now...
Posted on July 26, 2009 at 3:14 PM
BVD Said,
This is a tough album. To the critical and well-educated ear there is plenty of great music here, but to find it you have to get beyond the terrible production. Manhattan Beach, Hypermode, The Missing and Pasadena are especially great tracks, with the latter two really showcasing the talent of the rhythm section, but it almost doesn't matter because bass and drums are almost buried in the mix for every song. I believe the reviewer started to address that when she mentioned the drums in Seattle, and I interpret her saying that "it's not enough" to save the album to mean that it's literally not loud enough. It's almost like they should remix and/or rerecord and release the album again. Some of the songs are really great, but the average person will find it hard to hear that because of the mix. The best parts of this album are too quiet, but many of the overall compositions are very unique and inspired.
Posted on July 28, 2009 at 9:56 AM
none of your goddamn business Said,
To the ignorant person who posted the derogatory comment about the Special Olympics:
Remember when Obama made a crack about his lack of bowling prowess and the special olympics? Well, Kolan McConiughey competes in those games, and he can bowl 300. That's a PERFECT game. So while he may have some mental "deficits" according the the deeply flawed medical community, it doesn't keep him from doing something which MOST people (probably including you) have never (and perhaps WILL never) accomplish in their (or your) life. If you're smirking at bowling being a challenging sport which requires intelligence and focus: go and bowl yourself and feel free to let us all know how well you did, and how long you think it will take you to bowl a perfect game.
The Farrelly Brothers made a movie about this kind of ignorance in 2005 starring Johnny Knoxville entitled "The Ringer." Knoxville's character joins the special olympics thinking that he can beat the "retards" easily. He finds out, despite their lack of whatever pedestrian kinds of intelligence standardized tests measure, that many these people possess extraordinary talents above and beyond what even most "normal" people possess.
Secondly: as a parent of a disabled child, I resent this comment, and assure you that winning the special olympics is probably a cut above whatever mediocrity you've managed to accomplish in your life. Let's see you bowl a 300, and then maybe you can take jabs at "retarded" people.
The level of ignorance in the world never ceases to astound and disgust me.
Posted on July 28, 2009 at 10:14 AM