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REVIEWS BY JOE
WAWRZYNIAK
 THE
VISITATIONS - The Conundrum Tree (www.myspace.com/thevisitations)
Offering up a perfectly groovy blend of wonky
electronica and tuneful pop-rock, this album goes
done pretty smoothly thanks to the peppy vocals,
snappy tempos, steady trudging beats, and nicely
idiosyncratic melodies. The spacey sci-fi sound
effects mesh well with the soaring vocal harmonies,
thoughtful songwriting, and offbeat, yet still
arresting arrangements. It’s the band’s
willingness to try new and different kinds of
oddball and imaginative sounds which in turn gives
this album a certain eccentric charm. Moreover,
the group’s sense of humor is extremely
flaky and amusing, as confirmed by such choice
kooky songs as the hilariously deadpan “Jonathan
Asshole” and the gloriously gaga “Fresh
Dog.” A compellingly quirky and engaging
one-of-a-kind sonic oddity.
MICHAEL CHAPMAN - Time Past & Time Passing
(www.michaelchapman.co.uk)
Veteran British guitarist Michael Chapman produces
a beautifully moving and harmonic little gem with
his simply lovely latest album. Chapman’s
wonderfully hoarse and weary voice conveys a wealth
of hard-won wisdom and ragged emotion while his
sharp, fluid and skillful guitar playing never
hits a single false or flat note. Moreover, his
songwriting has a maturity and thoughtfulness
that’s a real pleasure to hear. The slowly
trudging tempos and subdued, yet steady beats
keep things laid-back, yet still tuneful throughout.
Better still, such songs as “Sometimes,”
“That Time of Night,” and “Memphis
in Winter” have a serenely reflective and
straightforward quality that’s downright
sublime in its eloquent simplicity and delicate
melodicism. A sparkling jewel of an album.
 NOAH
AND THE WHALE - Peaceful, The World Lays Me
Down (www.myspace.com/noah and the whale)
Coming on like a cool, yet still assertive
spring breeze, this engagingly pleasant and
perky album wins the listener over with its
catchy, bubbly, vibrant melodies, likable upbeat
sensibility, and infectiously cheerful vocals.
Fortunately, all the merry frothiness never
becomes too cloying or excessive. Instead, a
certain folksy charm shines brightly throughout
and the thoughtful songwriting keeps the cuteness
at bay. Plus the arrangements are quite flavorsome
and harmonic to boot. A lovely little album.
THE HELIGOATS - The End of All-Purpose (www.greydayrecords.com)
Swirling and whirling about with incredibly
fierce, yet still gripping and melodic abandon,
this album grabs the listener by the throat
with the startling opening song “Morning
Gloree.” The passionate vocals sing over
a wildly frantic dervish of ringing guitars,
churning basslines, and nonstop steady drums.
The cool and diverse arrangements blend elements
of rock and jazz into a tasty’n’tuneful
mix (dig the scratchy riffing saxophone on “Been
A Drill”). Better still, said arrangements
start out fairly mellow and gradually grow into
remarkably exciting full-bore crescendos. A
solid and satisfying EP CD winner.
 JOHN
PAUL - Belmont Boulevard (www.myspace.com/thejohnpaul)
Boston-bred singer/songwriter John Paul comes
up with a really neat and enjoyable county-tinged
pop-rock treat with his debut album. Getting off
to a nicely rocking start with the rousing “21,”
Paul delivers a steady succession of speedy tempos,
socking beats, and tuneful, yet vibrant melodies.
Better still, Paul possesses a very clear and
soothing voice and writes lyrics that are both
thoughtful and compelling in equal measure. Some
of the songs are quite punchy and exciting (the
stirring “Chameleon”), others are
more low-key and reflective (the lovely “Sleepless”),
all hit the bull’s eye with spot-on harmonic
results. While only 22 years old, Paul projects
a maturity and sensitivity of a much older and
wiser man. It’s this latter refreshing grown-up
quality which in turn makes this album one to
relish.
STRANGE DAY - Face the Change (www.myspace.com/strangedaynyc)
Okay, so I had another typically hard, grueling
and shitty day at work. Friday nights totally
suck ass and blow massive spam chunks in equal
measure. Luckily, at the end of the day I have
some time set aside to listen to and review
an album. Right from the first crunching note
I got automatically caught up in the music.
The groovy melodies, cool raspy vocals, nice
grinding guitars, churning basslines, and nonstop
steamrolling drums made me totally forget that
crappy day I had at work. The music featured
herein offers a tasty blend of earthy funk,
melodic rock, and even gnarly prog rock. Better
still, there’s a clarity, intelligence
and raw honesty to the songwriting that’s
quite refreshing and engaging. A very nifty
album.
