From Every Sphere [Bonus Track]
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Audio CD (20 May, 2003)
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Editorial Review

The biggest problem with being a prodigy is that, eventually, your talent stops being mentioned in relationship to your tender age, and your work is judged purely against that of your peers. Or, in the case of prolific young romantic like Ed Harcourt, that of the masters you seek to emulate. By the time he was 23, he’d already earned a prestigious Mercury Prize nomination for his major-label debut, Here Be Monsters, and a reputation for writing songs faster than Ryan Adams (over 300 and counting at the time). Released three years after this initial adulatory wave, From Every Sphere opens with a gorgeous slice of orchestral pop called "Bittersweet Heart."It would work well in a set by Rufus Wainwright or Badly Drawn Boy , but in melody and attitude it doesn’t add anything new to a sound Brian Wilson pioneered close to 40 years ago. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but hardly the stuff of musical revolutions. And that’s both the charm and limitation of From Every Sphere’s 12 songs: They’re all pretty good, but you could easily imagine them being done by someone else, whether it’s Turin Brakes, Eric Matthews, or High Llamas. From Every Sphere is tasteful and even rewarding at times; it just doesn’t expand much on Harcourt’s promise. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

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Reviews (12)

Incredible talent and catchy songwriting!
I recieved this album first as a promotional item through the recording company, and upon first listening I didn't find it particularly appealing. I thought it was too dark, and I didn't think the melodies were very catchy. A few years later, I decided to listen to the album again to see if my opinion of the album would change considering my perspective had changed over the years. The more I listened to the album the more I came to appreciate the production, the songwriting, and even found myself humming those very melodies which I found unattractive before. Now I am a definite fan of Harcourt's music and I am recommending to most of my friends that they buy his music and so should you!

The subtle man
Ed Harcourt is a musical genius. His first record, Here Be Monsters, was nominated for the Mercury Prize. He was said to have written five hundred songs in a year when he first started. That would be in 2000. So quickly enough we have the second installment of his romantic vision. There was also an important EP in there. Oddly enough, Ed Harcourt worked with Tim Holmes of Death in Vegas on his first album. That satanic experience produced a very musical effort that was parts Tom Waits and part Randy Newman. It's odd that Ed is only twenty-five years old. The new record seems more mature and direct. Songs like "Bittersweetheart" and "Sister Renee" are mostly just voice and piano. "Ghost Writer" has hiphop sounds on it. He has the help of Jimi Goodwin of Doves and Lisa Germano. On his recent tour, he just played piano and guitar by himself. Previously he played live with a full band. Any way it comes, any way he can channel the good vibe, his new album is more perfect and more fully realized vision of his art of simple songs with complex emotions. This has become one of my favorite albums of this year. I actually ran into Ed Harcourt on the street in New York City. He was kind enough to give me a free pass to see Fischerspooner. We were soon upstairs at Irving Plaza sitting next to Michael Stripe. That was an odd night indeed. Art is hard, indeed.

i was inspired!
Unlike other reviewers who proclaim this album was uninspiring, i have to disagree. this is the best investment ive made this year, discovering him while i was in london ( being from the states) i was in tower records when i heard " watching the sun come up" a great rock song that has an addictive beat and sound, i still cant get enough of. of course, ed is an artist you appreciate for his quirkiness, whether it be his interesting use of orchestra and play on words in his lyrics, or his dark melodic tunes that could be compared to sparklehorse or songs ohia, but although some songs are dark, they are beautifully written and leave you wanting more. It did take me a few times to apprecite this album to its fullest...but that is the beauty of this album, to discover each song individually. his music is so sexy, dark at times, with beautiful melodies, his voice breaking at just the right moments, but also playful at times. He incorporates rock, jazz, soul, pop, and classical music all at once.
if you are a pacient listener and eager to hear a new sound,
try ed out. ... Read more

Asin: B000095J1F
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Bass    3. Bassoon    4. Bells    5. Bowed Bass    6. Cello    7. Clavinet    8. Double Bass    9. Flute    10. Glockenspiel    11. Indie Rock    12. Korg Synthesizer    13. Omnichord    14. Organ (Pump)    15. Piano    16. Pop    17. Rock    18. Slide Guitar    19. Tambourine    20. Viola    21. Violin    22. Vocals   

Hold on Love
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 October, 2003)
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Reviews (6)

Evocative -- A Slow Dance in a Ghost Town
Taking nothing from their own uniquely sonorous voices, I find Azure Ray at an evocative intersection of Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, and Margo Timmins of The Cowboy Junkies. There is an anti-heroic quality of pastoral loneliness in their voices, like whispers sung; highly recommended.

Azure Ray
Beautiful.Every positive adjective known to man.

Enough said.

Great Video
The song "We are Mice" is great, and the young boy in the video is very good! ... Read more

Asin: B0000D1FDZ
Sales Rank: 19102
Subjects:  1. Bass    2. Dream Pop    3. Guitar (Acoustic)    4. Guitar (Electric)    5. Indie Rock    6. Piano    7. Pop    8. Rock    9. Strings    10. Vocals    11. Vocals (Background)   

Son
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 January, 2003)
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Reviews (4)

An unexpected pleasure
I went to the coffeehouse to see Dennison Witmer and Jeff Hanson was the opener. I'd never heard of him and didn't know what to expect because, as you know, the opener can often be less than overwhelming.
What a surprise (and shock!) when this high school quarterback type comes out with his guitar and delivers some of the sweetest tunes I've heard in a good long while. And that amazing voice! How unique and lovely.
My good (but extremely homophobic) friend who was at the show with me was too taken aback by the voice to really let himself enjoy the music, but when I was listening to the CD later, he was like, "Who is this? I really dig her stuff."
Anyway, Jeff Hanson is not gay and his music is freaking incredible.

I would pay full price
I beg to differ, I would pay full price for this album. I think that Jeff is often unfairly compared to Elliott Smith because most reviewers, often for lack of any real musical insight or knack beyond the previous ten years of recorded sound, fail to realise that their influences may have been similar. To suppose that the only influence in the past 5 years of Jeff's musical life has been Elliott Smith is a little absurd. Instead, I would argue that they have similar tastes when it comes to the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Everly Brothers. I would even go so far as to say Simon and Garfunkel, but that's a sacred territory I won't touch upon. The two artists have evolved in a similar manner however on separate branches of the tree, if you will.

Jeff's album is astounding in its uniqueness if you listen with a close ear. Surprisingly, his lyrics also struck me as very, very angry, if read differently. His voice can be a bit of a Trojan Horse, in that regard, both disarming and fooling your senses into believing that the song has a more gentile design and flavour.

His singing and songwriting have me waiting eagerly for his next album. I only hope the next one begins to separate him from his more simple reviews and comparisons.

