album reviews – Page 3 – News on Shuffle

Rachael Yamagata – Chesapeake

Rachael Yamagata has one of the smoothest, most soulful voices of just about anyone I’ve heard. From the first notes of “Saturday Morning” you know you are in for an experience that will both sooth and awaken you. “I Don’t Want To Be Your Mother” is a beautiful ballad that hits you in places you didn’t know you had, while “Even If I Don’t” has a more driving force behind it that will make you want to get up and face whatever life has in store for you. I have always been impressed with the voice quality Yamagata brings to the table, and this album did not disappoint my expectations in the least.

Chesapeake will be released Oct 11th on Yamagata’s own Frankenfish Records. Tour dates start Oct 24th at Port City Music Hall in Portland, ME and run through December, ending with two nights in NYC at City Winery Dec 21st & 22nd. She will also be at Maxwells in Hoboken on Dec 19th and 20th. Full list of tour dates is as follows:

OCTOBER
10/24 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
10/25 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
10/27 Ithaca, NY @ Delilah’s on Cayuga
10/28 North Hampton, MA @ Iron Horse
10/30 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/31 Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live

NOVEMBER
11/1 Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
11/2 Baltimore, MD @ Sound Stage
11/4 Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
11/5 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
11/6 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
11/7 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
11/8 Chicago, IL @ Logan Square

11/10 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom
11/11 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
11/12 Davenport, IA @ Redstone Room
11/14 Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
11/16 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
11/18 Salt Lake City, UT @ State Room
11/20 Spokane, WA @ A Club
11/21 Vancouver, Canada @ Media Club
11/22 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
11/23 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
11/25 San Francisco, CA @ Slims
11/27 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
11/29 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubador
11/30 Tuscon, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom

DECEMBER
12/2 Austin, TX @ The Parish
12/3 Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds (Upstairs)
12/4 Dallas, TX @ The Loft
12/5 Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom (2nd Stage)
12/7 St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill
12/8 Nashville, TN @ 12th and Porter
12/9 Birmingham, AL @ Work Play
12/10 Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
12/12 Charleston, SC @ New Brookland
12/13 Charlotte, NC @ Local 508
12/15 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
12/16 Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
12/17 Louisville, KY @Headliners
12/18 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
12/19 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwells
12/20 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwells
12/21 New York, NY @ City Winery
12/22 New York, NY @ City Winery

You can find more information on her website, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Craig Wedren – WAND

Craig Wedren’s new album, WAND, is a wide mix of musical styles. This mix includes at times indie rock, at times singer-songwriter, with a harder rock sound leaking through certain moments as well. There is definitely a wide enough range to please a large sample with varying musical preferences. From the energized first notes, to the soothing final piece, WAND has something for everyone. The album will be released Sept 27th on his own Nerveland Recordings. You can find more information on Craig Wedren’s website.

Jim Jones Revue – Burning Your House Down

The recent album by Jim Jones Revue, Burning Your House Down, is a flashback to what old time rock ‘n’ roll used to be. If you like the classic rock bands from the 70’s, you will enjoy this band. They have the raw energy and style of other bands of this era, such as Led Zeppelin. I defy you to listen to these songs and not want to groove with the music. The band has upcoming tour dates in September, including Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Maxwell’s in Hoboken. Complete list can be found after the jump.

9/1/2011 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret

9/3/2011 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge

9/4/2011 – Seattle, WA – Bumbershoot Festival

9/7/2011 – San Francisco, CA – Independent

9/8/2011 – Los Angeles, CA – Echo

9/10/2011 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

9/11/2011 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

9/12/2011 – Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo

9/13/2011 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern

9/14/2011 – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern

9/16/2011 – Philadelphia, PA – The Blockley Pourhouse

9/17/2011 – Washington D.C. – Black Cat

9/18/2011 – Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s

Muppets: The Green Album

Recently, NPR gave us a preview of the Muppets tribute album on their website. I took a listen and was impressed enough to want to share it here. List of songs include OK Go doing the theme and Weezer performing “Rainbow Connection,” as well as submissions from The Fray, Alkaline Trio, My Morning Jacket, Amy Lee and others. It’s a good music in terms of background styles these various artists come from. The whole album is good, but I especially love Matt Nathanson’s contribution, “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along” and the last track “I’m Going To Go Back There Someday”performed by Rachel Yamagata. It’s a nice, light 36 minutes of music, perfect for background music while catching up on some work (like that blog you neglected for the past month) or a running a few quick errands.

