The next couple of editions of music review are going to be devoted to the stuff J1 & J2 brought back with them over Christmas for Dad to upload. :) Aww.. I feel loved.
Andy McKee - "Art of Motion" & "The Gates of Gnomeria": What great ambient guitar music this is. I'm not sure if it's better to call it folk (as in the guitar playing of Iron & Wine), or jazz (as in the guitar playing of Frank Vignola), or.. what? Whatever you call it, it's cool! :) And the way the guy plays is so unorthodox and bizzare, it's fascinating to watch. Both CDs are similar in sound, and there are no bad tracks at all, anywhere. They're great for studying, for sleeping (as J2 uses them), for chilling.. two thumb up. If I only had more thumbs...
Tiger Army - "III: Ghost Tigers Rise" & "Music From Regions Beyond": What the heck *is* this stuff? Alternative Country? Psychobilly? Surf Punk? You got me. ;) But I like it! Both iTunes and fan postings sometimes lament the band sounding a bit more commercial on their latest releases (these two), but for someone like me, I think that simply means they are more approachable and have won a new fan. :) The latter of the two is the more approachable for a newcomer.
Both CDs begin with a prologue which flows into the next track and that, I guess, sets the tone for the rest of the CD. A lot of the songs sound similar, with slap bass, chord bending at the end of phrases, and drums less focused on the bass kick than on rim shots and toms. The lead vocal is clean and easy to listen to (read: the occasional shout, but no screaming), but still has an edge to it at times. Very few ballads, most songs are uptempo and danceable.. if one dances to these things. Let's just say one *could*. :) Favorites: Ghostfire (GTR), Rose of the Devil's Garden (GTR), Forever Fades Away (MFRB), Pain (MFRB), As The Cold Rain Falls (MFRB), Where The Moss Slowly Grows (MFRB). But all tracks were okay, really. One thumb up for the first CD, two for the second. :)
Interpol - "Antics" & "The Black EP": iTunes and Amazon describe these guys as New Wave, Post Punk (similar to: The Strokes, Arcade Fire, The Postal Service, Bloc Party, Modest Mouse.) Um.. okay. I think I get that. But I also think they create a sound that's a little more atmospheric and layered than those other bands, sort of like R.E.M. and Radiohead do. Mostly, though.. I just like them. :) The Black EP has some live tracks on it, which I normally don't go in for, but these are not too bad - the crowd sound is filtered. Favorites: from "Antics" - Next Exit, Narc, Evil, Length Of Love; from "Black" - just NYC (Demo). Two thumbs up for Antics, one for Black.
Flogging Molly - "Within A Mile Of Home": Celtic-punk? Uhmm, I guess so. That's as good as any descriptor, I guess. They're not *too* punk, though, and maybe not as ethnic-sounding as The Pogues, either. More like The Frames with an occasional fiddle, tin whistle or accordion. :) Of course every once in a while (e.g. Tomorrow Comes A Day Too Soon) they sound sort of .. cajun. Go figure.
They do sing in English, as opposed to Runrig, another celtic rock band, whose CD I picked up in Glasgow when I was there 18 months ago now, and which I really enjoy. Flogging Molly can get a little frenetic.. like one of those songs where you start dancing in a circle and they keep increasing the tempo until you're whirling around and getting dizzy. Some of their songs are dizzying, they're so fast (e.g. The Seven Deadly Sins, To Youth.)
So yeah, kind of fun. If you like Celtic-influenced music, which I do. When you listen you can feel where American Bluegrass came from, but never grew beyond, either. This is a pretty good album all around, with a nice balance of songs, although I would have liked a few more ballads. Favorites: Whistle The Wind, The Wanderlust, Factory Girls. Plus, there's a really appealing song of theirs, "If I Ever Leave This World Alive", on the soundtrack album to the movie P.S. I Love You (now in theatres, gang!) One thumb up for the reviewed CD. it just tires me out to listen.. ;)
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