LARISSA MAESTROMaybe Later
(Little Thrill Records, 2007)
by Jon Gorey | Age: 30 | Boston, MA
The Berklee College of Music brought Larissa Maestro to Boston from her native Ithaca, NY, and this means two things: First, thank you, Berklee. Second, now that she's graduated, and put out her first full-length album... we must hope she stays here.
Like a breath of promise to the city's music scene, Maestro's voice is perfect for what she does (what she does, by the way, is pure and simple pop; edgy at times and glimmering at others). Evoking local rock goddess Kay Hanley, she sings with a blend of strength, power projection, and wispy vulnerability, giving her melodies life, legs, and tenderness.
The crisp acoustic strums of "Time" that open the album are joined almost immediately by an echoing, clackety percussion, and it works--the song mixes digital loop flourishes nicely over the organic instruments, without overdoing it. Track 2, "Unsettled," is perfect pop. There's just enough of an alt-rock touch to give it an edge, landing it somewhere between a Garbage song and Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone."
About halfway through the gorgeous "Stranger," you begin to realize that this CD isn't a fluke... that we might be on the verge of a no-hitter. But don't think it out loud (or write it down, as I have). Because seconds later comes the bridge, and it sounds just a little forced and clumsy. And then the effects on the next song, "Invisible Girl," are simply distracting. I worry that I jinxed it. What if the rest of the album unravels?
There's no need for alarm. "Could You Love Me Better" is a lovely stripped down song--not that stripped down, but it is refreshingly bare compared to much of the album--and Maestro's voice hits its delicate notes with astounding prowess. There's another awkward bridge, however, and I begin to wonder whether Maestro has succumbed to the Berklee phenomenon of overworking compositions. (Hey, don't get bent out of shape about it, it's just a fact of life. If you've listened to enough Berklee bands, you'll know what I'm talking about.)
Anyway, proving she's so good it doesn't really matter is the rich and moody "Sink Me." The string arrangements are a perfect fit, and crashing electric guitars in the later choruses yield a chilling, "Wow" effect. After the less than impressive "Just as Crazy," and the country-friendly pop song "I Won't Make a Sound," comes the closer, "So Young." It's beautiful, tender, and simple; a perfect end to this album.
Its few missteps aside, Maybe Later is one of the best CDs we've received here at the Dissolver, and in my mind, Larissa Maestro's name immediately leaps to the top of any local up-and-coming list. Write it down. And pray she stays.
DUST BOWL CAVALIERSVolume One, Sweet Tomorrow
(Self-released, 2006)
by Mike Kelly | Winthrop, MA
At first glance, it would be easy to confuse The Dust Bowl Cavaliers for a gag band: bluegrass for hipsters. While such an impression may be earned by performing a countrified version of Flaming Lip's oddball masterpiece, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1," the band's version is no joke. It's performed with earnest integrity—a great cover that just happens to be about evil robots.
Across the six-song EP, Volume One, Sweet Tomorrow, The Dust Bowl Cavaliers deliver a mix of four covers and two originals. The covers range from the blues classic, "In the Pines," to the aforementioned contemporary piece. Throughout, the band just sounds right, the aural equivalent of a cold drink after a long, hot day. All the covers are delivered with enough style and conviction to warrant their existence.
The real standouts of the album, however, are the two originals. "Hurry Back Home" sounds like a lost Hank Williams classic performed with enough world-weary heart to do the country king proud. "The Other Side of the Hill" harkens back to Bob Dylan, only with better vocals. While the covers are worthwhile, the listener is left hungry for more original material from this quaint but exciting band.
Listen to "Hurry Back Home" by The Dustbowl Cavaliers.
DOWNTOWN HARVESTDowntown Harvest
(Malogna Records, 2006)
by Jack Hanlon | Age: 22 | Cambridge, MA
Bands with potential are a dime a dozen. All the right ingredients can be there--voice, rhythm, taking chances, knowing what you want to play, stage presence--but if it’s not coming together, then the mixture just isn’t going to taste very good. When I put on Downtown Harvest’s latest CD, I heard all the ingredients, and as each song passed by I found that the blend was just right. This is a band that knows what their sound is. They’re not afraid to stretch their legs on tracks like “The Rubber Band Song,” where the groove is set and played with in a very neo-psychadelic way, but fundamentally they went to the studio and came out with a CD that you can drive to, play at a party, or (if you can’t tell by this review, what I’m doing now) cook to. As I’m cutting things up to throw in, I can’t help but dance around the kitchen to the relaxed pulse of “Hills of Beverly” and the confident driving rhythms laid down by Cahill and Wood.
