Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 October, 2004)
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Features

• CD-single

Reviews (3)

Bright Eye's Goes Digital by Kevchino.com
Not one but of a pair of new Bright Eyes singles have been released. Each representing some tracks off the two distinctively different albums coming out. "Take it Easy (Love Nothing)" offers a preview from the forthcoming album "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn," which will showcase Conor's more electronica and pop influences. The other album "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" will be based more in Oberst's folk sounds. The two full-length albums should hit stores the beginning of the New Year.

The playful single "Take it Easy" uses eighties keyboards and upbeat guitar jangles along with backwards drums which sound as if Jimmy Tamberello (Dntel/Postal Service) programmed them. The effervescent song has a pre-written application to be on a modern day Pretty in Pink soundtrack. The single exclusive track "Burn Rubber," a southern bumpkin song filled with blazing banjos, is a cover of Secretly Canadian's Simon Joyner. The closing instrumental exclusive track "Cremation" is beautiful and easy to fall in love with and evokes almost a hypnotic Boards of Canada sound only done with real instruments.

Conor Oberst's song writing is brilliant especially when he breaks into more pop and electronic materials, like "Take it Easy," and "Cremation." I hope "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" continues in this vain and should prove to be a great album.

Kevchino

Great single!
This is a great single that stays true to Conor Oberst's lyrical style but offers a little change in the sound of his music. While this change is not drastic it is noticible.
There are 3 songs on this cd but there is only one that i can really get into, Take it Easy Love is nothing. But in my opinion it is one of the best songs ever written by Conor. This is a great single but it might be worth waiting for the cd in January rather than buy the single unless you are a avid Bright Eyes fan.

Sticking around for the ride
Conor Oberst has been on one of the scariest but most pukingly-excellent roller coaster rides since 1998, through the Desaparecidos, through Lifted..., and now with Lua and Take It Easy.I, for one, am willing to stick around for another go-around, at least until January. ... Read more

Asin: B000641A5O
Sales Rank: 95011
Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Walking With the Beggar Boys
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (06 April, 2004)
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Editorial Review

With a decade under their belts, the sixth album by the Athens, Georgia-based band Elf Power marks a bit of a change and expansion in their sound. With new members on board (Eric Harris formerly with Olivia Tremor Control, and Craig McQuiston from the Glands), the quintet moves easily from straight ahead, if slightly-fractured rockers, to fine slices of cerebral sonics. The title track, with guest Vic Chesnutt on hand for duet vocals, sounds as rooted in southern Americana as R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" (a band with whom they've toured, besides sharing a hometown). Elsewhere, "Evil Eye" chugs along like a more rural T. Rex, and "The Cracks" revels in mechanized rhythm tracks and eerily nostalgic synth runs. Throughout, they never lose track of their vital core interplay, celebrating the fine little engine that they are at all times. That the range of Elf Power is so broad comes as little surprise, given their past approaches, as well as their previous affiliations (muti-instrumentalist Laura Carter was a member of Neutral Milk Hotel). --David Greenberger ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Suprisingly Tight Glam-Pop
Surprisingly enough, one of my favorite albums of 2004. I'd always viewed Elf Power as strictly second-tier among the ranks of the neo-pop-psychedelia bands under the Elephant 6 collective umbrella. They lacked the sheer pop chops of Apples in Stereo, the psychedelic craftsmanship of Olivia Tremor Control, and the lyrical intensity of Neutral Milk Hotel. But with most of those bands long gone, Elf Power rises to the occasion with a straightforward glam-infused rock album. Gone are the twisted, fantasy-infused story-songs of recent releases, and the lo-fi sonic meanderings. This stuff is straight-out catchy with no apologies. The title track is one of those riff-driven pop songs you can play 5 times straight and just keep going, and a few other songs come close. Any indie pop album that offers 4-5 tracks worthy of inclusion on your next upbeat mix tape is way ahead of the pack.