 THE
MORNING LIGHT (Fearless)
As bright, bouncy and infectiously sunny as a
fine summer day, this album immediately wins the
listener over with its engaging mix of catchy,
dynamic melodies, cheerful vocals, tuneful arrangements,
and refreshingly sprightly harmonies. The exuberant
opening song “Wake Up!” projects a
lovely feeling of pure radiant joy, such equally
energetic tracks as “Brand, New, Friends,”
“Happy-Now,” and “Have You Tonight”
likewise hit the delightfully effervescent spot,
and “Movin’ Along” concludes
things on a suitably happy, spirited and optimistic
note. A total treat.
 PILLOW
QUEENS - Kookoolegit (www.myspace.com/pillowqueens)
A nicely rollicking serving of fresh and inspired
rock’n’roll vitality that’s
performed with tremendous go-for-it glee and gusto
by a decidedly eccentric and eclectic Austin,
Texas quartet, this album is a total blast to
listen to. Starting off on a rousing note with
the jangly “Hot Song,” the extremely
catchy and spirited creativity continues with
such choice singular cuts as “T.V. Song,”
“Lava Lamp,” “Mongoloid,”
and “Animal Poseurs.” Better still,
the vocals are quite robust and passionate, the
lyrics deftly alternate between the witty and
the thoughtful, the arrangements are tight, springy
and neatly varied, and a certain sense of pure
infectiously inventive and imaginative fun pervades
throughout. A hugely enjoyable sonic romp that’s
sure to leave a smile on your face.
VIKING MOSES - The Parts That Showed (www.myspace.com/vikingmoses)
Mellow and bluesy, with a laid-back and reflective
air to it, this is the perfect album to listen
to after a hard day’s work. The songs featured
herein tell the sad and depressing, yet still
touching and interesting story of a part-time
teenage prostitute and the man who pines for her
from afar. While said premise sounds intrinsically
sordid, this album thankfully eschews crass sensationalism
in favor of addressing the subject matter with
refreshing taste and sensitivity. The plaintive
vocals, spare, but still harmonic arrangements,
and precise lyrics all give this offbeat and intriguing
effort a certain oddly compelling urgency and
poignancy. All in all, an admirably daring, different
and ambitious album.
 THREK
MICHAELS - Lonely Always (www.threkmichaels.com)
Now, here’s a nifty and inspired idea for
a concept album: A whole bunch of lovely, thoughtful
and melodic tunes that all focus on the poignant
universal concept of loneliness and pay homage
to Ricky Nelson (his classic “Lonesome Town”
is a major influence here), the old original sparkling
Nashville Sound, Gene Pitney, and Roy Orbison.
Fortunately, Threk Michaels has the necessary
skill and talent to pull this rather dicey concept
off. For starters, his voice is just gorgeous:
clear, smooth and commanding, Michaels’
voice is a total joy to hear from start to finish.
Secondly, we’ve got the famous vocal group
the Jordanaires supplying the heavenly backing
vocals. In addition, the arrangements are every
bit as tuneful and polished as they ought to be.
Plus all the songs possess a haunting and timeless
quality which ensures that this album will resonate
long in your memory after you listen to it. A
wonderfully rich, subtle and glowing little gem.
ALEX STATAN - Go Big or Go Home (myspace.com/alexstatan)
Offering up five tracks worth of enjoyably mellow
and funky-bumpin’ pop-rock, this EP CD goes
down nice’n’easy with a winning blend
of amusingly sassy lyrics and infectiously groovy
melodies. Alex Statan’s raspy vocals project
an engagingly relaxed, yet still confidant vibe.
Starting off with the hilariously bawdy “Don’t
Hold Back (The *Ass* Song),” this album
delivers one fun track after another. The neatly
chugging tempos and steady beats keep things hoppin’
throughout. A highly entertaining hoot.
 ABNEY
PARK - Lost Horizons (www.abneypark.com)
Getting off to an awesomely funky and thrilling
start with the neatly bumping “Airship Pirate,”
this album hits a very strong and compelling groove
early on and rarely lets up right to the gnarly
end. The raspy, yet smooth vocals certainly do
the tasty trick. Ditto the chunky driving beats
and steady chugging tempos. The fierce cutting
guitars, sturdy strong-as-steel drums, and nicely
percolating basslines ain’t nothing to sneeze
about as well. Better still, the eclectic musical
styles evident throughout include everything from
hypnotic electronica to industrial rock to Irish
folk to even gypsy music. The official label is
something called “steampunk,” but
under any name this highly innovative and intoxicating
stuff sure isn’t your run-of-the-mill Top
40 friendly generic pop-slop; instead it’s
flat out cool, exciting, and just plain old fun
to listen to.