Eight in Eight

Eight in Eight is a project where Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, Ben Folds, and Damian of Ok Go pulled together for what was supposed to be 8 songs in 8 hours (but ended up taking slightly longer). While the group may have underestimated how long the project would take to finish, it still is amazing to me that they did have the finished project within the same day (if you define “day” as “24 hours,” since they ended after midnight). Not only is the amount of time spent on the project impressive, it is also amazing that the work actually sounds good. The songs are definitely not mainstream, but when you look at the contributors this detail shouldn’t surprise you. The album includes a song about Nikola Tesla, and another about Joan of Arc. That last one, called “The Problem With Saints” is performed by Neil Gaiman, who is much better known for his writing than his musical abilities. Neil carries the song fine though, and the subject is so interesting you’re inclined not to judge too harshly.

The whole project is surrounded by a ton of mad, wonderful, creative energy. It was essentially a brainstorming session made public for the world to see (and even contribute). This was made possible by video feeds and Twitter. I have spoken before about the power of the social media tool that Twitter has become, but for all it’s uses this is definitely the most creative I have seen yet. This is the kind of experiment I could only imagine AFP and the rest of the people involved would be able to make work as effectively as they did. The finished product is definitely worth the $1 minimum donation they are asking for (if not more). Plus the money goes to charity, which is also nice. It’s great to see something really big and beautiful come from such a short amount of time. I’m sure the actual process must have been really intense (I know the collective Twitter feeds gave a picture of an intense music-writing workshop). If anyone actually watched the webcast, I would love to hear your comments. (And if any of the artists involved want to comment, I am completely OK with that as well). I will close with a thank you to those involved for being creative and trying something different. I think that is what art is all about, and when the internet and technology get involved it makes it all the better.

*The album can be downloaded on Bandcamp, and more information on the project can be found here.

Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns Review

Linkin Park has always been one of those bands that makes us wait a couple years in between albums, but also always delivers solid material that is well worth the wait. A Thousand Suns is no exception to this. They still keep their rap-rock style mostly, but there are some deviations from that as well. The many different styles are balanced very well here though, keeping things fresh and interesting. And even though the genre may be the same, this is definitely not just a rehashing of their previous work. You can tell Linkin Park worked hard to make sure this was different than anything they had done before. For one thing, each song blends almost seamlessly with the next, creating a more fluid experience. This isn’t to say every song sounds the same. No, each song is it’s own thing, but while also being part of a larger whole. The work that was put into the album is most evident, however, with their single “The Catalyst” which was created in a very unique way.

I thought the idea of having the fans help contribute to this song was cool and different and really made it so they became part of the music.

Personal favorite: While “Catalyst” is a great song and constantly gets stuck in my jukebox of a brain, gotta say I really loved “Iridescent” – both musically and lyrically.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation
You build up hope, but failure’s all you’ve known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
and let it go, let it go

The song builds then releases to “Fallout” and finally transitions to “Catalyst.” The album then concludes with “The Messenger,” which is both beautiful and rough at the same time. The lyrics and message are sweet, while the vocals are emotional and raw. Personally I think these last few songs combine to make for a perfect ending to an already exceptional record.

When you’ve suffered enough
And your spirit is breaking
You’re growing desperate from the fight

Remember you’re loved
And you always will be
This melody will bring you right back home

Runaway Dorothy – The Arc Review

I discovered Runaway Dorothy through the wonders of Twitter. Somehow their album made its way into my iPod, and even though it didn’t fit my typical listening pattern, I still enjoyed what it had to offer. “And what did the album offer?” you ask.

Well, instead of the alt rock I usually listen to, The Arc is 46 minutes of alt country with somewhat of a Counting Crows vibe. It makes sense that the Crows promote this band so much. I could definitely see Dorothy opening for them and keeping the audience pleased. For the most part songs are slow, and laid back, but this feels relaxing instead of boring. The lyrics are simple yet meaningful. There are also some sweet harmonies on “With You.” Like I said, this normally isn’t my favorite genre, but this album is solid and had me thoroughly impressed. I can only imagine that fans of this genre would only love it all the more.