Purely magical little elves...........
Whoa!Listening to this CD reminds one of hearing Rubber Soul for the first time - sheer pop bliss and nary a clunker on it (OK -track 6- skip it) I mean this is a fantastic release.Who cares for ratings, best album of 2004? -hooey! Just listen to these ten precious songs - the title cut maybe the best thing I've heard since 'me and mia' by the king Ted Leo...anyway the Elephant 6/Orange Twin thing can be a bit redundant, but this is a real masterpiece - Andrew and his fellow elves get much credit to this outstanding addtion to an already wonderful collection of songs/albums.
Get it.

ho hum
With the addition of ex-Olivia's I was hoping this would be a GREAT next album. Unfortunately, it's pretty dull. The new singer(s) don't really have the charm the original guy had (can't keep names straight) and I just can't get a sense of the old potent band (for lack of a more adequate term) chemistry.

Some people have dissed the Elves for thier silly fairy tale lyrics on past albums, but for me, that was a large part of their charm. There was an innocence and sense of wonder in their music, even when they were off in the same odd universe frequented by the likes of Robyn Hitchcock and Syd Barrett.

This version of Elf Power comes back to the real world and in comparrison, they seem pretty boring. Kind of like the morning after a wonderful party when all the interesting and beautiful guests of the night before now seem old and worn out. Sigh.

If you've never heard thier earlier works, this is a fine CD. The songwriting is excellent and the musicianship is quite capable. They may win new fans, but those of us who 'remember them when' will be pretty dissapointed.

The magic is gone. ... Read more

Asin: B0001KL5G2
Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Summer Make Good
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 May, 2004)
list price: $15.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Reviews (10)

Complex Simplicity Done Perfectly
From front to back this album glides.No big bang, no top charts chorus.Filled with sounds (rather than instruments) making music and singing more like the humming you do inside your head.

I see though, why many people liked their older two albums:They're much more formulated, with actual direction - a rise and fall with different songs having different feelings and textures.I however love that the first few times i heard Summer Make Good, i didn't know when a song would end and the next would begin - i found it comforting and relieving.

i now listen to it just about everyday as i sleep and i've had it for 7 or 8 months.This CD is in my top ten (and i listen to everything from Tool and deftones - ani DiFranco and Elliott Smith - bjork and Greg Brown - much much more)

If you love music for what it is and could be and is not - this is a great album for you. But if you need formula and boundaries and process and direction this may not be for you (i do not mean that badly - it may not do it for you)

better than the last one
My first Mum album was "finally we are no one" which i probably would have given 3 stars to."summer make good" make me think mum is good!its darker, thicker, heavier percussion, sounds more organic, and it just grips the imagination to a much higher degree.i can't take it out of my cd player!

music for fog
I was disappointed with this album on first listen. I was knocked over by the depth and emotional intensity of "Finally we are no one" and after seeing the band perform several of the new tracks live prior to the release of "summer" I was expecting another 5 star release. While the band (minus one) have not quite reached the pinnacle of their previous effort, this record is subtly brilliant in it's own right. It creates a darker sense of romanticism and is not marked as much by the idyllic naivete that made the first and second records so charming. Gone are most of the pretty melodies, and the carefully built to crescendo arrangements. What remains is fragmented, misty, and somehow mildly disturbing. Given that it was recorded at a lighthouse, this imagery starts to make sense. The songs are very manipulated (and only vaguely resembling their "live" versions) - altered significantly from their acoustic form, and always peppered by a kind of digital "fog"; shifting, creaking, bending sounds that give the record it's atmosphere. I managed to pop it in on a particularly foggy northern california day and this is the perfect way to hear it. ... Read more

Asin: B000228EL8
Sales Rank: 12959
Subjects:  1. Electronica    2. IDM    3. Iceland    4. Indie Electronic    5. Pop    6. Rock   

Fall Back Open
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 March, 2004)
list price: $12.98 -- our price: $12.98
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Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (6)

Great stuff
I heard "Reverse" on an Internet radio station and went out and bought the album.With all the crap on regular radio, you forget that good music is actually still being made!This has some really strong songs (although a couple of more "ordinary" efforts keep my rating from being 5 star) and there is a sensibility here that is totally fresh.