TEITH - Oak City (www.thirtyghostrecords.com)
This snazzy little EP CD offers four tracks worth
of incredibly intense and atmospheric moody’n’brooding
instrumental numbers. The opening tune “Coffee
is a Cruel Mistress” gives the listener
a wonderfully wonky array of atonal, yet still
compelling and rousing spacey sounds. The other
three songs are every bit as strange, inventive
and hypnotic as they ought to be. Freaky zoned-to-the-bone
keyboards, heavy clip-clop drum beats, and buzzing
bass guitars are the exceptionally outre order
of the day here. Those excepting something mundane
and conventional should take a pass on this one.
But for all those hardy souls looking for something
fresh, different and way out of the ordinary,
this particular excursion into hardcore oddball
and experimental sonic territory should really
hit the splendidly singular spot. I, of course,
totally dug every last gloriously bizarre note
of this one-of-a-kind item.
 IN
CADEO (www.incadeo.com)
Offering three songs worth of pleasing mellow
and melodic pop-rock from the band's forthcoming
full-length, this nice, but too short EP CD
gives the listener a tasty sample of the band’s
forthcoming full length album. The vocals are
smooth and passionate, the lyrics smart and
thoughtful, the playing tight and dynamic, and
the arrangements punchy and tuneful. “Ghosts”
starts things on a thrilling note, “City
Lights” likewise hits the sweetly stirring
spot, and “West” concludes the disc
in a satisfyingly reflective manner. A cool
little item that makes one eager and excited
about the upcoming album.
NOA BABAYOF - Israeli Songstress (www.myspace.com/noababayof)
This album was an exciting first for me. I’ve
reviewed hundreds of albums throughout the years,
but I have never reviewed an album by a folk singer/songwriter
from Israel before. Well, it’s about time
I did. The music on this album is simply beautiful:
lush, swelling and stately, with lovely swirling
violins and gently strummed acoustic guitars creating
a sound that’s both achingly delicate and
exquisitely melodic in equal measure. Better still,
Noa Babayof has a truly gorgeous and captivating
voice. Moreover, the songwriting is smart and
thoughtful. A wonderfully tuneful, haunting and
moving little gem.
WILD SWEET ORANGE - We Have Cause To Be Uneasy
(www.wildsweetorange.com)
Representing pop-rock music at its most mopey
and melodic, this full-length debut album from
a most promising Birmingham, Alabama band offers
a tuneful and touching wealth of bittersweetly
reflective songs. Preston Lovinggood’s plaintive
and explosive vocals convey regret and heartbreak
with bracing clarity and passion while the arrangements
are suitably tight, yet still dynamic and harmonic.
Whether it’s the fiercely aggressive sonic
onslaught of the rousing “Tilt,” or
the more low-key contemplation of the mellow “Seeing
and Believing,” this band delivers one solid,
stirring and satisfying song after another. Moreover,
there’s a punchy surging urgency and crackling
vitality evident throughout that makes one hell
of a strong and lasting impact. A highly impressive
debut album.
 TK
WEBB & THE VISIONS - Ancestor (www.tkwebbandthevisions.com)
A nicely moody and atmospheric 11 track serving
of supremely heavy, yet still tuneful bluesy rock,
this album does the trick in a pleasingly crisp,
brooding and dynamic way. TK Webb’s thick,
drawling voice, strong, fierce guitar playing,
and sharp, thoughtful songwriting make for a potent
and impressive triple whammy. The biting guitar
riffs slice and dice their way through the heady
churning basslines and constant steamrolling drums.
The snappy tempos and chunky hammering beats rarely
let up for a second, thereby ensuring that this
album remains a consistently funky, absorbing
and exciting listen from start to finish.
 PRIMA
DONNA - After Hours (www.acetate.com)
Sounding like some unholy cross between a retro
70's groovy glam-rock band and your basic snarly
punk outfit (this is a very good thing), Prima
Donna deliver a delicious sonic cocktail of fresh,
bubbly, catchy melodies, passionate singing, and
snappy playing. The arrangements not only offer
the expected sturdy drums, chugging basslines,
and ringing guitars, but also plenty of sweet
saxophone wailing as well. Better yet, the lyrics
are pretty profane and witty. The vocals are both
smooth and seductive in equal measure. Whether
it’s the tart sting of the gnarly opening
track “Soul Stripper,” or the unabashedly
raw sexuality of the racy “I Don’t
Want You to Love Me,” this album comes through
with one exquisitely awesome and rousing song
after another. A real fun and thrilling blast
of gloriously brash and sparkling rock coolness.