Part jam rock (but keeping songs under 5 minutes, thank you!) and part relaxed California class, Downtown Harvest sounds like weed to the Grateful Dead’s acid and a sunny day in the city to Wilco’s cloudy day in the ‘burbs. Their sound is based on the concept that maybe you don’t need to go with 2 guitars, a drum, and a bass, but also just cause you have some friends who played horns in college doesn’t mean you need to be an off-beat ska band.
Ewing’s multi-instrumental talents make a nice counterpoint to Moore’s voice, which stretches from asleep to edgy in a split second. Songs like “B.O.B.” are self-effacing but not over-the-top, showing the band’s diversity and restraint. The songs seem sharp without being calculated which is a touch that is hard to find in today’s “if it’s loudest it’s bestest” or “if it’s so lo-fi you can’t hear instruments, then kids will think they should like it” era of music.
All in all, this record is a win. A little more polish would’ve made it too squeaky clean, a little more space and it would’ve lost my attention. Pick it up if you see it. It won’t be your favorite record, but anytime you’re past the same old stuff and you see their name while flipping through your CD book or wheeling your iPod, I bet you put it on.
Listen to "Hills of Beverly" by Downtown Harvest.
DENITIA ODIGIEGood Causes
(Self-produced, 2006)
by Kathryn Vercillo | San Francisco, CA
If you take a look at Denitia Odigie's press kit, you find that she’s labeled there as an alternative pop singer. On her MySpace music page, the label is indie / rock / pop. In press coverage of her music, she’s drawn comparisons to Paula Cole, Bjork, PJ Harvey and Cat Power. So where do you pin her down? Nowhere. Like a butterfly, she can be pegged to the page of a single genre and labeled as a certain kind of singer but she’s really most beautiful when you let her just fly free.
Good Causes is the result of her exploration of this musical freedom. From track to track throughout the seven that make up the EP, she simply seems to flit from one creative flower to another without regard for what she “should” be playing. This is meant in a good way. She simply doesn’t sound like she’s trying to sound like anything or anyone. She’s just playing. She first lands on the leaves of rapid alternative instrumentals and direct lyrics with “5 Minutes” and then flies over to the vocal-driven, instrument-supported poetics of “I’ve Got My Cape." The songs are quick, with varying levels of depth and descriptions of life.
Although this self-taught singer-songwriter has been playing her guitar for more than ten years, she’s a young performer who has a lot of room for growth. The butterfly hunters of the musical world are starting to cast their nets in her direction, with attention such as being named “the find of the fest” at POP Montreal coming her way. The trick for this girl will be to continue her own growth while maintaining the genre-defying integrity which marks this first EP.
LIMBECKLimbeck
(DogHouse Records, 2007)
by Kristie Langone | Lowell, MA
Remember the old days when bands drove across the country on their last dime to play their music in an admirable On the Road kind-of-way? And when they finally came to your city, you’d anticipate their first breath of music—vicariously living through them—a story on where they’d been since you’d last seen them. Limbeck is this band, and for the past five years, they’ve been shut out of last-call early.
These Orange County indie-rockers love bears and publicly scorn early-closers: “If you don’t want people coming in twenty-five minutes to closing, then turn off the ‘Open’ sign and lock the doors.” Besides the music gig, they’ve worn the hats of inventors, crafting a new sport, Baseball or Die!!!: whiffle ball on the street (with the traffic). It fits them well, as they’ve lived their lives with their own rules-of-the-road, traveling in their sacred van (adorned with acquired mementos, including Elijah Wood’s autograph).
Limbeck’s sound is a blend of rock and alternative country, drawing influence from The Beach Boys and Tom Petty. With the release of their 4th album, the band that describes themselves as “what any traveling rock band should sound like,” sounds homesick. After listening to Limbeck, there is a sense that they have grown up, and grown tired of the freeway.
The first reverberation off track one, “Trouble,” is a funked-up, chiming time-warp that seems out of place when it stops and the real song begins; but throughout the album, the cautionary tale of time passed is a theme that defines where they are now — on the map and in their own heads: “I don’t know if you and I get each other but I’m tired of talking.” The sound is more melodic, different from prior, vindicating road-anthems like “Honk and Wave” (a satirical song about bumping into an ex on the highway, playing on the “we’ll still be friends” relationship motif). When you hear Robb MacLean sing, “It feels like I grew up too late... I’m going to get back to the city where I live,” in “Let Me Come Home,” it hits the dreamer — gone east or west — chord.
The standout track on the CD with its viral rhythm and chorus is “Bird Feeding.” The instrumentation mixed with MacLean’s vocals leaves the listener with an addictive aftertaste: “And all my friends came calling, thinking that I had gone lost. I was simply sleeping in a parking lot.” “Big Drag” and “Keeping Busy” lament on the boredom of living in the busy, grayness of a ‘where to next’ lifestyle. “Wake Up” serves as a jumpstart for late-risers. Maybe the early bird does get the worm.
Limbeck is a deterrent for the runaway who has never experienced distance; it warns him to appreciate what he has at home. Overall, the album has a satiating mix of upbeat and slower paced rhythms. It reads like a novel, beginning with “Trouble” and ending with the rebirth or resolution of the great “Sunset Limited.” With Limbeck, we get the real story: life on the road isn’t all glamour, but part-sacrifice and part-starvation.
The band is appropriately out on their “Homeward Bound” tour, promoting the new album. They come to the Middle East on May 12.
<<RE-WINDPart-Time Entertainment
(Self-Released, 2006)
by Steve Brachmann | Age: 19 | Boston, MA
I have to confess to something before I begin this review: I, Steven J. Brachmann, have been paid off to provide favorable coverage for <<re-wind. True, it’s highly irresponsible and almost downright immoral, but it’s also true that every man has his price. What’s my price, you ask? A couple of Benjamins with which to pad my wallet? No. A pirated copy of 300 to love and cherish ‘til death do us part? Nuh-uh. It just so happens that my tastes are a little more refined than that: they sent me a pin. You heard right, a pin; a plastic decal of the band’s logo, replete with metal sharpness ideal for affixing said pin onto a clothing article of choice, or for poking your little brother until he bleeds. I kid, of course; my little brother could kick my ass. So if anyone out there thinks that my reasoning in the next few paragraphs sounds a little screwy, I will simply point to the black pin that now adorns the top of my backpack and raise my nose in utter pretension. Eat me.
<<re-wind, a four person band out of Hamilton, ON, has been together for about four years, but only since winning a Kitchener radio station contest in July 2006, earning them the opportunity to open for Mobile, Default and Theory of a Deadman, have they been anything but a cover band. They had been writing music for a while, however, and Part-Time Entertainment is the culmination of that work. For a debut CD, it shows quite a bit of promise. Their weapon of choice? Catchy melodies, funky guitar riffs, and a lead singer with razor blades in her voice.
My weapon of choice: AK-47. But that’s just for anyone keeping score.
Lead singer Taylor McKay is really what sets this band apart for me. Without her, this just becomes another ho-hum, dried out, “this is an alright band, I’ll keep the CD, and I may listen to it if/when masturbation no longer holds my interest” performance for me. The band has done good work here, and they’re fun to listen to, but it certainly isn’t anything breathtaking or groundbreaking. I grew up on alternative rock, listening to my oldest sister pump Weezer and Bush before she went to school and complained about the system every day, so I’m pretty used to the genre. But McKay gives me something I’m not all that familiar with: a punk rocker’s gritty pipes, a female register, and just a smidge of attitude that says “I’ll kick your ass and laugh while you bleed and cry for your mommy, you little pansy.” Just a smidge, though; any more, and I might need some slight therapy after listening to that album a few times.
There’s also some pretty nice work here by guitarist Mark Capoferri. Two tracks in particular stand out for their catchy riffs: “I.O.U. Nothing," a track that will give you some sort of idea of what I meant by McKay having razor blades in her voice (that was just a metaphor, by the way, in case anyone had missed it), and “I Believed It," a song that will seep into your subconscious just enough that you’ll have to keep the beat with some part of your body, be it by tapping your toe, rocking your head, or whatever. You won’t even notice that you’re doing it, either.
Another intriguing aspect about this band’s first work are the flashes of versatility that show in the music. Not nearly enough to render Part-Time Entertainment a quality work of art, but <<re-wind definitely has some potential. “What You Feel” is a mellow, heartfelt piano ballad, a breath of fresh air amongst the driving, up-tempo rock that permeates the rest of this disc. And there’s just enough tantalizing acoustic in the opening to “Sorry” to leave you wishing they had thrown away the amps for that track. Most of the numbers also have some subtle synthesizer work, just enough to be enjoyable without overpowering you into a sense of “I thought I bought a rock CD, not Bjork!” I also like how every song comes to a pretty well-orchestrated end: not rushed, and not bleeding off into eternity while the production team simply decides to turn down the volume slowly. Much like Goldilocks’ porridge, it’s just right.
Goldilocks? Stay tuned, America, I may just make a Rapunzel reference next.
Some minor ticky-tacky notes on what I’m not totally thrilled with. First and foremost, in just about every track, McKay’s voice is drowned out by the rest of the band. You have to play to your strengths, and while the band on the whole is talented enough to put out a fairly impressive debut album, McKay can set the band apart and give them a very distinct sound. Also, don’t be afraid to deviate from your normal style every once in a while; turning the juice up all the way and blowing out your wacky neighbors’ eardrums is always good Christian fun, but, like I said about “Sorry," I’d have been absolutely juiced if that whole track was acoustic. I sort of wanted to talk about a lack of inspired lyrics, but on a second listen, I think I’ll just change that to a lack of discernable lyrics. Turn down the amp, it doesn’t need to be at 11 the entire time. You just need it for that extra boost.
All in all, I’d recommend this for fans of alternative rock. Certainly not a CD you’d buy if you were just trying to get into the genre, but if you already have some Pearl Jam and Green Day, this disc will help round out your collection. <<re-wind is a band that still has some work to do, but their musical ability may very well catapult them past some of their better-entrenched Canadian peers. In fact, knowing some of the schmucks that have popped out of that country, I pray for that day to arrive quickly.
(I.E., I hate you, Nickleback. And I hate myself more for owning two of your albums.)
JASON WILBERLazy Afternoon
(WilberTone Records, 2006)
by Mike Kelly | Winthrop, MA
When you happen upon an album titled Lazy Afternoon, you have a good idea what you're getting into. Jason Wilber delivers on this promise, crafting charming folk and blues songs, perfect to listen to while lounging in the shade on a hot, summer's day.
The album begins with the title track that won't quicken your pulse but will surely lower your blood pressure. "You Don't Know What You're Getting Into" picks up the pace for a bluesy romp before the beautifully crafted "Indigo" calms things down. The rest of the songs stay relaxed and mellow without becoming dull, a testament to Wilber's deft, subtle guitar work and warm voice that is reminiscent of Sting at times, best heard on the closing track, the stirring ballad, "Who Carried You."
Listeners that prefer driving energy will find the tracks on Lazy Afternoon yawn-inducing, but for beach bums everywhere, this is the real deal. Forget the posturing of Jimmy Buffet; Jason Wilber isn't selling a lifestyle, but creating a soundtrack for the life you want to live.
Listen to "Lazy Afternoon" by Jason Wilber.
ALPINESStrange Company
(Self-released, 2006)
by Jack Hanlon | Age: 22 | Cambridge, MA
Album artwork is a pretty good predictor of the music behind the jacket. If you see some pop record with a glamour shot on the front, you know what you’re getting into. If you see 4 people in a band walking with no one actually looking at the camera, you know you’re about to listen to an emo record. Well, the Alpines artwork, as far as a self-released album, is sharp and faux-arty with a hint of efficiency, although ultimately incomprehensible.
Put the disc in and you’ll find the same. “Strange Company” kicks off with a great nebulous guitar riff that sounds like it’s moving--ready to make something happen-- to go one of two ways: erupt into a rock-out or decay into a kind of somnambulist travel-by-thought ambient music. Sadly, it never acutally seems to go anywhere. Lines such as “And I’ve seen them shine their weapons, but I refuse to change” are lines I want to sing out with the windows down, but often the lyrics are more akin to over-poetic-got-my-Master’s-in-Literature fare, echoing “of Montreal” without the cohesion and catchy hooks.
It’s not a lack of ideas, the melodies are crisp and well penned. It’s not a lack of skill, as the guitar work is well done (guitarist Rich DeVito really shines on the opening riff on “Noblesse Oblige,” perhaps a little too John Mayer’s “Neon” but ultimately very sharp), the drum sound is really well done and hits are in all the right places, and the bass is where it needs to be, but maybe this is the issue: this album takes no chances. I want to hear singer Jon Ericson’s voice break, especially on “Everest,” where Alpines sound like they’re going to unburden themselves from their self-created constraints. Again though, the guitar never quite rocks and the singer never quite emotes more than sings the notes on the page.
That being said, this EP has its moments. When I listen to it, I hear potential to really find a sound and start creating from that point. “Archives” sounds like the kind of track that gets worn out from spins on some serious college rock stations, and I find “Brittle Sails” to be the go-to track when I put the record in. A version of “A Lost Cause” retooled could be an amazing tune. But guys, loosen the ties, unbutton your top button-- not just that one, maybe even the next one down--don’t fight “verse-chorus” form, and get back to us… we’ll be ready.
Listen to "Brittle Sails" by Alpines.
OUTGRABECity of God
(Fearless Angel Music, 2002)
by Kathryn Vercillo | San Francisco, CA
Why am I reviewing a CD that came out five years ago? Because Outgrabe is a musical duo that’s worth a mention, but they’re a multi-talented couple that has been busy enough with projects to make City of God the most recent of their full-length releases. In 2004, they came out with a three-song EP titled Bullet in the Blue Sky. And they haven’t exactly been quiet since then, despite a lack of studio-recorded-and-album-released music. In fact, they’ve been quite busy, making multi-media music that combines their songs with film skills to create eye-catching music videos which have caught the eye of the film festival circuit.
2006 found Outgrabe’s music video for the moody love song “Almost Home” at film festivals from Hollywood (Moondance Film Festival) to Florence (DigiFestival) and 2007 has kicked off the same way with the video making its way to the Tiburon International Film Festival. Other music videos by the duo have also gleaned recognition from fans of both film and music. In fact, Outgrabe simply has a presence which is permeating the world. It certainly helps that they’re happy to spread their stuff, readily giving away stickers and magnets and letting you access their songs and videos for free download on the site. It’s hard not to notice a band that’s been making music since the mid-‘90’s and isn’t interested in limiting itself to one arena of the art world.
But let’s go back to City of God. because the album gives insight into the nature of Outgrabe’s music. They're an alternative folk duo pulled together by the thread of dueling male / female vocals, and tightened up with just a hint of pop to keep their music fun and flirty. There’s a sense of magic throughout the CD, as though this couple is living out some sort of fairy tale that they’re happy to sing about for you, giving you sprinkles and sparkles from their own magical existence in the form of upbeat attitude and a diverse range of instrumentation. Even in the songs that have a darker moodiness to them, there is a general optimism to the music which makes you find it fun to hear. Combined with the visual talents put to use on the music videos still being spread around the world, this makes for music which hangs around long after the fad it could’ve been has faded.
my baby is crying hungry for something food attention sleep relief like a screaming raccoon my fingers are typing afraid to let go mind quietude place self of that pre-baby space
— Seth Maislin (2006)
Wood Sculptures by Donna Dodson
Reviewed by Barry Maloney | Age: 41 | Dedham, MA
The imagery of artist Donna Dodson brings to her viewers a multitude of impressions; most notably novelty, humor, and playfulness, yet also grace, power, and emotional stability. Generally spare in construction, her works are refined to their most basic structure, yet they run the gamut of stylistic qualities, reminiscent sometimes of Eskimo or Native American art, other times of Egyptian standing figures, still other times of American folk carvings, toy like imagery, or religious statuary. Adventurous, thoughtful, and playful, this series by Donna Dodson -- produced between 2002 and 2005 -- seems to create an iconography for a contemporary mythology of female, bird-headed, and often human-bodied sculptural forms. The figures, which stand between 15 to 31 inches in height, are hand-carved out of tree trunks and hand-painted by the artist. Below, we give our impression of this collection of work.
 Caribbean Queen |
 Dancing Crane |
 Empress Penguin |
 Goose Goddess |
 Green Falcon |
 Mother Hen |
 Pregnant Owl |
 Seagull Cinderella |
 Ugly Duckling |
~ My favorite, Dancing Crane (2004) is a graceful abstract whose bulb-like, upperward directed head is focused on the sky. A gowned female figure, with lovely wood patterning, is carved and composed with sophistication; though if she is dancing, it is with her spirit, not her bodily form.
~ Bold and imposing, Empress Penguin (2005) is a solid-bodied cartoon in 3-D; spare in conception, yet full-bodied in stature and personality. Again, the artist chosses to work in the female gown form. A cone-like yellow beak plays against the ebony wing sleeving, with many happy accidents in a well-chosen wood grain.
~ Goose Goddess (2002) is a duck-decoy gone mad, graphically conceived and boldly executed with minimal -- yet vibrant -- color.
~ Green Falcon (2003) looks upward and off to the horizon, her winglike arms hanging loosely at her side, knobby human knees come from beneath her gownbody, with small shoes standing at attention. We feel respect for this creature, a natural mother-goddess form reminiscent of Alaskan Eskimo woodcarving. Her eyes seem to look not only into the distance, but inward also, contemplating her future or perhaps the good of her kind.
~ Mother Hen (2005) is one of my favorites of this series, with the artist obviously delighting in the orange headed crest of her subject, the chess-piece like construction of this ornamental chicken is a pleasure to the viewer. Blonde wood accents the playful contrast of green against yellow beak.
~ Pregnant Owl (2003) is aloof and imposing. This sculpture of a standing female owl is incredibly stable, minimally colored in black and cobalt blue against blonde wood grain, the just visible bump on the belly lets us know that this creature is with child. This artwork's subject is herself conceptually containing another life form. Can we not imagine a small wooden baby owl carved out within her?
~ Seagull Cinderella (2002) is less well-conceived than others of the series, but plays more subtly with color and grain.
~ Ugly Duckling (2005), a schoolgirl-looking figure with a bold duckling beak, small breasts, and short frock with duck feet in a typically Egyptian pose -- nonetheless, the piece is more folk in conception, in the best sense.
On this particular theme of work, Donna Dodson has said: "In the animal kingdom, it would be the male birds that have the brightest and most colorful plumage who are able to attract a female mate; whereas in the human world, it would be the females who are the most beautiful and have the most enhanced features that attract the opposite sex. It's for this reason that I enjoy reversing these ideas in this series of bird-headed goddess figures. One of my collectors bought three of my pieces -- one for each of his daughters -- as a wedding present. He came to believe they were fertility figures because each of his daughters became pregnant soon after receiving this gift."
Donna Dodson will be exhibiting a small selection of her work in the South of Washington Street Art Walk (SoWa Art Walk) on Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20, 2007 from 11:00am to 6:00pm at 460 Harrison Ave in the South End neighborhood of Boston. For more information on this event, visit www.sowaartwalk.com. For more information on the fine art of Donna Dodson, please visit her website or contact her directly at donnadodsonartist@verizon.net.
"Spring Thaw"
A series of ink drawings
by Barry Maloney | Age: 41 | Dedham, MA
Stranded in winter, the artist looks forward to the natural, cyclical re-awakening of the Earth, and the spiritual renewal that may accompany it. This series of ten pen and ink drawings was created in February 2007. All drawings created with a uni-ball gel impact pen on medium strathmore paper. To view more work by Barry Maloney, please follow this link to BarryMaloney.com.
 Morning Sun |
 Life Blossoms |
 Alive |
 Morning Light |
 Upward Rising |
 Uprising |
 Don't Fly Away |
 Bouquet |
 Flowers in Small Scale |
 Noontime in the Garden |