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The
Sleeping
Questions and Answers
Victory Records
Long Island-based outfit The Sleeping declares its intentions with
the first song from Questions and Answers. "Don't Hold
Back" explodes with a driving guitar riff and drums as singer Doug
Robinson urges the object of his affection to take control. Testosterone
and tight rhythms work in tandem throughout this release to grab the
listener's attention.
Joe Zizzo propels the sound with fierce drumming that urges "Loud
and Clear" forward. Cameron Keym's searing guitar work pushes the
pedal to the floor. The band keeps their taut sound and intensity balanced
by melodic breaks. "King of Hearts" is a power ballad that
showcases Robinson's vocals as he undergoes stages of suspicion, heartbreak
and defiance.
The final track "Still" switches to a moody atmospheric backdrop.
The songs touch on a friend's death, failed relationships, and forlorn
love. Questions and Answers probes a range of emotions lyrically,
but their aggressive musicianship explains much more about their style.
— Pete Dulin (posted 05/26/06)
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The
Junior Varsity
The Great Compromise
Victory Records
The Junior Varsity knows how to pack a punch and package their pop
punk for their fans. The deluxe edition of The Great Compromise
loads songs from the original 2004 release, adds nine bonus songs, and
tosses in a DVD with live performance footage for good measure.
This band emerges from a crowded field of whiny-voiced New Generation
Punk and treads ground broken by Green Day. While they don't possess
raw punk swagger, The Junior Varsity demonstrates solid power pop sensibility
and musicianship.
Guitarists Andy Wildrick and Sergio Coronado layer energetic riffs
and fluid solos over rapid-fire drums. Comparing the digital demo to
the longer studio version of "Anti-Climatic" reveals how the
band polished their sound without losing any bite. Bonus acoustic song
"Everyone's Got Something They're Running Out Of" strips down
to Asa Dawson's earnest voice, nimble guitar work and soft synth to
burnish the edges.
Synth also adds a distinct element to "Peter Cottontail and the
Demise of the Carrot Tree." This song experiments and exemplifies
The Junior Varsity's ability to draw from strengths and build on studio
techniques to produce a refined song. Rather than compromise, this young
band has delivered a great accomplishment.— Pete Dulin
(posted 05/26/06)
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Snow
Patrol
Eyes Open
A&M Records
Snow Patrol reaches deep to deliver the expansive sound of Eyes
Open, an atmospheric, emotion-laden album that pushes beyond past
releases. A more fragile undertaking replaces the fuzzy, post-grunge
origins of 1998's Songs for Polar Bears.
Singer Gary Lightbody and company might endure comparisons to the bloated
emo-ness of Coldplay, but Snow Patrol's sound reaches for insights rather
than arenas. And it's beginning to get to me / That I know more
of the stars and sea / Than I do of what's in your head, Lightbody
sings on "It's Beginning to Get Me."
Melancholy infuses tunes such as "Shut Your Eyes," but hope
counterbalances on the insistent "Open Your Eyes" and "Hands
Open." Guest singer Martha Wainwright provides an elegant foil
for Lightbody on one track. Epic, orchestral arrangements create an
aural landscape where poignant lyrics and sentimental shadows can reside
alongside bolder tracks like opener "You're All I Have."
Eyes Open, recorded in a studio on the west coast of Ireland,
looks toward the horizon even as emotional waves crash below.—
Pete Dulin (posted 05/26/06)
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Rahsaan
Roland Kirk
Brotherman In The Fatherland
Hyena Records
To a lot of white people, particularly a young white kid like myself
in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s, Rahsaan Roland Kirk was kinda
scary. He wore African clothes, was outspoken — even militant
— about civil rights, declared his musical vision under the banner
of “Black Classical Music,” and played instruments no one
ever heard of. Fellow musicians sometimes backed away from his eccentricities
and called his ability to play multiple instruments at once, plus his
stage antics, a “carnival act.”
Such distractions took people away from Kirk’s immense talent.
As Hyena producer Joel Dorn (becoming legendary in his own right with
releases of artists forgotten or ignored) proves with the release of
Brotherman In The Fatherland, Kirk is truly an America jazz
giant. This live recording from Germany circa, 1972 is a jazz treasure
in every sense. It is here that Kirk demonstrates his DNA coding; one
seeped in music and creative sensuality.
The opening cut of “Intro/Like Sonny” presents a disciplined
artist beginning a creative roll for an appreciative audience —
powerful, self-assured and intoxicating, leaving the jazz fan with the
life-long question, “Why wasn’t I there?”
From that cut Kirk melts into “Make It With You” with all
the musical shutters and shifts that paint a picture of seduction and
sexual maneuvering. Next is “Rahsaan’s Spirit,” a
more free-form expression, a sort of ID pronouncement of a jazz genius
out to release himself in his art, popularity be damned. The final cut,
“Blue Trane,” turns the heat up even more. It’s the
type of jazz fire that widens the traditional jazz sound. Kirk just
takes off in a wondrous perfect jazz attitude.
The rest of band can’t be ignored. Besides Kirk on tenor saxophone,
flute, nose flute, manzello, stritch and clarinet, they include an incredible
Ron Burton on piano, Henry Pete Pearson “Mettathias” on
bass, Richie Goldberg on drums and percussion handled by Joe “Hobao”
Texidor. This CD helps continue the sorrily needed reevaluation of Kirk’s
artistry, almost 30 years after his death. He’s due to be treated,
as he should be. —Bruce Rodgers (posted 05/05/06)
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