 THE
SUBWAYS - All or Nothing (www.thesubways.net)
Coming on with fierce and attention-grabbing go-for-it
energetic gusto with the pile-driving “Girls
& Boys,” this delightful indie rock
album delivers one tunefully crunchy’n’punchy
song after another with a winning blend of tight
playing, a certain sweet, but spiky punk attitude,
and a strong grasp of raw, yet still melodic musicianship.
The vocals are robust and passionate, the guitar
riffs are heavy and ferocious, the savagely pounding
drums lay down plenty of awesome steamrolling
beats, and the basslines provide lots of gritty
undertow. This British trio serve up a hot, tasty
and steaming plate of pure in-your-face rippin’
and exciting garage-rock racket that totally hits
the spot with often stirring and always satisfying
results.
TWILIGHT PROCESSION (www.myspace.com/twilightprocession)
Getting off to a neatly humming start with the
arrestingly mellow “Diver Down,” this
album flows along at a pleasingly relaxed clip
while delivering plenty of delicious shimmering
grooves and ringing melodies. The cool, reassuring
vocals certainly hit the spot. The funky guitars,
sturdy drums, and soothing basslines likewise
do the trick. The sensitive, insightful lyrics
and overall upbeat sensibility are both refreshing
and engaging in equal measure. A nice little album.
VOLUNTEERS - Spectrophilia (www.myspace.com/thevolunteers)
Okay, so I had a typically rough, grueling and
exhausting day at work. Friday night, in fact.
Friday’s are just brutal. So, after a hard
day’s work I decide to give this particular
CD a whirl and get lost in the music. Well, a
few seconds into the groovy opening song “Rock
and Roll (Will Kill You,)” I flat-out forgot
all about work. The crunchy guitars, neatly chugging
basslines, and smooth steamrolling drums swept
me away with their crisp and constant sonic aplomb.
The raspy vocals and sharp, profane lyrics likewise
won me over. I also totally got taken by the cool-diggin’
grooves of such choice tasty tracks as “Get
on the Bomb,” “Monsta,” the
supremely funky “Feel It,” and “Rock
to Rock.” This is the type of straight-up
meat and potatoes rock music that just gets right
down to gnarly brass tacks and does the trick
in a pleasingly dynamic and unpretentious way.
 ED
HARCOURT - The Beautiful Lie (www.edharcourt.com)
Getting off to a weirdly haunting spacey groove
with “Whirlwind in D Minor,” this
gloriously offbeat and melodic album offers
up one strikingly singular song after another.
Ed Harcourt’s ghostly whisper of a raspy
voice and lucid, barbed, incisive songwriting
make for a formidable double act. Better still,
the arrangements are gorgeously lush, rich and
intricately harmonic, with Harcourt’s
stately piano playing perfectly meshing with
an eclectic array of instruments that include
a trumpet, violin, Spanish guitar, and even
a Hammond organ. The basic sensibility is sad
and dejected, with an added pinch of wry humor
and rueful introspection to keep things fresh
and interesting throughout. An absolutely smashing
one-of-a-kind quirky beauty of an album.
SILVER SUMMIT (Language Of Stone)
The weirdness continues with this arrestingly
bizarre and off-kilter, yet still hypnotic and
harmonic sonic excursion into sheer aural trippiness.
Sondra Sun-Odeon’s beautifully eerie vocals
cast a wickedly alluring spell on the listener
while the gradual tempos and trudging clip-clop
beats likewise mesmerize you with their deceptively
laid-back power. Whether it’s the supremely
hazy’n’lazy buzz of “The Door,”
or the equally enticing languidness of “Water’s
Edge,” this album offers one tasty track
after another. The flavorsome arrangements evoke
a funky Middle Eastern vibe with their snazzy
use of sitar, gong, and Tibetan chanting. A
real groovy headtrip of an album.
 TAB
THE BAND - Long Weekend (www.tabtheband.com)
Sounding like some retro 70's style scruffy
blues rock band, this album shakes, rattles
and rumbles out 10 songs worth of insanely catchy
and groovy sonic bossness. Getting off to a
rousing start with the punchy “Backseat
Lover,” the band deliver one beefy and
thundering slab of white-hot throbbing rock’n’roll
punch and pow after another. The lively full-throated
vocals, the swaggering basslines, the huge and
ripping guitar riffs, and the nonstop steamrolling
drums ensure that the snappy tempos and massive
hammering beats don’t let up for a minute.