My Chemical Romance – Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys Review

From the introduction and first song on Danger Days I knew two things: 1) this album is going to be a lot of fun, and 2) but only if I don’t listen to it as a My Chemical Romance album. Through further listening though it would seem that, yes, the sound is different on this album, but there is still just enough of MCR infused in it to be recognizable to old-time fans. It’s not exactly the same as their older material, but that’s ok. It’s closer to The Black Parade in that it’s a concept album with a story attached to it. This time we are following the band’s alter egos, the Killjoys, in their adventures. The first single “Na Na Na” is also the first song on the album, and introduces us to our cast of characters. The rest of the album takes us through the story, set to (mostly) high tempo music. The best way to describe it would be glam rock, a fusion of rock and pop that blends to make for something less dark than previous albums the band has released.

Final thought: While the single may leave you scratching your head as to what to expect here, I say give this one a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised. It might not be what you expect from MCR, but it’s got enough good elements in it to be worth a listen.

Kids of 88 – Sugarpills Album Review

Kids of 88‘s album Sugarpills opens with electronic beats that tell you immediately this is going to be more of an upbeat dance album. In taking a closer listen, I found a lot of the songs seemed to focus on getting pleasure from different things, usually with another person involved. This is seen from a number of different angles, from the song “Everybody Knows,” which is about sado-masochism (although the boys have said they themselves are not into those sorts of things) to the more wholesome-seeming track “San Fran,” which paints a picture of happiness in a “Full House” type setting. Then there is the song “Downtown,” in which the singer says he wants to get dressed up, go downtown, and have a good time. The song paints a picture of a person going to a club or bar and making a night of it, both with the lyrics and backing music. The album as a whole is short in length (about 37 minutes total) and goes by rather quickly. I enjoyed it immensely, however. If you are looking to dance but don’t like generic club beats, this album is for you.

Authors note: When listening to this album I struggled to find the words to convey what I thought the band was like. I eventually settled on new wave/electronic. After listening to the album I checked their website to see how they described themselves, and was pleased that our descriptions matched exactly. I guess I found the words after all.

Jukebox the Ghost – Everything Under the Sun (A Review)

I have been a fan of Jukebox the Ghost for some time now (about 2 years actually), and have listened to their debut album a couple dozen times. I never thought I would hear a more complete and fun-loving album ever again – I should have anticipated them outdoing themselves in their next try. Their sophomore album Everything Under the Sun is everything I could ask for and then some. Just when I thought I couldn’t love this band anymore – it’s as if this album is their answer to that.

The first track is Schizophrenic, which starts off racing and lets you know you’re listening to a band that likes to have fun with their music. I defy you to not dance around your room right along with this opening number. I could almost feel the energy fill the room as the song progressed.

After a few fun dance numbers, they slow it down a bit with Summer Sun. Even still, there is a quiet energy still present. It is like a breath of fresh air after you’ve been dancing in the rain. It picks right back up and rushes into the next track, Mistletoe. One of the things I have always loved about this band is how well their first album blended together. Each track seemed to have some connection to the ones surrounding it. Even some of my favorite artists have one or two songs in their albums I can usually skip, but that is not true with Jukebox. Every song adds something special and would be missed in the overall listening experience of the album as a whole. Some artists give you singles – this band gives you albums. You can tell a lot of care and attention has gone into choosing each song to make it fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. That level of attention is part of what makes their music special. It also makes it very hard for me to choose a favorite song. You know that feeling when your favorite song come on and you say, “Oh, I love that song!”? Well I should probably just say, “I love that band!” because I do. I love them a lot. Does that make me biased in writing this review? Possibly. So here’s the challenge for you – listen for yourself and tell me I’m wrong, that my excitement over this new album coming out is misplaced. If you make it through the whole album without smiling once, well then I will consider myself corrected.

Everything Under the Sun is currently available for pre-order & will be released Sept 7th. The band just announced this morning they will be on Dave Letterman tonight, so take advantage of this chance to get a free preview. Their next New York date will be Sept 16th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Your humble blogger will be the one in the front taking a million pictures, dancing like there’s no tomorrow, and congratulating the band after on continuing to be awesome.