The Dents Time for Biting
(Abbey Lounge Records, 2005)
Rating:
The Dents' first release, Time For Biting, lives up to its menacing cover image of a cobra ready to strike. From the opening charge of "One More Time" to the hyperactive closing riffs of "On My Own," there's plenty of venom to go around. But it's a surprisingly catchy and pop-conscious punk album.
On standout tracks like "Here He Comes Again" and "One More Time," Jen DíAngora (vocals/guitar) and Michelle Paulhus (vocals/bass) mesh their gritty voices into unexpectedly sweet-sounding harmonies... sugar that helps the punk medicine go down, so to speak.
But the album is dominated by the short, rough n' ready rock songs you'd expect from a band that regularly plays the Abbey Lounge and anchors the club's upstart label. "Not Through With You" is a ballsy kick in the ass that reeks of old Heart and accomplishes everything the Donnas have been attempting to do ...with infinitely better bravado, musicianship and songwriting. Unapologetic and brash, songs like "Miserable Day" and "Too Late" capture the band's onstage attitude and, more importantly, sound and feel.
Overall, "Time for Biting" is a promising start from what may end up being one of Boston's best collaborative bands, and a great half hour of enjoyable rock n' roll.
-Jason Holloway | (email)
Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning / Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
(Saddle Creek, 2005)
Wide Awake:
Digital Ash:
At the beginning of ìIím Wide Awake, Itís Morning,î one of Bright Eyesí two new releases, Conor Oberst is telling a story. His delivery is casualófilled with stilted pauses, hesitations, and insignificant detailóas if heís talking to a friend over coffee. As his tale reaches its climax, Oberst incorporates his guitar, and his voice becomes deliberate and urgent with emotion. Heís talking about a man on a crashing plane who ìstarts humming this little tune and÷it kinda goes like this÷.î At this point the transition from speech to song is complete, and Oberstís fingers erupt into what seems to beóperhaps because it is in contrast to the heavy story he just toldóthe sweetest melody in the world. I canít think of a more fitting way for Oberst to commence this beautiful album, in which story and music exist as two discrete but interwoven threads. Oberstís distinctly trembling and almost unharmonious voice is able to maintain a distance between lyrics and melody, so that due weight is lent to his words. The listener cannot help but think of Bob Dylan or Damien Rice; I am particularly reminded of Riceís duets on ìOî (2003) when Emmylou Harris joins Oberst on some of ìIím Wide Awake,î her voice seeming to grow organically out of the music.
The other new Bright Eyes album, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, released on the same day as Iím Wide Awake, Itís Morning, has generally been panned by critics as the weaker of the two. While the electronica-infused tracks of ìDigital Ashî are less appealing than the pure alt-folk of ìIím Wide Awake,î I think that the former has its merits, especially if you consider it as a sort of critical parody of our digital age. The first clue that Oberst does not embrace the electronic genre with open arms is the album cover. At first glance, a pale blue flower on a black background recalls the tranquility of ìIím Wide Awake.î If you tilt the album toward light, however, it reveals an embossed drawing of a man vomiting code into a toilet. One immediately gets the visual impression that Oberstís experimentations with electronica are somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and this impression is reinforced by lyrics like ìDeath / Data entry / Crystal display / Canít turn it off.î And when, on tracks like ìTheme To PiÒata,î Oberstís unadulterated voice and guitar overpower any electronic sounds, we can find comfort in the thought that he has not given himself over completely to digital music, that this is a folk singer at heart.-Susie Wager | (email)
Rocketscience - Rocketscience(Rocketscience Records, 2005)
Rating:
Fans like myself have been anxiously awaiting this CD since the band first announcedónearly two years agoóthat they'd be recording a full-length follow up to their 1999 EP, A Girl's Name Here. After months of delays (and drama) complicating its completion, you can understand my excitement when I at last got to hold the finished product in my hands. I was also aware of the giant risk of disappointmentóthe anticipation of this album had reached larger-than-life proportions in my mind, and it would be a shame if it wasn't everything I had built it up to be.
Well, there was no need to worry. Producer Paul Santo (who's engineered a couple of Aerosmith's albums) ensured a can't-miss record by capturing the band's onstage presence, making the most of Andrew Galdin's silk-throated vocals (he might be Boston's best singer), and allowing Jon Towne, a guitarist's guitarist, to let loose with creative licks and leads throughout the album.
The Rocketscience formula has always focused more on making great music layered in hooks and harmonies than with offering the listener any poetry to contemplate, and their full-length is no exception to that policy. But the lyrics carry the catchy melodies admirably, not getting in the way, and in some cases even taking root in the brain. "I'm A Mess" is one of the more introspective tracks, and could have made the list of favorites below if not for the Cars-esque keyboard riffs that manage to overshadow the rest of the song a bit.
As for the best tracks, at just over two minutes, "She's My Girl" is the ultimate radio-ready power pop single. "Day or Night" is a soulful, melodic ballad that leads to an irresistible harmonic assault in the chorus- the band literally builds an impenetrable wall of harmony. And speaking of walls, "On and On" is probably the best surprise on the album; what is usually an above-average song in their live set list has been masterfully produced into an epic pop piece that Weezer fans will definitely enjoy.
Santo's pull, or the band's South Shoah roots, must have helped sway Steven Tyler to sing backing vocals on "Writer's Block," and the song suits him perfectlyóa swinging pop ballad, it would sound comfortable among the hits on Aerosmith's Get a Grip. Even the weaker songs like "Matter of Fact" and the 80's touched "Violet" don't get in the way and are easy to listen to (although I thought the latter's position in the 2-spot was a curious move, like batting a clunky catcher between Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez).
Minor flaws aside, Rocketscience lived up to my intimidating expectations, and was well worth the wait.
(Rocketscience will play their CD release show at T.T. the Bear's on May 1st. The album is available now on CDBaby.com and will be in stores on April 1st.)
-Jason Holloway | (email)
The Game The Documentary
(Interscope, 2005)
Rating:
The Game, the newest member of G-Unit, brings gangsta rap back into the spotlight with his debut album, The Documentary. It seems that everything executive producer 50 Cent touches turns into $1,000,000. Appearing on 3 of the 18 tracks, including "Westside Story," "Hate It or Love It," and the first single, "How We Do," 50 makes great music with The Game; the chemistry between the two coasts is alive on this album. Dr. Dre's beats make up most of the album with a few surprises from Kanye West, Hi-Tek, Timbaland, and Just Blaze. After only rapping for 1 1/2 years, The Game makes a statement with his rhymes about gang life, Compton, and being on top of the rap game. This newcomer says it best, on "Higher," when he says, "Mr. Gangsta Rap is back." If you're into hip hop this is one album you've gotta get this year, because on a scale of hate it or love it, we love it.
-C-Note | (email)