This is no-bullshit straight-up meat and potatoes
good-time rock done with plenty of fiery gusto
and a winning dearth of needless hoity-toity
pretense. In other words, it’s the total
funky bomb, baby!
RICHARD D’ANJOLELL - NC*28465 (www.musicrd.com)
This nicely folksy and tuneful pop-rock album
mines a pleasantly engaging line in catchy,
dynamic melodies, sunny singing, and upbeat
lyrics. The vocals convey a winning sense of
sheer infectious joy and vigor. The arrangements
are likewise quite tasty and dynamic, with ringing
guitars, steady drums, and smooth basslines
delivering plenty of snappy tempos and constant
bouncy beats. Moreover, there’s a sweet
feeling of honesty and sincerity evident throughout
that’s impossible to either resist or
dislike. A nifty little treat.
 WHITE
ROSE - Songs for Summer (www.myspace.com/thewhiteroseband)
Offering a nicely cheerful and tuneful 11 song
selection, this album wins the listener over
with its engaging mix of bouncy melodies, peppy
vocals, snappy arrangements, and an infectiously
upbeat sensibility. The chipper vocals radiate
a positively infectious sense of joy and youthful
enthusiasm, the playing is crisp, tight and
energetic, the tempos are constantly brisk,
the beats hammer along with driving efficiency,
and the lyrics are very sweet and pleasant.
A nice little treat.
THE REAL MCKENZIES - Off the Leash (www.realmckenzies.com)
Hey pal, are you ready to hear some insanely
crunchy’n’punchy Scottish Celtic
punk rock music complete with roaring bagpipes,
rippin’ guitars, relentless jackhammer
drums, churning basslines, and a lead singer
who belts out the vocals with a great strong
and unmistakable Scottish accent? Well, that’s
exactly what you get with this simply stupendous
slab of spirited sass and spunk from these hardcore
berserk hellions from Vancouver, Canada. For
those looking for punk music that’s different,
original and flat-out kick-ass exciting, well
then this is the album for you.
 BEL
AIR - Pole to Pole (www.myspace.com/belairtheband)
Offering up 12 tracks worth of pleasingly mellow’n’melodic
laid-back and reflective soft rock, this album
gets off to a nicely soothing start with the
gently lulling opening song “Need to Believe.”
The basic sound is folksy country suffused with
a touchingly substantial amount of regret and
melancholy, the vocals are warm and affecting,
the arrangements spare, tight and harmonic,
and the songwriting clear, sharp and thoughtful.
The bouncy acoustic guitars and sweet harmonica
playing add a little extra tasty’n’tuneful
flavor to the already enticing and engaging
mix, thereby ensuring that listening to this
album overall rates as a very pleasant and satisfying
experience.
DVD
X-RAY VISIONS (www.microcosmpublishing.com)
This wonderfully vibrant and joyous documentary
offers a tantalizing portrait of the X-Ray Café,
a legendary nightclub in Portland, Oregon that
became an insanely hoppin’ cultural epicenter
for alternative rock bands, assorted underground
artists, and general all-out fringe nonconformist
oddballs from 80's up until the 90's. The film
traces the club’s history from its start
as the UFO Café before it became the X-Ray
Café. Club owners Tres and Benjamin Arthur
Ellis are interviewed along with a diverse array
of regular patrons, employees, and various acts
that performed at the X-Ray Café. The X-Ray
Café was the sort of all-inclusive anything
goes place where people of all ages were welcomed
with open arms: several folks actually taught
language lessons in the club and an evangelist
gave spankings to people looking to be cleansed
of their sins. To its credit, this documentary
paints a warts’n’all portrait of the
club: beloved regular Crystal Bullitt sadly committed
suicide at a tragically young age, a riot broke
out in front of the place, and Tres and Benjamin
unfortunately weren’t very good at handling
money. The song “American Pie” was
appropriately enough sung at the X-Ray Cafe’s
closing night; this particular moment in the movie
manages to be both strangely uplifting and absolutely
heart-breaking at the same time. Of course, there’s
lots of terrific footage of numerous acts performing
live on stage at the X-Ray Café and the
soundtrack smokes in no uncertain terms. What
this lovely and delightful documentary manages
to do exceptionally well is totally nail just
what an incredibly special, unique and magical
place the X-Ray Café was. It achieves this
goal by simply allowing the many interview subjects
to relate in their own words their thoughts and
feelings about the club. The net result is one
of the best, most engrossing and remarkable rock
documentaries of recent vintage.
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