The voice will get you, if nothing else.
I put in this CD and was astounded at Hanson's voice. If you don't listen closely, it honestly sound like a woman's. Not that his voice is bad in any way; in fact, it's the most outstanding thing about his music. Actually, I just lied. His music is outstanding in its own right. He writes some really lovely, sweet lyrics and simple guitar melodies, but it must be said, it's The Voice that draws you in.
The only problem is that sometimes it's a little bit predictable, like during the first track. The beginning chords almost sound like something you've heard a million times before, except you haven't. But then Hanson sings, and all is forgiven. I love when he does his choruses and sings in the background, layering his voice and getting a really beautiful sound in the process.
Hanson gets compared to Elliott Smith a lot, and rightfully so, I will admit. But I am an avid Smith fan myself and there are some notable differences, mainly, of course, The Voice. I really think this is just a starting point for Hanson, and I can't wait for his next release.
... ... Read more

Asin: B00007L9NV
Sales Rank: 45072
Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock   

Hail To The Thief
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Audio CD (10 June, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Filling the gulf between OK Computer's epicprogressive rock and KidA's skittering electronic theatrics, Hail to the Thief borrows equally from each.Its title implies that this will be a collection filled with songs of anger and dissent, but Radiohead no longer howl at the moon like they did on 1995's The Bends. Instead, theyuse eloquent metaphors and complicated arrangements to express the uncertainty, fear and anger arising from the 2000 U.S. presidential election and a post-9/11 world. There’s no doubt about where Thom Yorke and company stand; the prog-rock break on "2 + 2 = 5" and Yorke's terror at the thought of being "put in a dock" make that immediately clear. But there's a prevailing sense of powerlessness here. The tinkling piano behind the cold sonic surface of "Backdrifts" and the brief, swooping melody in the middle of "Sail to the Moon" are islands in a sea of confusion. Like the band's best work, Thief requires more than a few listens to fully appreciate, but those who stick around will be richly rewarded. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (951)

an awesome culmination
I have recently been introduced to this terrific band by a friend who wisely had me listen to their albums in chronological order. I liked Pablo Honey. I loved The Bends and every subsequent effort. This band is a rarity--each album gets not only better but progressively complex and meaningful. This album is a work of art, a masterpiece, the culmination so far of some great work!

tasty radiohead
I like this album, but I do begrudge is lack of momentum.Its a very good album if you're already in the mood of it, but when I just want to listen to music for the sake of music, rather than mood, this is not the album.However, if you are in the dreary, hopeless mood and just want to soak it up, its great, and comes with plenty of neat sounds and ideas as well, even if I don't feel they're integrated in the most careful or refined manner.Personally, I think I prefer Amnesiac for dreary though, and find that album, potentially because of its thinner textures, more regularly listenable.

2+2 = 4 in this case
Gold here! 2+2=5, Backdrifts, There There and Punch up at a Wedding are highlights. But this is a great collection. Best Radiohead since Ok Computer and that is saying something!! ... Read more

Asin: B000092ZYX
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Transfiguration of Vincent
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 March, 2003)
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Editorial Review

M. Ward has been championed by Howe Gelb, who released Ward's 2000 debut disc Duet for Guitars #2 on his Ow Om label, and Conor Oberst, who brought Ward on the road with Bright Eyes. In 2001, Ward earned some small measure of acclaim for his sophomore effort, End of Amnesia, and if the Portland, Oregon-based songwriter keeps making records as inventive and thoroughly rewarding as this third album, he won't be unknown long. Full of snappy, loping pop tunes interwoven with mellow instrumental passages, Transfiguration of Vincent shows Ward to be a terrific folk and blues guitarist, a perceptive, witty storyteller, and--in tossing piano, percussion, harmonica, and various other instruments into mixes that never feel the least bit cluttered--an imaginative arranger. He's also an expressive vocalist, whether in a winsome upper register that recalls Ben Harper or his sandy-throated midrange. There's not a weak moment on this dark-horse gem of a disc. --Anders Smith Lindall ... Read more

Reviews (13)

timeless, otherworldly, and intriguing
After releases on Howe Gelb's Ow Om label and Future Farmer Records, M. Ward finds his new album a welcome and fitting home on Merge Records, and what a splendid one it is! It might get filed under "country/folk/Americana", but Ward doesn't stay within the confines of these genres. He's much more of a vagabond, bringing a great deal more to his slightly skewed aural canvas - very akin to Tom Waits or the aforementioned Gelb's Giant Sand.

For example, lend an ear to the warm rollicking pop of "Vincent O'Brien" with its plinky piano and driving tempo or the creeping, almost funereal cover of David Bowie's "Let's Dance". Pretty darn fine! Vocally, Ward has drawn comparisons to the weathered, emotive pipes of Waits, Vic Chesnutt and Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous. It can go from hoarse and near-spoken in one song to gentle and sweetly pleading in the next. He's backed up by The Old Joe Clarks with some extra field recording input from Grandaddy's Jason Lytle. So timeless, otherworldly, and intriguing. Recommended.

M Ward Transfigures Genres: Great Music
Throw the Velvet Underground's "Loaded", Tom Waits "Swordfish Trombones" a few old bakelite `78s and a dash of those sad-sweet memories (the ones that you love to recall and long to relive) into your kitchen aid mixer (or an audio mixer for that matter) and the result would be something similar to M Wards "Transfiguration of Vincent".This album is a real gem and has a sublime and profound quality that lies just out of reach of proper description.I will admit the fact that I bought this album only after buying (and falling in live with) "Transistor Radio". If you've heard this latest ofM Ward's works and enjoyed it I am positive that you will also appreciate this earlier work.While "Transfiguration of Vincent" is somewhat more muted in style and form than "Transistor Radio" it doesn't make it a lesser album.

Sometimes crooning, sometimes strong, Ward's voice hovers between pointed focus and some dreamy oblivion. The music equally is not definable in one genre.One could say that this album is of a progressive/experimental folk style but even this seems limiting once you hear the music.It is evocative of some other time yet at the same time current.

Yes, M Ward delivers a great album with "Transfiguration of Vincent" if you are a fan of Uncle Tupelo, Tom Waits, Wilco or even Elliot Smith you should certainly appreciate this album.It is great background music for social events and also great quiet time music while also being great driving music.You'll like this album... Its Involuntary...

-- Ted Murena

#3 Ward Highway:A Growing Star
This, M Ward's third CD, places him in the forefront of a modern movement that is clearly progressive while simultaneously sounding regressive, feeling dusty with age, and manifesting a genius that is pure and untempered. His music defies description except to say it is coming from somewhere seeped in the early blues with a Neil Young overlay and the feel of country, blues, pop, and folk.I am beginning to believe, the more I listen to this CD, that if Neil Young heard it he would say:"That's it...that is what I was trying to sound like...listen to those chord progressions and chord changes...that's it". People point to Tom Waits and others as Ward's forebearers but the muse here is genuinely unique and the sounds are those that only a budding genius could make.The opening rif of "Fool Says" feels like it came from Abbey Road but by song's end you have been dipped in Young and Dylan.I dare you to listen to "Get to the table on time" and not imagine yourself there as the Ward family calls their prodigal son to come down from the attic for dinner.M Ward makes beautiful music---sounds like you have never encountered---and he sings along with the melodies as if he can't help himself.Who could if they had this much soul? It is all coming from a very deep place inside him and you owe it to yourself before you pass---the main issue he is addressing on this CD---to hear these songs because they are the most soulful and melodic tunes you will have heard in quite some time.This man lives in his own songful world and I can't thank him enough for sharing it with us on Transfiguration.If you put this CD on your stereo it will be a long time before you take it off.The more you listen the deeper it gets---just like M Ward, I suspect.This is genius, pure genius, and you need to hear it.If when you have given Transfiguration a good listen and find yourself wanting more of the same (yet beautifully different), then go backwards on the Ward Highway to End of Amnesia or forward to Transitor Radio.You will be very glad you did.Enjoy! ... Read more

Asin: B00008BL5M
Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Singer/Songwriter   

It Still Moves
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 September, 2003)
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Reviews (71)

Complete Original That Defies Category
Many will want to call My Morning Jacket alternative country or something like that but to listen to their albums, including It Still Moves, is to be carried away by longing and ache that transcends any genre. First, the voice, full of crooning melancholy. Second, the instrumentation, full of lush authentic sounds. Now for It Still Moves, their newest release, which I think is a great introduction to this band. There are at least eight catchy tunes on this gorgeously produced album. Full of beautiful ballads and laments, the album is never depressing. About three songs are more fast-paced rocker songs, but I like the slow and mid-tempo ones the best. If you like this aching crooning "emotional pop rock," you might check out Ronderlin, the Innocence Mission, the Trashcan Sinatras, Silver Screen (first album The Greatest Story Not Told), Lloyd Cole (especially Don't Get Weird on Me, Babe), and Keane. I love these aforementioned bands but I must say My Morning Jacket is my current favorite. Bold and original, they've paved their own niche.

Ahhhhhhh..................
Very relaxing music with a rock beat.Reverb vocals, classic rock styles, and an alt-country feel make this a great cd to drink a beer with in a lonely setting."Just One Thing" is a gem that most listeners probably don't appreciate as near as much as they should.Golden, ..Holiday, Mahgeetah, and Dancefloors are the standouts here.Most of the songs take a little patience, though, and that's what makes them all the more enjoyable.If you're looking for radio-friendly "hits", this isn't your cup of tea.But if you like unwinding with a beer as you look out over the peaks at dusk, this IS your cup of tea.

Unprecedented crap, useful as penance
This album disappointed me more than any other album I have ever bought.I only heard and read great things about this band, from many reputable sources.After (painfully) listening to this drivel, I am much more careful about recommendations from anyone about anything.It is that bad, that over-hyped.Listen to it and find out for yoursel if you dare.The only reason I gave it one star is because the cover art is quite cool.And the only reason I keep it around is because I bought it right after doing something I shouldn't have done and it appears I was punished immediately with this crap.I wanted to demand a refund from the store for selling me such a horrible "album," but I keep it to (visually only) remind me of my misdeeds and the ever-present wheel of karma. ... Read more

Asin: B0000C0FBM
Sales Rank: 2646
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Fever To Tell
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 April, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Well before the release of this solid but slender debut, the Brooklyn-based Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the subject of so much international press hype that the WhiteStripes were probably taking quick, nervous peeks over their shoulders. But while Fever to Tell captures a lot of what’s good about the trio--mostly the caterwauling energy of their club shows--it also exposes the band’s limitations. Singer Karen O is the undeniable star here, contorting her voice from a primal P.J. Harvey growl to the pre-orgasmic purr of Chrissie Hynde. Nick Zinner chops, slashes, and torpedoes his guitar around, across, and straight at O’s voice, while drummer Brian Chase delivers a suitably raw trash-can thump.There are a lot of cool sounds on this 11-song, 37-minuute disc, and enough metallic-KO attitude to make a bare-chested grandpa like Iggy Pop proud. What’s missing is a more varied set of fully fleshed-out songs, the kind it took the White Stripes four albums to write. Hype too early in a career can be terrible burden--ask Liz Phair or, soon enough, the Vines. Better to enjoy Fever to Tell for what it is--an uninhibited blast of garage-rock fury--without swallowingextravagant claims for a potentially great band still under construction. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

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Reviews (223)

I love it
One of the great rock albums of all time.Karen O has an appropriate name--I'm KOd.As Mick Jagger said in his 1969 film _Performance_, the only performance that makes it all the way is one that achieves madness.Karen O. is as cool as it gets.Nick Zinner is the most original guitarist of recent years, and it is amazing that the three can achieve such a large sound.Why aren't they touring??They are NOT overrated (and I rarely say that!)

Weird....And We Like It That Way!
I've been listening to this album for quite a while now, and I have to say it just keeps getting better. Guitar, drums, and Karen O's cool voice draw me in ever deeper.

What is it about the YYY that make them cool? Well, first we have Karen O's presence. There are some bands where the singer commands you to listen to them. And you do. She has that power. From a screetching wail to a soft whisper Miss O proves again and again why she's in this band and not Jessica Simpson!
Secondly we have the guitar, drum and that's it combo. No bass here. At first you'll think they're crazy, but it works really well actually. That would be because this is a talented group of people! And.....hey, enough of this. What makes them cool, is because what kind of band they are.
This is a rugged raw band. And they ooze talent. It's not radio friendly, and it's not for the faint of heart. But it is excellent music and money well spent.

Please, If I wanted to listen to crap I would put in Nirvana
Horrible Band, no talent at all. Same medolic songs same guitar cords same everything ICK. ... Read more

Asin: B00008VOQM
Subjects:  1. Garage Punk    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

The Long Goodbye
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 April, 2003)
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Editorial Review

This group's area code may suggest an ordinary Brooklyn address, but its spiritual home is harder to place. On "Old Dominion," the trio visits the pastoral California coast to indulge in some bright harmonizing in the style of the Mamas & the Papas; "The Late Great Cassiopia" takes a jaunty stroll through the Kinks' tree-lined London streets; and the misleadingly titled closing track, "Berlin," actually signals a summer spent in Baja, with its leisurely verses and light touches of Latin percussion recalling the naïve baroque pop of the Association. Maybe it's not so much a question of place as time. The follow-up to the group's ambitious 1999 debut, Everything Is Green, is a diverse and engaging work, expanding on the delicate psychedelic touches of its predecessor while updating the Essex Green's vivid '60s influenced pastiche. The Long Goodbye is all over the map and it's wonderful. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (6)

... and a little bit rock'n'roll
After the charming psychedelic pop of their debut, the Essex Green takes a different path in their sophomare album. Second album "Long Goodbye" has more of a rock and alt-country flavor, which doesn't suit the bouncy, poppy music quite as well.

Songs like "Lazy May" wouldn't sound out of place on a country-rock album, with the drawling vocals and banjo riffs. The slower songs like "Julia" follow the same formula in a more balladic way, but have touches of psychedelic pop, with echoing backing vocals and a swelling melody.

Other songs have a softer, less grounded sound, like the airy pop of "Chartiers" and the oddball sound of "The Boo Hoo Boy," which has a dash of psychedelic folk flair. "The Late Great Cassopeia" is perhaps the highlight, perfectly balancing the bright quickness of Essex Green's pop with a driving guitar rhythm.

"Long Goodbye" isn't really a continuation of "Everything is Green" -- it's basically a different album that has a few musical flourishes in common. Andthis album harkens back to their earlier country-flavored work in Sixth Great Lake and Guppyboy, but it doesn't really fit them in this guise.

The main flaw is that the alt-country sound is mixed in with psychedelic flourishes -- something that might work for some bands, but it sounds awkward and contrived here. It also lacks the sunniness and prettiness, in favor of a grittier, more stripped-down sound. In other words, no discernable Vox organ or fuzz guitar.

Musically, it's actually pretty good -- the guitar riffs are fairly solid, occasionally a bit monotonous but overall quite solid. The occasional flicks of chimes add a more ethereal touch to it, as do the soft flute melodies. The drums are a mixed bag -- in "Lazy May," the beat is monotonous and too front-and-center.

But the vocals make up for that: Sasha Bell, also of Ladybug Transistor, has a lovely voice -- bright, airy and clear as a... well, as a bell. She manages to add an ethereal note to songs like "Southern States." I'm not so enchanted by the male vocals, which tend to be rather pedestrian.

Don't expect the best here, because "Long Goodbye" doesn't live up to the promise of their debut. That said, it is a pleasant enough alt-country listen.

Infectious, joyful, haunting
I discovered this album almost by mistake.I was visiting New York one night when my plans fell through and I found myself looking through the paper for something to do.That led me to an Essex Green show -- these were long-lost friends I hadn't seen or heard from in years.The show was an incredibly pleasant surprise.My old friends had emerged as a mature, tight, melodic unit that oozed fun, edge, and love.I bought the CD.

Whatever I thought about the show, the CD has long since eclipsed it.I agree with other reviewers that every song on the CD is a quality listen.Even the ones I didn't particularly like at first (e.g. Southern States) I still find stuck in my head and I have come to appreciate.Our Lady of Havana has become one of my favorite songs.Lazy May and the Late Great Cassiopia are fantastically fun.Old Dominion is one of those tunes that can get stuck in your head for a week at a time. Berlin could get stuck there for 6 months.I have come to love this album so much that I had a dream recently where I kissed Sasha Bell in gratitude.Seriously.I buy a lot of music, from the highly commercial to the obscure. This is my favorite album of 2003.

I give this album 4 stars instead of 5 because while it is musically dy-no-mite, the content of the lyrics is not profound.Don't get me wrong, there are some very clever turns of phrase and some excellent lines.Sasha writes some lyrics that can really tug at your heart as well. But overall I don't come away inspired to be a better person or start a revolution or anything of that magnitude.That's what it takes to get 5 stars out of me.Call me picky.Nonetheless, this is a fabulous album that everybody should buy.It makes a great gift, too -- a little bundle of joy in a plastic case.Viva la Green!

Best male/female collaboration since Buckingham/Nicks
I'm not kidding.While the Essex Green is unlikely to have the commercial appeal of "Rumours" - it is intensely melodic and original.

This is my first written review on Amazon - I'm picky and don't like to write - I buy alot of music - recently that's included Iron and Wine, Damien Jurado, Dolly Varden, Low, Ladybug Transistor, Andrew WK (ok, so that pushes my taste a bit - but what collection is complete without 1 stoner-rock release?), Stereolab, Broken Social Scene, Pretty Girls Make Graves - I could go on, but I figure this gives you and idea of whether you might like this release based on you liking any of these other artists.

I'm a 47 year old psychologist with a love for melody - that has to drive the music even more than the lyrics or style.

Back to Essex Green - I saw them in Grand Rapids, MI - very good, what I liked most was the way they were into the music, despite the very small crowd (I think it was a Tuesday night).

A couple more comments - the review on All Music Guide said Sasha had the best voice in the band "by far".And her voice is really nice and distinctive.I'm probably even more partial to female vocalists.(The first Goldfrapp release was easily my favorite of 2000-2001.)But Chris' voice is just as good and just as distinctive.You hear voices like these and realize how hard it is to sound unique - you have it or you don't - not alot you can do with that part...

What's so impressive is the, on the one hand, simple pleasant music, but on repeated listens, the variety in the songs themselves and the structure of the melodies.

There is REAL TALENT here.I don't know if the songs are truly written by all three of the major players - Chris, Sasha, and Jeff, and not to short-change Jeff, who was great on lead guitar and fits the band perfectly - but the Ziter/Bell (Chris/Sasha) combo is the best since Buckingham/Nicks.I don't know how a solo album will bewith either Chris or Sasha (Buckingham/Nicks solo releases were never as good - and Sasha did just release Finishing School, which I plan to get - maybe hers will be the exception) - but I do know that having 2 extremely gifted songwriters with 2 orignally distinctive voices is an absolute treat on 1 release.

I give it 4 1/2 - I think 5 should be reserved for "absolute classic" and that will take 5 years or so - keep posted...(ha).

Buy this - don't make these guys have to get day jobs... ... Read more

Asin: B00008O34S
Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Neo-Psychedelia    4. Pop    5. Rock   

Elephant
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 April, 2003)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $13.49
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Editorial Review

Jokingly referred to as the White Stripes' British album, Elephant is scattered with cultural references that give away the fact it was recorded far from home. Just listen to the lyrics on "Seven Nation Army" ("From the Queen of England to the hounds of Hell") or the album outro, in which someone chips in, "Jolly good, cup of tea?" But while there are new twists here, from Meg White discovering her voice to a tongue-in-cheek threesome with Holly Golightly, Elephant is no great departure for Jack and Meg White. They still push their creativity (and the boundaries of their eight-track) to new heights. Check out the startling, Queen-inspired "There's No Home for You Here," while the deep bass line on "Seven Nation Army" makes it a classic indie dance track. But while some songs fly off into new realms, there's plenty of their trademark straight-up bluesy rock, notably the overtly sexual "Ball and Biscuit." And there's Jack's plaintive, resolutely modest and yet theatrical voice. --Caroline Butler ... Read more

Reviews (660)

Great album!
The thing that wows me the most in this album is Jack's guitar work. As a guitarist I can appreciate that aspect of it. Meg keeps it on the simple side, but that's cool too! Because i mean, they are a 2 person band...How much simpler can you get? They still have such a powerful, rockin sound. This was the first White Stripes album I got, and I can safely say that I am a fan. Keep up the good work!! :D

Elephant poopie
I like the White Stripes, I liked De Stijl and White Blood Cells but this... album... was... horrible.One good song (Seven Nation Army) for 15 bucks.I kept waiting and waiting for something decent after the first track.Didn't get it.I might give them another shot because I like the band, but this was a really weak effort.I'm not going to get into the musical debate, (Are they talented, are they not?) and so forth.I personally like their raw sound, I like the band, I "get it."But Elephant just sucked, plain and simple.Hey Jack and Meg, I want my 15 bucks back!

I'm not totally obsessed...
Unlike the previous three albums from the rock/blues duo the White Stripes, this CD seems to have a slightly softer and darker quality to it.Not that that's a bad thing.This is definitely another unique White Stripes classic.Recorded and mixed without the modern help of computers, as the inside booklet says, it sounds more like 1970's rock and almost reminiscent of Led Zeppelin.The album is full of catchy melodies (like on "The Air Near My Fingers") and foot stomping beats (like on the Grammy-winning "Seven Nation Army"), not to mention Meg's first solo singing song "In the Cold, Cold Night.""Ball and Biscuit" is 7 minutes of perfection and "Hypnotize" is a fast paced, amplified guitar jam (I apologize for my use of the word 'jam'-I hate when people use it to describe a song, but I couldn't think of another word to use) that is sort of like the "Fell in Love With a Girl" of Elephant. Everything else in between that I haven't listed is great and pure White Stripes.If you're as obsessed as I am with them (... but I wouldn't say to an unhealthy level...) [awkward silence] then go and buy this album now. ... Read more

Asin: B00008J4P5
Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. Garage Rock Revival    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock   

More Parts Per Million
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 March, 2003)
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Reviews (11)

thermalito
The thermals have intellectual and kinda scientific lyrics. Their sound is thrashy, distortiony, and reverby.Great live band.You'll quickly fall in and out love with the album--then you'll just be friends afterwards.Loud, howling, and impossible not to tap foot or bob head to.

Early Ultravox, Sex Pistols -- Early Punk
Not bad. As the title says, there is a hint of early Wrok-Rock, John Foxx-lead Ultravox with the fast lyrics (about societal, informational collapse and isolation) and distorted vocals and punk power chords of the Sex Pistols.If these two bands appeal to you, pick it up.

Great band
Man who thinks anyone can do it: dude..thats the point. its punk rock, everyone is sposed to be able to do it. Its a music of the people. Take three chords and go start a band and maybe you won't be so uptight. ... Read more

Asin: B00008AY6X
Sales Rank: 55187
Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Charm School
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (06 May, 2003)
list price: $14.98
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Reviews (26)

Justin, David Byrne wants his gesticulations back...
Ok, well Mr. Rice fully deserves any wild hand waving rights though because this is a great album. Another live-show-bought-the-album deal (the guy on the left of the album, Mr. Rudder, actually sold me it to me. Sorry amazon) the album has only continued to grow on me. I could go on about depth of lyrics, mature sound, etc., but I can't compete with a guy from Rolling Stone who probably has a degree in journalism and critical theory. Let's just say 'Charm School' is a good buy for anyone who can stand a little bit of fun and is in the midst of the mainstream doldrums. A little Atom and His Package, a little Modest Mouse (sorry), a little Hell's Kitchen, and a little art school band all grown up! Pixies beaten with an irony stick! I could go on! Fantastic stuff.

Absolutely Charming
I heard "Busted Heart" on the radio and was immediately intrigued.Checked out some of the mp3s they had on their web site and after listening to them twice, bought the album.I love it!It's in constant rotation and if I don't listen to it every few days, I crave it.Every song is great. particularly like Ghosts Are Good Company and the reprise of Things are what you make of them is gorgeous.great lyrics, fun sounds, pop with a little bit of a punk edge.If you like pop, you won't be disappointed.

Good punchy Pop-Rock
I like this quirky CD a whole lot. The guitar work sounds like the strongest pop songs of Luna but with quite a bit more spark. These are fun songs that seem to take many cues from 50s rock (Little Black Ache), the best 60s psyche-pop (Charm School) as well as a mixed bag of folk and rock -- and of course some of the darker and often humorous ironies found in the lyrics of bands like King Missile. Throughout the CD, the female vocals are quite lovely, and compliment the quirky, ironic, and sometimes sublime male lead vocals quite nicely. Charm School is a creative mix of atmospheric songs, pop ballads, and the like. As I learned in my years in NYC, the best things in the city - despite the rumors - usually cross a bridge or drive through a tunnel to deliver and Bishop Allen does exactly that!

I suggest you hear a few of the complete songs on the Bishop Allen web site before you buy the disk. They have some full songs for listening.
... Read more

Asin: B00008E2M6
Sales Rank: 53750
Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Pop    3. Rock   

Sumday
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 June, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Sumday doesn't so much represent a stylistic change for Grandaddy as it does a change in attitude. The Sophtware Slump, its predecessor, superbly combined low-budget experimentalism and country-tinged American pop to evoke everyone from the Flaming Lips to Neil Young to ELO. Sumday finds the California band conducting business as usual, though exhibiting a noticeably brighter mood. "I got not reason to be weathered and withery / Like in the season of the old me," Jason Lytle sings on opener, "Now It's On," demonstrating a newfound optimism that rears its sunny head throughout the album. "The Group Who Couldn't Say" could have been a bitter tirade against the music industry, but it's not, saved by Lytle's fragile voice, which is sweet without being naïve. "Stray Dog and the Chocolate Shake," meanwhile, is carried along by a bouncy keyboard riff that's reminiscent of Under the Western Freeway's "A.M. 180," but with more playful lyrics. Even slower, more melancholy songs such as "Yeah Is What We Had," "The Warming Sun," and "Saddest Vacant Lot in All the World" retain the quality that Grandaddy's trademark sound: simple music played on a grand scale. --Robert Burrow ... Read more

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Reviews (70)

Downhill from beginning to end
As i was in my local library looking for CDs to check out, i stumbled upon a pretty looking one with white swans, emcompassed by a blue scenery. I've never heard of the band before, so i thought i'd try it out. I listened and i enjoyed the first song, Now It's On, immensely. I found it to be very creative in tune and lyric. The next song I'm On Standby i found to be not as good as the first song, but still enjoyable. The third song The Go In Go-For-It was even worse than I'm On Standby. The cheesiest part was "Where my only company, is wind blowin' through the leaves."
I looked through the rest of the lyrics and i saw that some of the lyrics are very creative and poetic and some are just outright ridiculous. Such as the song O.K. With My Decay, "I have no choice, I have no voice, I have no say, On my decay, I have no choice, so I rejoice." You rejoice when you have no choice or are you just desparate for rhymes? Also i had issues with Saddest Vacant Lot In All Thr World that seemed it was supposed to be serious but was instead comical. "And he's so drunk he's passed out in a Datsun, that's parked out in the hot sun, in the saddest vacant lot in all the world." I found that this song didn't have much of a point except some drunk loser is in the hot sun in the saddest vacant lot in all the world and leaving his girl who's crying by the oven.
The rest of the lyrics i'm fine with. They're creative, but the music isn't as creative as the lyrics unfortunately. You begin to noticed that they don't carry that upbeat happiness and unique tune as Now It's On does. After the second song, you get tired of the electric keyboard and tune out the album. Most of the songs sound all the same. It seems they had a creative spark of genius for Now It's On and only Now It's On.

Again, people hate change
I can't count how many reviews I've read in various media of this album that lament its lack of "experimentalism" compared to Sophtware Slump. Sopthware is certainly a masterful disc, but is that all people want from thier bands: more of the same? What if the Beatles had made Sgt Pepper's four times over? It gets old. I also sense unease with the prospect of Jason Lytle writing "happy" songs. Is he not allowed to be happy? Just because it's not dark doesn't mean it's instantly blaze and mainstream. Your disconnect more likely means that you're depressed. I for one applaud this new effort from one of our best bands going. The songwriting is solid, and I would argue that the last two songs are the most grand and touching that they've ever made, and my favorites from their entire catalog.
For those who've never spun a Grandaddy CD, this is as good a disc as any to start with. I'd say you could best describe them as a rock band with a dash of country, low-fi synth, and one of the more unique, memorable vocalists nowadays. They remind me most of The Flaming Lips, and Pet Sounds-eque Brian Wilson. They're an indie rock band without the anger or self-importance. Find another band like that.

Cosmic wonderland of sound
Play this album loud and prepare to enter a world of robots, babbling brooks and software gliches, which combined, sounds like a glorious symphony of cosmic proportions. Especially good if driving though the American West, although it may be good for east-of-the-Mississippi driving, too. (I've never tried it, although I did listen to it as far east as Kansas City.) Also perfect for Manhattan's Avenue canyons on you iPod. Dreamy, superb indie rock like no other. Nature is re-defined by this record. ... Read more

Asin: B00009EIQB
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Neo-Psychedelia    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. United States of America   

The Rosebuds Make Out
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 October, 2003)
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Reviews (6)

The Rosebuds are in Bloom
Imitation. Just what is so bad about it? Just look at the name of the band. The Rosebuds. Not too hard but not too soft. Sounds like a back up name for the Zombies. But so what? It fits their quick paced, power-pop endeavor music perfectly. Beautiful. This is how the names of the bands should always go. Not because it's that cool of a name, but because its different.
The Rosebuds are an energetic three-piece (guitar, keyboards, drums)with a bold, arm-flailing rhythmic tendency that should earn them piles of favorable comparisons to bands such as The Cars and T.Rex.
As far as the music goes, the Rosebuds go way back into the good days of the british invasion, with footstomping Kinks-esque songs like "Kicks in the Schoolyard" and "Boys Who Love Girls" which melodies are so unlike the modern music now that you forget its 2003. Yeah, they're stealing a few tips from the 60s, but so what? They do it great and it sounds better than anything you hear today.
As a matter of fact, Make Out is probably the best debut this year, and why not? It kicks your feet, it nodds your head, it shakes your hips, and closes your mind. Its just like getting high. But without the drug. Enter Rosebudmania, which is something everyone can enjoy.
Make Out may not change the face of music. It really hasn't even made a dent in it. But it doesn't really matter, because as long as it's here, we can enjoy it. And thats all that matters.

-Melvin Poindexter

excellent
this was one of my favourite albums last year and it's still a favourite this year. great indie pop/rock, can't wait until they release another!

Fantastic Indie Music
This CD is hands down one of my favorites that I own. Well done, feel good indie rock. ... Read more

Asin: B0000D1FHI
Sales Rank: 29374
Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock   

Happy Songs for Happy People
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 June, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Adventurous Scot rockers Mogwai may never shake reputation for creating brutal music, but Happy Songs for Happy People demonstrates that they can do more than render the aural equivalent of being sucked out a spaceship airlock. Until now, Stuart Braithwaite had taken on the role of Mogwai's bandleader by proxy, his tumultuous guitar playing serving as the outfit's hallmark. Now, however, multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns has stepped to the fore--albeit, with much more restraint--crooning effects-heavy vocals on "Hunted By a Freak" and teasing out a meditative piano line on the ghostly "I Know You Are But What Am I?" Indeed, more than any other Mogwai work, this album aims to create sheer bliss. Even the amp-busting crescendo of "Ratts of the Capital" matches its dark-metal pomp with chiming orchestra bells and starburst lead-guitar lines. No sudden banjo interludes or guest vocals jar with the album's slow passage toward its conclusion. True, it's hard to shake the feeling that they'll never again write something as monumental as Come On Die Young. But Mogwai still sound lush and powerful. Their time hasn't passed. --Louis Pattison ... Read more

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Reviews (38)

Atmospheric
I imagined that music from a band with the name "Mogwai" would be inventive, playful and strange. After listening to "Happy Songs for Happy People", I found that, while right about the "inventive" and "strange", I was wrong about the "playful" part. The songs on "Happy" are very pensive, melancholy, atmospheric and subdued. Downbeat, but not depressing, expansive but not pretentious. I dug it. I think I'll check out"Come on Die Young" next.

Mogwai shoots and scores
This album almost perfectly blends a number of instruments and ambient noises together to create an emotional mood that cannot be expressed in words.Even if you don't like the genre, I think it would be hard to say that the music doesn't touch you in some way or another.Mogwai's ability to blend some kind of an electronic, errie ghost-like voice with a guitar, drums and bass make you feel like you're in a musical trance.The flow of the music is beyond comprehension, it almost fits perfectly like a puzzle.These guys are amazing, and I highly recommend this cd to anyone who is familiar with the genre.

The Soundtrack For Your Life
Mogwai has created a masterpiece in this lush "Happy Songs For Happy People."Though the name may seem quite contradictory at first, over time the idea of it sinks in.This CD changes you in that every single note in it represents a moment in your life.The sweet sounds of it all just lulls the listener into a trance like state and captures every emotion.From the haunting sounds of the openning "Hunted By A Freak," creating that sensation of being lost and incomplete.But as the album progresses you can almost tangible feel the scenes it makes in the music so beautifully.The feeling of being lost transitions into anger as "Ratts of the Capital" climaxes and descends into the feelings of love take effect in "Golden Porsche" and the heart is finally captured in "I Know You, But What Am I?"Then finally in "Stop Coming To My House" a sense of wholeness hits and makes the listener feel at peace once and for all.

Listen to to this CD.It'll change your life. ... Read more

Asin: B00009ATKS
Subjects:  1. Experimental Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Post-Rock/Experimental    5. Rock    6. Scotland   

Cedars [Bonus Track]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 October, 2003)
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Reviews (3)

Amazing Record - Buying another two for XMas presents
After spending some good time with Cedars (and the rest of the Clearlake catalog), this band reminds me of a time when Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish was released and adored.Clearlake's material reminds you fondly of Blur B-sides from the Rubbish/Parklife era, topped off with the electronic spin of say, Grandaddy. This should be an easy purchase for a South (absolutely), Doves (lost souls), Grandaddy, or early Blur fan. Their first album got slammed by allmusic.com - Again, could not disagree more.Both are very easy listens.

Fulfilling, thoughful, and British
If, like me, you are interested in delving deeper into the indie / electonic genre this this might be for you. I actually found them while looking for stuff on "South" and these were recommmended, and how right that recommendation was.

OK, this band have been influenced by all things British; The Smiths, Radiohead, Longpigs immediately spring to mind. Would we dare use this sound and claim to be original? They have, and they've done a good job.

"Almost The Same", "Can't Feel A Thing", "Come into the Darkness" undulate from crunching guitar and melodic acoustic sounds, while "Mind is Evil" and "Keep Smiling" combine the somber melodies of Ben and Jason with a hint every-so-often of the Beatles's use of strings to remind you once more of a britpop era past.

With "Wonder if the snow will settle" you'll swear you know from somewhere (Beatles perhaps?), but it never gives you the satisfacion of recollection, perhaps therefore, it's no suprise this was my favourite track.

If albums from Elbow or the Longpigs grace your collection then you'll recognise the connection to "I'd like to Hurt you" (haunting and flavoured with great bass sounds), "Just off the coast" (fantastic guitar riff to this track, and wet drum sounds), "Treat Yourself with Kindness" (vocals glide over the top of a wave of anthemic guitar - not unlike the old days of Radiohead).

This album is not for playing before you go out. Many have commented that it's airs on the negative side, but so what? they have something to say and I think people will listen.

9.1 out of 10 from PitchforkMedia.com
Domino four-piece Clearlake call the same Sussex coast home, and sound like the sort of kids in shivering shorts whose skin thickened from playground pushes. But instead of marveling under the iron ribs of St. Pancras or hunting Cornish abbeys - Clearlake construct their own echoing places of worship in Cedars, with some help from the Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde.

With the band's arcane 2001 debut, Lido, behind him, lyricist Jason Pegg clouds his nostalgia with fear and devilry. As drums clap like pew-kneelers under buttresses of strings on "The Mind Is Evil", Pegg warns like a grimacing choirboy, "it makes me do all those unspeakable things." This veiling of coal-colored sentiment in majestic settings runs through every track. In "Keep Smiling", the lines "Just nod your head accordingly and do the opposite of anything they tell you" mirror Thom Yorke's Hail to the Thief manifesto, but Pegg's de-politicized subversion strikes harder-- as unlike Yorke's reaction against the obvious, with his willingness to point the finger inward to less-admittable wickedness. Elsewhere, processional whipcracks of percussion and paint-chipped baby grands drive him to admit "I wouldn't hurt a fly, but I'd really like to punish you" on "I'd Like to Hurt You", suggesting that any of us can snap under pressure-- whether that pressure results from government, the anxious Zeitgeist, or ex-girlfriends, Pegg doesn't say, but the universal ambiguity of his sentiments injects the music with a raw and timeless nature.

Throughout Cedars, Clearlake continually find beauty in melancholy and melancholy behind beauty, while raising your hairs in reverence with occasional guitar squalls. Murals of feedback, keyboards, and chanting close in around "Come into the Darkness". As Pegg inverts the Golden Rule into a mantra of selfish motivation on "Treat Yourself with Kindness", lurching chords burst up the walls like shadows springing in sudden bold bars of light through stained glass. The drama segues into the closing hymn of "Trees in the City", where hope is found in the resilient growth of greenery in a smoky metropolis.

The British love to honor through a lacerating wit. It seems almost as if modernity is tolerated only with the thought that one day humanity will lose and the English countryside will expel the scars of society. Clearlake fit into this tradition as true patriots.Cedars towers in the tradition of the best British art. ... Read more

Asin: B0000DIJR4
Sales Rank: 20994
Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

The Smell of Our Own
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (06 May, 2003)
list price: $15.98
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Editorial Review

The Hidden Cameras, like the Polyphonic Spree, specialize in swooning pop. The songs on HC's debut album revolve around communal living, gay love, and religious imagery.Singer/guitarist Joel Gibb's 15-member band (some of whom don little more than balaclavas when playing live) overcome possible charges that they're a novelty act thanks to Gibb’s knack of creating expansive, uplifting songs layered with flute, harp, trombone, and sleigh bells. "Day is Dawning" begins as a gently strummed paean to creation and slowly builds into a lilting, choral-tinged thing of loveliness. "Boys of Melody" is similarly beguiling, as Gibb gazes "far out at sea bathed in breeze" over the most simple, affecting melody this side of Mercury Rev. --Suzannah Brown ... Read more

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Reviews (11)

Perplexing...
A really difficult, intellectually challenging album. Fascinating. Is it to be taken seriously? Or are the Romantic-style paeans (uh, pun intended...I guess) to gay fetishism to be taken with a wink? (Think Wordsworth writing for the letters section of a gay porno mag. Or Dan Savage writing a la Wordsworth.)And what of these overwrought arrangements? Mere camp? Simply bombast? Or earnest exercise? No matter: They work so wonderfully together--the ambiguity of the lyric and the lushness of the music--that they elevate what could be the reincarnation of the disposable three-chord novelty songs of Pansy Division by adding layers of texture, meaning and tone. It borders on a truly important, singular album. But, alas, only borders. My feeling: this album issues a challenge--go ahead and dismiss us...we dare you.

Catchy indie pop with a little twist of...gay!
These are great, well-crafted songs, although I didn't really identify with the [...] imagery and ummm...songs about golden showers.It's still a great album though, and "Ban Marriage" and "Boys of Melody" are two of the high points.

"Gay folk music"
Unlike their predecessors/influences, Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, Belle and Sebastian, the Magnetic Fields, Hidden Cameras are not afraid to talk about sex. This CD is full of (gay) sexual imagery. in my opinion its about time, there have been many a "gay" bands, from erasure, the pet shop boys, all the way up to Rufus Wainwright, but very rarely do they touch on the taboo subject matter that Hidden Camera embrace.

Don't let the gay moniker scare you (it shouldn't anyway in this day and age) If you like any of the above mentioned influences, go out and get this. These are cleverly written pop songs, even if they are filled with sexually free thinking lyrics.Some of the best in years. These songs almost seem like a soundtrack to a musical.

Though they tackle subjects as wide ranging as golden showers and gay marriage, you cannot deny that at heart these are delicious indie pop songs.

And admit it gay and straight alike both have their dirty side, it just never sounded so good. ... Read more

Asin: B00008W2O4
Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Pop    4. Queercore    5. Rock   

Katonah
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 October, 2003)
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Reviews (12)

Grrrr...ATE!
Apollo Sunshine has quickly become my new favorite band. After listening to the bands new Ep, I decided to peer back through the mists of time and give the bands previous album a look see.Boy am I glad I did. The electrically charged "Katonah" opens the record like a robotic lullaby.Most of the time instrumentals put me to sleep, this one left me in awe. Brilliant keyboards. The muli-textured, and amazingly deep "Fear of Heights" follows. So much goes on in this song, that to describe it all would take me all day (and night). Let's just say that this song, like all the others on this album, are like stories-they all have complex beginings, middles, and endings.Song structure is a big deal for these boys. My favorite moment of the record happens in the middle of this song...where it seems the song (which has slowed considerably) is over-after a long pause the listener gets kicks his/her ass kicked but a screaming reprise. Awesome keyboard/organ solo's follow.

"I Was On The Moon" the closest this indie record has to a "single," is a brilliant-almost McCartney-esque rocker.While it's bouyant and happy, the dark lyrics reveal a nearly abandonded, modern childhood.Some really great guitar moments and catchy-as-a-cold chorus make this one a winner. Apollo Sunshine reminds me of The Shins (though not as somber).If you like The Shins, you'll eat this album up (with a spoon). The harder song "Happening" and the poppy "The Egg" deserve to be framed and hung on a wall.This is art rock without the prissy froo-froo.

Apollo Sunshine need your support, because this kind of brilliant, energetic music just doesn't pay the bills.It will never be accepted the way it probably should be. At best, this band could be another Shins (indie critic flavors of the month). More than likely they'll put out one more album, and then give up. And that's a damn shame. In this dreary age of whitewashed corporate rock, the world could use more Sunshine.

Best I've Heard all Year!
These guys first caught my attention when they came through Detroit opening for Hot Hot Heat 2 years ago. Also on the bill was the Starlight Mints, another pop-rockatoonish band worth a listen.

Anyway, I was blown away. Smart, a little nutters, and obvious musical geniouses, They didn't even have a CD then, but they were already stuck in my mind.

I finally caught Katonah when they swung through Ann Arbor last year, a few weeks before their appearance on Carson Daly's show. It outdid my expectations. Garage rock has had its day. It's Bathroom Rock's time now.

Great!
I also heard these guys in San Jose. They are a wonderful band. Their songs at first sound light and just fun songs, but once you really pay attention to the lyrics you realize that there is a lot of depth behind the songs. ... Read more

Asin: B0000D1FFW
Sales Rank: 23456
Subjects:  1. College Rock    2. Neo-Psychedelia    3. Pop    4. Pop Underground    5. Rock   

Buzzcocks [Merge]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 March, 2003)
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Editorial Review

If the term "punk-rock veterans" often seems like a troubling oxymoron, the Buzzcocks have found a way to neatly sidestep any qualms about their status as one of the Class of ‘77's most influential band of dino punks: Simply remove yourself from the constraints of time frame. But if sticking to their roots and original vision has worked surprisingly well in a live context since their 1989 reformation, their oft-unfocused '90s studio albums usually didn't reflect their strengths. Gratifyingly, this chapter of their unlikely career resurgence finally seems to have put all the pieces back together. Informed by taut pop-punk song structures, tough, driving performances, and the return of band co-founder Howard DeVoto to the fold (if only as co-writer with mainstay Pete Shelley on the tough "Stars" and blistering "Lester Sands"), the ‘cocks have arguably turned out an album worthy of comparison to their late '70s prime. And if the subject matter here concedes they're not lads anymore, the performances belie it with potent doses of the band's original hooks-and-snot spirit. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (11)

AMAZING!BEYOND PERFECTION!
This was the best CD of 2003!All around excellent and brilliant- especially the songs by Steve Diggle.But all the songs are great.As good as any of their albums from the late 1970s.

Welcome return to form
I must admit that 2003 has been a surprising year, if only for the excellent new releases by Wire, and now The Buzzcocks - the two best bands to emerge from the 1977 punk explosion in England.

Perhaps Buzzcocks fans should have been alerted by Pete Shelley's exceptional duo with original Buzzcocks leader Howard Devoto last year. He even does his own take here of a song from that great CD.

But this is most definitely a Buzzcocks release, and it's the best since 1986's "All Set", especially in light of the disappointing "Modern" from 1999.

Since returning from oblivion in the early 1990s, Pete and Steve Diggle have taken a Lennon-McCartney approach to their recorded work. They now share equally in the writing, and Steve's work is every bit the equal of Pete's, in terms of quantity and quality.

"Buzzcocks" is the work where Shelley and Diggle hit peak form together for the first time - Shelley's songs dominated "All Set."

Everything you love about the Buzzcocks is here, and it is the best quality recording of all four of their second period efforts.

Since reforming the band has been a great live attraction. With "Buzzcocks" they have finally harnessed the power and excitment of their live performances in the studio.

A great CD from a great band.

Can You Say POWER?!!!!
This CD is everything everyone ever loved about alternative/punk music.Wannabes watch out - The Buzzcocks are back and ready to remind the world how it's REALLY done.Never settle for less."Driving You Insane" is dangerously contagious and "Jerk" won't let you sit still.You'll enjoy the first listen and fall in love with each one thereafter.Check out Diggle's "Some Reality" as well! ... Read more

Asin: B00008BLCC
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Punk    3. Punk-Pop    4. Rock   

Summer Sun
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 April, 2003)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $16.98
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Editorial Review

Any album with Summer Sun as its title and "Beach Party Tonight" as the opening track has to be the soundtrack of tanned flesh, cold beer, and killer waves, right? Not if it’s the product of three New Jersey bohos who know, from personal experience or their record collections, that summer is also the place to find surfers afraid of the water and sun-poisoned girls afraid of going home alone, again.Although not quite as cohesive or instantly captivating as the band’s 2000 breakthrough, AndThen Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, Summer Sun is crafted from a similar hushed and hypnotic mold. Most of the 13 songs are built on a simple foundation of lo-fi guitar, bass, and brushed drums, then finished off with swirling horns, insistent piano figures, or organ. Especially good are the Pet Sounds-like pocket symphony "Tiny Birds," the beat-groove-powered "Moonrock Mambo," and the album-closing cover of Big Star’s "Take Care." This last song is re-imagined as a country lament with pleading pedal-steel guitar and singer Georgia Hubley sounding like Nico fronting a lounge band on the boardwalk of a beach town headed toward post-Labor Day oblivion. Ah, summer. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Finally - A Summer Album You can kill Yourself To
It's the album I've spent my whole life waiting for - a summer soundtrack the O.C. wouldn't touch with a barge pole (that's a large stick for the nautically uninitiated) and that you can slash your wrists to. No, I kid you people.But the cdnow.com precis was spot on - this is the summer album for goths, nerds, geeks, tweakers, stoners, sniffy-sniffers, mods, teddy-boys, grungers, yokels, techno-bots and anyone else who is genuinely disturbed by the beach and its associated rituals. Lock yourself in your room, ignore the glorious sunshine outside and prepare for the end of days (it's revelations people!)

Mediocre?
I really didn't understand the scathing reviews this album got. It's no I Can Hear The Heart..., Painful, or And Then Nothing Turned Itself..., but it's still a strong record. Really, point out one terrible thing about this record. I can't see it. It's beautiful. It may be like And Then Nothing... minus a "Cherry Chapstick," but I honestly enjoyed the record. Like Low and bands of that ilk, it's soothing music that's perfect for drifting off into slumber to. "Today Is The Day," "Little Eyes," and "Season Of The Shark" are excellent. Hell, even the instrumental opener "Beach Party Tonight" is stunning. Yes, it's no classic, but I guess when you're in Yo La Tengo's position, putting out a record that isn't a classic but still very strong is just as bad as putting out a pile of crap. Summer Sun is good, trust me.

solid, but not their best
"Summer Sun" seems to the ears of this long-term Yo La Tengo listener to be a distillation of the mellower side of the past two albums; "I Can Hear the Heart" and "...And Then Nothing." What's tricky about the current release is that its best moments are hard to notice if you're not paying close attention to it. While it's a great album to put on as background music, it also has many more rewards if you listen closer.

Many listeners seem to think that it's time for Yo La Tengo to rock again and release another feedback-laced guitar freakout a-la "May I Sing With Me", but I think with "Summer Sun" the band had to pursue the promise of such earlier songs as "Shadows" and "Green Arrow" to their logical end, and this new album does complete that task; the songs "Today Is the Day" and "Tiny Birds" are two of the best songs they've ever written, in my opinion, although they are enveloped in a lot of decent, but not spectacular, ergo lesser, material. The 10-minute "Let's Be Still" is a mistake; out-of-tune trumpet puntuating an angular, repetitive riff and detached vocals that just becomes a mess. An experiment from a previous album, "Spec Bebop", had much better results.

Ira Kaplan has discovered many more subtle ways around a guitar other than just blasting out atonal sheets-of-sound solos, and that's well on display here; he's probably one of the most underrated guitarists in rock today. But oddly enough, the dominant sound on this album seems to be keyboards and percussion loops. Maybe it *is* time for them to return to a harder rock sound, but knowing Yo La Tengo, they are due for a real curve ball for their next release. Be patient. ... Read more

Asin: B00008GEKS
Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Post-Rock/Experimental    5. Rock   

One Bedroom
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 January, 2003)
list price: $15.98 -- our price: $15.98
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Editorial Review

A busy slate of side projects seems to have cast this vaunted Chicago "post-rock supergroup" (featuring refugees from Shrimp Boat, The Coctails, and Tortoise) into occasional limbo--this is only their third album since 1997. But it's those very activities that arguably inspired the Sea and Cake to record this vibrant, often sublime collection. Colored by a seductive cocktail of influences that includes Brazilian jazz and arty kraut-rock textures, with singer-songwriter Sam Prekop's breathy vocals a much less precious take on Michael Franks's, the 10 tracks on One Bedroom are a masterly exercise in restraint, subtle sophistication, and melodic playfulness. Prekop's über-cool delivery takes center stage throughout, whether it's playing against jazzy, electronic-infused backdrops on standouts like the dreamy "Left Side Clouded," the nervous rhythms of "Hotel Tell," the breezy ambitions of "Shoulder Length," or the spare beauty of the title track. It's an album whose languorous jazz-pop dares defy deconstruction, and one that glides toward the future with a clean, well-defined sound several musical strata removed from its members' alt-rock roots. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (20)

More of the Same
Like the Bodean's, these guys from Chicago can put out three CD's with six songs on them! I liked "Fawn" and "The Biz" sort of. The latter I gave to a friend. But, I was expecting something new form them on "One Bedroom". Nope.

It'll grow on you
The only TSAC album I had before this was "The Biz", but I generally like to get the artists most recent albums before I get the older ones.

Don't believe the 3.5 star average (at least before this)...this album is great.It's hard to say much that hasn't been said, but I will say this..."Le Baron" is an amazing song."Interiors" really strikes some personal chords as well.

Each song on the album is quite unique.The drumming, as these guys are known for, is excellent.I would recommend listening to these guys with a bass system...most groups that aren't rap or techno generally don't exploit bass too much, and as a result, those two genres sound awesome with a subwoofer, while other music doesn't benefit as much.Let me say this; with a sub, One Bedroom (and The Biz) is absolutely amazing.Listen to "Hotel Tell" with a good system if you don't believe me.

Anyways, as the title of this review suggests, first time or two you listen to it, it's not gonna be as good.There are times when you can really get into it - coming from someone who loves a lot of music and tries to listen to it as much as possible, if any album is so enticing that I'll listen to it three times in one day, there's gonna be something special there.One Bedroom is one of those albums.

Not your average pop music
With One Bedroom, TSAC have proven their knack for writing quirky pop songs that still endure long after its 40 minutes have ended. At the same time, TSAC lives up the motto of "Sound and Vision":giving the listener a view of the world, as seen through them - a hypnotic panorama of sound that doesn't disappoint, and sure enough, is only getting better over time.

The first track, "Four Corners," immediately sets the tone for the entire album, and TSAC is at the top of their creative game here. A hypnotic (as well as memorable) riff from Archer Prewitt and John McEntire's 4-to-the-floor drumming sets things off, but not before the electronics help intensify the proceedings (along with Eric Claridge's always melodic bass playing). Not until the 3-minute mark do we hear Sammy Prekop chiming in with his first words of the whole album, and he delivers the goods.Like an indie rock answer to Dave Matthews, Prekop may be hard to figure out in terms of what he's singing about, but this is the TSAC I've always loved & known, & this track really stands up for repeated listening.

"Hotel Tell," the title track, "Mr. F," "Interiors," and a cover of Bowie's "Sound & Vision" are no doubt highlights on an already awesome album, done up in typical TSAC fashion, but the indisputable highlight that deserves some mentioning is "Shoulder Length."Again, McEntire's fetish for analog synths and old-school rhythm machines really work together brilliantly, but on this track, even more so.However, they don't distract from the center of attention - you guessed it, Sam Prekop right up front in the mix.With its dub/reggae/Can/Neu!/techno vibe all over the place, "Shoulder Length", even if it clocks in at just over 3 minutes, is worth every second of its playing time. It's also lyrically accessible, even if it takes a few listens to figure out what Prekop's singing about - scoring & getting some: "Summertime/don't give it all away" and making moves without missing opportunities that are meant to be: "Specialize/begin/a look in your eye/well you're gonna miss it/don't tell/I'm believing this is true"

In short, One Bedroom is the best TSAC album to date, and for those who want to give their DMB or John Mayer CDs a break for a moment, this is the album to pick up (no pressure, of course).
Just prepare to listen to this album with open ears and an open mind to get at why TSAC is an awesome group that defies categorization and trends and still continues to do so after 10 years. ... Read more

Asin: B00006JCJF
Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Post-Rock/Experimental    5. Rock