This is genius
I don't own a better album. The 1st track, "Wait In a Line," is the most catchy, but wait. As you progress through the tracks, they increase in their depth, and the subject matter becomes heavier, more profound. But no song on this CD is "dark" in a negative sense, rather deeply thoughtful. There are a number of lyrical gems throughout. This music moves, beat-wise, as well. The incredible percussion is a trademark of this band and sets it apart. Orenda and Maria's voices lend the perfect touch of airy-ness. There is a feeling conveyed in these songs unmatched by any band I've heard yet - just listen to "The Decision Made Itself" and "Reverse."This album is more personal and cohesive than the last. Lemaster is in the genius class along with the likes of Oberst; his creativity plays a part in every step of his music, from the songwriting to the engineering to the recording, and his art even graces the CD insert. Genius.

Night Music
This is a great album.Simply put.I have not removed it from my cd player since I've had it.Andy LeMaster is brilliant.This is what I call real music.So many artists are overlooked because people accept what is placed in front of them.
The songs on this record are intense.They have a real three in the morning appeal.I saw Now It's Overhead perform live in St Louis, MO.They were touring with REM.They were great and so was REM.Michael Stipe came out on to the stage and personally introduced them.I was suprised.For some reason Orenda Fink from Azure Ray was not there.Well anyway, great band, great record, so, buy it. ... Read more

Asin: B0001EFV4U
Sales Rank: 36020
Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

C'mon Miracle
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 May, 2004)
list price: $15.98 -- our price: $15.98
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Reviews (9)

c'mon and buy this album
At first, I was wary of liking this album and buying into the quasi- cult following of Mirah, but unbeknownst to me, i pretty much had no choice. The brief couple of days I was left without this album, (a friend was burning it) was like going cold turkey from a highly addicitive drug.

i'll grant you that some of these songs are a bit bumpy, but the good ones more than make up for the lapses. The gentle strumming of 'Nobody has to Stay' sets the stage for the album, Mirah's voice is at its best when its vulnerable. 'Jerusalem' is my personal favorite, and probably the most catchy song on the album. Along with its catchiness comes actual substance, a rare delicacy with today's current mode of music.

'Light' is a bit darker and more experimental. 'Dogs of B.A.' takes the culture of Buenos Aires and puts it into song. Some of the other songs may be a bit weak; such as 'We're Both so Sorry', which makes a valiant, if not flawed use of unconventional instruments.

the album as a whole is strong. buy it. now.

heart-wrenching indeed...
I know many would probably disagree, but I would have to say this is my favorite of Mirah's albums. C'Mon Miracle has a sort of natural flow to it as if all of this was pent up inside of her head for years and this was the product of her relieving her brain of all of the genious creativity. I also like that it's lacking in some of those backround noises from previous albums that I always felt to be so quirky they were almost obnoxious. As if some of them were put in to make the music more "abstract" or "experimental", but mostly took away from the music as opposed to adding to it. This album is beautiful because it's so honest. And perfect for those of us that live in Seattle.

Brilliance In Quiet Mode4.5 Stars
Mirah is a truly unique artist. She was born on her mother's kitchen table, and is the result of being raised on a maple syrup farm in Pennsylvania. Now residing in the pacific northwest, she is now one of the best artists on one of the best indie labels in the country (K). Swinging back and forth from muted grace to utterly cinematic, Mirah's albums always has a distinctive feel about them. "C'mon Miracle" in many ways feels like her previous, the luminous "Advisory Committee" (2002), but it becomes apparent that this is a less ambitious and quieter affair very soon into the album's progression. "C'mon Miracle" feels like a brilliant artist just checking in, letting you know that she's still in top form, and still has a lot to say. Going from effectively effortless ("Jerusalem" is a perfect little song) to unabashed pianic beauty ("Promise To Me"), "C'mon Miracle" proves that downright brilliance doesn't have to be hard.
... Read more

Asin: B0001ZMX1S
Sales Rank: 14225
Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter