The Whigs, Mission Control (ATO Records, 2008)

The Whigs are an aggressive garage band from the musical hotbed of Athens, Georgia. Parker Gispert sings and plays guitar, Julian Dorio plays drums, and Tim Deaux is their new bassist. Their second album Mission Control was recorded last fall and released in January.

For better and for worse, The Whigs only seem to know how to play loud and hard. So if energy is what you're looking for, you'll find it in abundance here. Unfortunately there's little variety, and even loud bands need a consistent sense of musicality to make a strong album. Mission Control does boast a pair of solid rockers in "Right Hand on My Heart" and "Already Young," but the rest of the disc just didn't do anything for me. Too much of it struck me as loudness for its own sake, without enough melody or depth to make it interesting.

You only need one or two good songs to get noticed, though, so I could see The Whigs generating some buzz. But they're the kind of band where I'd recommend downloading a couple of specific songs over purchasing the whole album.

Overall grade: C+

reviewed by Scott

Dead Rock West, Honey and Salt (Populuxe, 2007)

Dead Rock West are a California-based quintet that specialize in straightforward, no-frills rock. Honey and Salt is their debut. The band's music revolves around the interplay between Frank Lee Drennen (vocals, guitars, main songwriter) and Cindy Wasserman (vocals). The lineup is completed by Phil Parlapiano (keyboards and mandolin), David J. Carpenter (bass), and Bryan Head (drums), although the session credits include several different lead guitarists as well.

The tone for the album is set by the solid opening track and single "Highway One," which is both a song about trying to reach an old lover and an ode to "driving way too fast" on the Pacific Coast Highway. Drennen and Wasserman take turns singing lead on the songs, and harmonize on the choruses. The tempos range from relaxed country to fast punk, with plenty of stops in between. Generally the louder songs made the biggest impression with me, especially "Pretty Disaster" and "Telephone." Like "Highway One," these are very suitable tunes to crank up while hitting the open highway. The more aggressive numbers might remind some listeners of X, a California band from the eighties with similarly dueling male and female vocalists. Dead Rock West acknowledges the influence by doing a souped up cover of "Burning House of Love."

All in all, Honey and Salt is an encouraging start for Dead Rock West, with a bunch of decent songs supporting a handful of very good ones. People looking for a good fix of basic guitar rock will like this album.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

Bo Diddley, 1928-2008

Rock music lost one of its most original showmen and a pioneer of the electric guitar when Bo Diddley passed away today at age 79. Actually named Ellas McDaniel, Diddley was born in McComb, Mississippi in 1928 and went up to Chicago to join the emergent blues scene there in the early fifties. He quickly made a name for himself for his energetic stage shows, his odd rectangular-shaped guitar, and the signature rhythm to which he played most of his songs. The "Bo Diddley beat," as it was called, propelled hits like "Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love?" and inspired many imitators over the years, from The Rolling Stones ("Not Fade Away") to U2 ("Desire") to even George Michael ("Faith"). While the hits dried up after the early sixties, he remained a revered guitarist and live performer. He did leave a mark on the early years of MTV, though, providing a memorable cameo as a contestant in an epic pool match with George Thorogood in Thorogood's video for "Bad to the Bone." Diddley also appeared in a legendary Nike commercial featuring the athlete Bo Jackson trying his hand at every sport conceivable.

Bo Diddley's primarily musical legacy comes from his live performances rather than his recorded output. I had the pleasure of seeing Bo Diddley perform on three separate occasions. He may not have been in his prime physically, but he still could put on quite a show. While I'd still recommend a greatest hits collection of his to anybody curious about early rock and roll, the records don't really do his live shows justice.

Bo Diddley's influence on the generations of performers and guitarists who have followed him is incalculable; just for starters, any performer who'd count The Rollling Stones as an influence owes something to Bo Diddley as well.

"Bo Diddley"

"Road Runner"

Mudcrutch (Reprise Records, 2008)

Mudcrutch was a band that formed in Gainesville, Florida in the early seventies. Fronted by singer/bassist Tom Petty, Mudcrutch based their sound on the later recordings of The Byrds, which combined traditional folk and country with hard-edged rock. In addition to Petty, the original band featured the dueling guitars of Mike Campbell and Tom Leadon, with drummer Randall Marsh completing the quartet. By the time the band headed to Los Angeles in 1974 to pursue a record deal, Leadon had been replaced by another guitarist and Benmont Tench had been added on keyboards. They released one single in 1975, but that was as much interest as they could generate. Mudcrutch quickly disintegrated, and the band members crawled their way back to Gainesville. Petty would not be deterred that easily, though. He traded in his bass for a jangly electric 12-string, formed a backing band called The Heartbreakers which included (and still does include) Campbell and Tench, and went back to L. A. to try his luck a second time. The rest, of course, is history.

You might think that the story of Mudcrutch would have ended there, and for thirty-two years you would have been right. But Petty has, on a number of occasions over the past twenty years, stepped at least a little bit away from The Heartbreakers as his whims have suited him. At some point last he year, he decided that he wanted to make the kind of album Mudcrutch would have made. The idea eventually morphed from making an album that sounded like Mudcrutch into having the album actually performed by Mudcrutch. Campbell and Tench were recruited easily enough, but I have to think that Leadon and Marsh were taken aback by the initial phone call.

The album, simply titled Mudcrutch, does have a bit of a throwback feel to it, starting with the traditional American folk standard "Shady Grove" and continuing with a combination of vintage classic rock with a few country songs thrown in for good measure. The album differs from a typical Petty album in several ways. There are several covers, most notably The Byrds' "Lover of the Bayou," and Petty lets both Leadon and Tench take a turn singing lead on the album. The double lead guitar sound on the band's harder rock songs also distinguishes Mudcrutch from what The Heartbreakers generally have done. The band even engages in an extended but subdued jam on the nine-minute song "Crystal River." The performances are strong throughout the record, and Leadon and Marsh hold their own very nicely with three much more experienced professional musicians.

Given those qualifications, Mudcrutch is still dominated by the singing and songwriting of Tom Petty. And that is a good thing, as this is the best Petty album since Wildflowers in 1994. The particularly strong track "Scare Easy" is an obvious single. A lot of Petty's albums are a little too uniformly mid-tempo rock, but this album has an excellent mix of harder and softer songs. In fact, the more energetic songs come across as a breath of fresh air, and Petty sound generally revitalized on this recording.

To say the least, it's very strange to see a band that had basically been a footnote in another band's history for over thirty years show up and make the debut album that never happened in 1975. But Tom Petty has some experience making strange ideas work. The combination of Petty being in fine form, Campbell and Tench providing their usually solid support, and Leadon and Marsh taking full advantage of their long-delayed big break makes Mudcrutch a solid album. Petty fans will have no difficulty getting into this, and people looking for something new in a classic rock vein will find plenty to like as well.

Overall grade: A-

reviewed by Scott

"Scare Easy"

"Lover of the Bayou"

The Old 97's -- Blame It On Gravity

Ready for some rock-country songs about heartbreak and being unlucky in love? Blame It On Grvaity, the Old 97's first fully new album in four years, has the band doing what they always do, which is also what they do best.

After the too-clever opening track "The Fool," Blame It On Gravity jumps into the losers in love formula that is the bread and butter of the Old 97's. Whether it's a mournful ode to being alone ("The Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue") or a rough morning after ("yeah I got brains and I got brawn oh but not enough of either one to wanna go on"), these tunes are for someone who missed romance, by design or accident, and wails about it. For this, Rhett Miller's slightly awkward but passionate voice nails the mood perfectly. (The one non-romance song is "Here's to the Halcyon," in which a sea captain with a disreputable past is going down with the ship and bargaining with God. It's a funny piece, finding humor in the contrast between his promises and life: "I'll pore over my Bible and I'll pour out all my gin.")

Blame It On Gravity is an inconsistent album, with some killer tracks and others that fall flat. And while it's not uncommon for a band to tackle the same themes all the time, this album sometimes has music that's extremely similar to older song the Old 97's have done. But there's plenty here that lends itself to multiple listenings, and an average album by the Old 97's is still superior to most music that gets released!

Overall Grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch

Anna Ternheim, Halfway to Fivepoints (Decca, 2008)

A couple of months ago, Anna Ternheim released a self-titled EP which I reviewed very favorably here. The six songs on Anna Ternheim were gleaned from two full-length albums and a handful of EP's that have been available in her native Sweden and the rest of Europe for a while, but the EP was her debut American release. A full-length album and tour were promised for the spring, and Halfway to Fivepoints came out in late April. Most of the songs on Halfway to Fivepoints were also previously released in Europe, but a few tracks are new. But the album reflects the same remarkable songwriting ability that caused me to rate the EP so highly.

Everything I say about Anna Ternheim needs to come with the disclaimer that all her songs come from a very dark place. Ternheim's work follows in the footsteps of the early recordings of Sarah McLachlan and Beth Orton, in that she taps into emotional depths that most people would just as soon pretend aren't there. However, despite English not being her native language, Ternheim combines a stark lyrical directness with a great poetic sensibility, to a degree that McLachlan and Orton can't match. The subject matter of the lyrics is often quite intense, and Ternheim frequently sings from the perspective of characters who don't necessarily reflect herself or are even admirable. On "Bridges," for example, Ternheim takes on the role of the controlling person in a very unhealthy relationship. On "Such A Lonely Soul," the woman in the song contemplates how to keep her lover's wife in the dark about what's going on. "Why trouble her lonely soul, she doesn't have to know, why tell her, it would hurt her so," Ternheim sings with no small amount of irony. Even the happiest song on the album, "Today Is a Good Day," is about a break-up.

Musically, Ternheim and producer Andreas Dählback aim for a cross between folk and alternative. Ternheim generally sounds more in her element on the quieter material, both with her own compositions and with her cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Little Lies." Like her cover of "China Girl" on the EP, Ternheim sings "Little Lies" in her own distinct style, and the cover is both radically different from, and considerably more compelling than, the original. On the album's best track "No Subtle Men," Ternheim sings about continuing to turn suitors away even though she's not so young anymore, and the conflict of emotions that result. By contrast, the arrangements on the album's rock songs don't always do the lyrics justice. "To Be Gone," an otherwise strong song about teenage depression, felt too retrained to be, while the electric version of "Lovers Dream" sounds cluttered compared to the stunning orchestrated acoustic version the was released on the EP.

In fact, despite having twice as many songs as the EP, Halfway to Fivepoints isn't quite as good. The EP's two strongest songs, "I'll Follow You Tonight" and "My Secret," are both better than anything included here. I also didn't see the point of having two songs overlap on both releases, and I'm really sorry they didn't include the song "Better Be" that I've seen on YouTube. Having said all that, Halfway to Fivepoints is still a solid release, full of extremely well written but very challenging, unnerving songs that are both beautiful and brutal in their emotional impact.

Overall grade: A-

reviewed by Scott

The B-52s, "FUNPLEX"

It's been quite a while since the B-52s released an album, but they're back in party mode with Funplex. Original members Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland have put together a solid, fun collection of party songs.

All the songs here are unapologetically light, often very silly, usually involve sex or sexual innuendo, and pretty catchy. "Funplex," the first single, is all about heartbreak at the mall. "Love in the Year 3000" wonders what future will bring for love and comes up with "Robots, Bootybots, Erotobots... in the spandex spiral vortex." In "Dancing Now" the cure for a broken heart is to keep dancing, and you can just guess what the "Deviant Ingredient" is.

All the songs on Funplex have a lot of energy, from the pounding percussion to soaring vocals. After a while, the songs have a similar sound and can blend together in the mind's ear after the album is done. Still, the B-52s clearly wanted to make an album that was just about fun, love, and sex with no deeper meanings or goals... and they succeeded at that. If you're having a party, want some fun songs to blast in the car, or just want to put your mind on hold and listen to something fun, pick up Funplex.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a spoof of the life of Johnny Cash, loosely following the film, Walk the Line. While it's always a challenge to successfully pull of a spoof, this one does a worse job than most, and falls flat on its face.

First of all, I'm not even sure where they came up with the name Dewey Cox (played by John C. Reilly), but it's annoying. All the characters are as deep as a movie cutout figure, complete with plastered down hair. While at first, the double entendre songs are entertaining, but within a short while, they were grating on my nerves as well, despite liberal use of the remote control's fast forward button for the DVD player. Finally, pushing the limits of what can be on a screen, even for a movie rated R, there were some rather exposing scenes that made this film completely inappropriate for family viewing. Sure, the 60's were all about peace, love and understanding, but quite often the suggestion of something is a lot more interesting than showing the whole thing, especially when it doesn't contribute or add to anything.

Was there anything good about this? Well, unfortunately, before we write Walk Hard off, there were. The scene with Dewey sitting around with The Beatles was actually kind of cute. Also, the scene where Dewey goes through his Bob Dylan stage was also hilarious as the performed song was this mish mash of multiple Dylan tunes.

Unfortunately though, a few clips, more suitable for a viral video on YouTube, does not quality cinema make. Even accounting for the few funny parts, on the balance, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story isn't worth the time to view.

Overall Grade: C-

Reviewed by Jonas

Mike Doughty, Golden Delicious (ATA Records, 2008)

New Yorker Mike Doughty first made a name for himself singing and playing guitar in the eccentric jazz/rock band Soul Coughing. That band broke up in 2000, after which Doughty spent several years getting his solo career off the ground. A couple of his homemade recordings eventually got the attention of Dave Matthews, who signed Doughty to his ATO label. The first result of this pairing was the solid 2005 album Haughty Melodic. Starting with the single "Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well," Haughty Melodic was full of witty and insightful songs.

Regrettably, Doughty's new album Golden Delicious fails to approach the same standard. Doughty instead comes across as a tired songwriter fresh out of good ideas. The single "27 Jennifers" is decent enough, but it's actually a re-recording of an older song of Doughty's, and several songs on Haughty Melodic were better. Otherwise, too much of the album seems lyrically forced, at least in the few cases when the choruses have actual words and weren't borrowed wholesale from some place else. Doughty's singing style has always incorporated an improvised, sort of hip hop variant of scat singing. In the past this had a sort of quirky charm that worked for him in general, but on Golden Delicious it just sounds overused and clichéd. And while I agree with the sentiments of the politically charged opening song "Fort Hood," which deals with people's indifference to what's going on in Iraq, the appropriation of the chorus of "Let the Sunshine In" from the musical/movie Hair didn't strike me as being inspired as much as too cute by half. The only lyric that caught my attention comes on the song "Like a Luminous Girl," when he sings about meeting somebody at the station in Ronkonkoma. While I can't help wondering who he knows that lives out my way, the reference to my home town wasn't enough to keep Golden Delicious afloat for me.

I'd still strongly recommend Haughty Melodic to to people interested in Mike Doughty's music. Golden Delicious, by unfortunate contrast, just finds Doughty at a loss for inspiration.

Overall grade: C+

reviewed by Scott

De Novo Dahl, Move Every Muscle Make Every Sound (Roadrunner Records, 2008)

De Novo Dahl are a Nashville-based indie rock band featuring Joel J Dahl (vocals, guitar, lyrics), Keith Lowen (bass, vocals), Serai Zaffiro (vocals, omnichord), Joey Andrews (drums), and Matt Hungate (keyboards, vocals). While they specialize in sunny power pop, Dahllyrics have more depth than you might notice at first glance. Their third album Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound came out in March.

The opening song "Shout" is the obvious single. While there is some similarity in lyrical theme to the Tears for Fears song of the same title, this song is both more aggressive and catchier. The most intriguing song on the album, though, is the six-minute "Means to an End." Set to an edgy musical backdrop reminiscent of John Lennon, Dahl and Zaffiro trade verses while taking the roles of some sort of special agents in a surreal science fiction story. Otherwise De Novo Dahl do a fine job of mixing things up, from the bouncy pop of "Make Some Sense," to the more punkish "Be Your Man," to the disco of "Shakedown." There's even some sharp social commentary in the song "Marketplace": "We've built an empire of broken down homes. We laugh with our neighbors and say we've never felt so empty and alone." Listen closely for the church organ near the end of the song.

With Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound, De Novo Dahl have made a fine power pop recording that succeeds in being fun and catchy without being one-dimensional. I get the feeling that this a band that we'll hear more good things from in the future.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings, 2008)

The members of Vampire Weekend met while studying at Columbia University in New York City, and took their name from a B-movie they all worked on. Describing their sound as "Upper West Side Soweto," Ezra Koenig (vocals and guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (keyboards, guitar, producer), Chris Baio (bass), and Chris Tomson (drums) combine rock and punk with reggae and township jive. It's an intriguing combination to say the least, and despite some reservations I have, they pull it off fairly well on their self-titled debut album.

Given lyrics making multiple references to Cape Cod, college life, designer clothes, and gourmet tea, it would be very easy to describe Vampire Weekend as punk reggae for preppies, with all the dismissiveness that implies. They redeem themselves, though, by demonstrating a firm understanding of the music they emulate. This is made particularly remarkable by the fact that their primary influences, from Bob Marley to bands like The Clash and The English Beat to even Paul Simon's Graceland, come from before the band members were even born. And they also do a good job of working world music influences into a mainstream rock and pop context, which is something I wish more bands would try to do. And it's produced some positive commercial results too, as the energetic single "A-Punk" has gotten substantial play on mainstream radio.

Youthful energy, combined with a willingness to venture into musical territory that most people their age know nothing about, give Vampire Weekend a sound that's a breath of fresh air in today's pop market. With a little bit of maturity, they could be major players in the music scene in the years to come.

Overall grade: B

reviewed by Scott

Keren Ann (Blue Note Records, 2007)

To call singer/songwriter Keren Ann Zeidel a globetrotter would be an understatement. Born in Israel to a Russian-Jewish father and a Javanese-Dutch mother, she has lived in Israel, the Netherlands, Paris, and New York, and maintains both Israeli and Dutch citizenship. Most of her early recordings were largely in French, but her self-titled album from last year is the first of her albums to be sung entirely in English.

The album starts out well enough, with the first two song "It's All a Lie" and "Lay Your Head Down" having a cool vibe reminiscent of The Velvet Underground. "Lay Your Head Down," in particular, qualifies as a strong single. But the album loses its momentum from that point. Most of the songs on the album are just too soft. Only near the end, with the song "Between the Flatland and the Caspian Sea," do things pick up again. By that point, unfortunately, I had more or less lost interest.

Keren Ann is not without talent, and her album does have a couple of songs to recommend it. But the songs in the middle of the album suffer from a crippling lack of energy, without anything really distinctive or noteworthy about them to maintain my interest level. Now granted, I just gave a glowing review to Anna Ternheim, whose songs are not exactly happy and bouncy, but Ternheim has the songwriting ability to make a soft, acoustic ballad hit you with an emotional impact equivalent to the force of a bomb. Keren Ann's music by contrast, just tends to float unobtrusively in the corner.

overall grade: C+

reviewed by Scott

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (Rounder, 2007)

Alison Krauss, both solo and backed by her band Union Station, has been a dominant figure in the bluegrass and alternative country scenes for two decades. Robert Plant, among other things, was the lead singer of Led Zeppelin. Neither needs much of an introduction, but the two performers hardly come across at first glance as likely people to collaborate on an album. However, their careers are both deeply rooted in the musical traditions of America, particularly country and blues. After hearing them together on the unapologetically rootsy Raising Sand, the pairing now seems perfectly natural.

The third collaborator on the project is guitarist/producer T-Bone Burnett. In addition to his own solo career, Burnett's very extensive resume includes production credits for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, and his ex-wife Sam Phillips. He is probably best known, though, for co-ordinating and producing the soundtrack for the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?

From start to finish, Raising Sand is straightforward, old school country and rock. Indeed, the album largely sounds like it could have been made over forty years ago. The arrangements are mostly sparse, with not much besides one guitar, bass, drums, and occasionally Krauss' fiddle accompanying the vocalists. Both the singers are in fine form. Plant has had the tendency in some of his solo work to try a little to hard to hit notes that are no longer in his range, but he sings within himself here and sounds really good.

Most of the songs date back to the fifties and early sixties, including covers of country and rock standards like Mel Tillis' "Stick With Me, Baby," The Everly Brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone" and Benny Spellman's "Fortune Teller." The one new song, "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us," was written by Sam Phillips. My favorite song on the album is "Please Read the Letter," a song Plant had written and initially recorded with Jimmy Page on their Walking into Clarksdale album.

If you're looking for some basic no-frills rock and roll, then Raising Sand will do nicely. It's not groundbreaking or overwhelming, but it's a fun little record that proves that the music of the early rock era can still sound fresh and vital today in the right hands.

Overall grade: B

reviewed by Scott

The Hooters, Time Stand Still (Hooters Music, 2008)

Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian first met in the seventies, while taking a class on the synthesizer at the University of Pennsylvania. Together they played in a couple of different bands in the Philadelphia rock scene, before starting The Hooters in 1980. Consisting of Hyman (vocals, keyboards, melodica), Bazilian (vocals, guitar, mandolin, saxophone), Andy King (bass and vocals), John Lilley (rhythm guitar), and David Uosikkinen (drums), The Hooters recorded an independent album in 1983 before a huge opportunity came their way courtesy of Rick Chertoff, a classmate of Hyman and Bazilian who had gone on to be a producer. Chertoff was working on an album with an unknown singer named Cyndi Lauper, and he needed a backing band for a number of songs. The resulting album She's So Unusual produced several major hit singles, including "Time After Time," co-written by Lauper and Hyman. This quickly led to The Hooters getting a major label signing.

Aided by MTV, 1985's Nervous Night quickly gained The Hooters a national following. "All You Zombies" may have been a reggae song about the Old Testament, and the power pop songs "And We Danced" and "Day By Day" may have both featured prominent use of the mandolin, but the band's quirkiness went over well at least initially. On One Way Home from 1987, the band aimed for more depth and generally succeeded. "Satellite" poked fun at televangelism and "Johnny B" dealt with addiction, while "Karla With A K" is a folk-rock classic. The album was a major hit in Europe, especially in Germany, but their following at home started to quickly vanish. Andy King left after this, and was replaced by Fran Smith. Zig Zag, released in 1989, is one of the great lost albums of the eighties. Mixing all kinds of styles and lyrical themes, the album addressed many of the issues facing a rapidly changing world. Their adaptation of "500 Miles" captured the essence of the demonstration in China's Tianamen Square, an event that was horribly and tragically unsuccessful on its own terms but set the stage for the collapse of the rest of the Communist world. "Give The Music Back" turned out to be a very prophetic lament of the hostile corporate takeover of the music industry. Zig Zag got basically no attention at all in the United States, though, while selling strongly in Europe. The band made one more album in 1993, called Out of Body. They band tried a little to hard too get back on American radio with it, and the album not only seemed mostly forced, but failed to get anybody's attention here.

The Hooters more or less fizzled out at that point, although Hyman and Bazilian showed they were still capable of boosting other people's careers. Rick Chertoff again recruited their help to work on an album he was producing by a new singer named Joan Osborne. Osborne's debut album Relish was also a major hit, with Bazilian penning the album's biggest single "One of Us." Hyman, Bazilian, and Chertoff also collaborated on Largo, an intriguing 1998 album featuring many guest performers that basically celebrated the many facets of the immigrant experience in America. The Hooters played as a group on one track, but that appeared to be the end of their story. Then, in 2001, Hyman, Bazilian, Lilley, Uosikkinen, and Smith reunited for a concert in honor of a Philadelphia disc jockey. Originally a one-off performance, the band soon discovered that there was still a considerable demand for their music in Germany -- "Johnny B" has apparently become something of a barroom anthem over there -- and the band have crossed the Atlantic for a tour every summer since 2003. Other than warm-up shows in Philadelphia, though, The Hooters still haven't had much luck generating interest here.

Now, however, at least they have a new album to promote. Time Stand Still was recorded piecemeal over the past couple of years, and released last fall in Europe and this month in the United States. It marks the first new Hooters album in fifteen years. In addition to co-producing the album, Hyman and Bazilian co-wrote almost all of the tracks, except for a cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" and a song they wrote with Lilley called "Ordinary Lives." The mullets and bright-colored suits are mercifully long gone, but otherwise The Hooters remarkably pick up right where they left off. The most refreshing thing I discovered when listening to the new record is that the band have held on to the boyish enthusiasm that characterized all their best music. Most of the album consists of bright, energetic rockers featuring The Hooters' trademark blend of mandolins and accordions with rock instruments. Bazilian and especially Hyman both show a bit of wear in their voices, but the band's energy and spirit make up for it. The tone for the album is set by the positive, upbeat opening song "I'm Alive," a celebration of simply being here. The album's title tune is another catchy song, with Hyman and Bazilian singing about all the things they'd do if time was never an issue. The album does include a few good softer songs as well. "Until You Dare" is a solid ballad about taking chances, and "Ordinary Lives" reflects the band's healthy perspective on getting older. My favorite song on the new record is "Where The Wind May Blow," a minor-key rocker about navigating your way through troubled times. The Hooters finish the album with a bonus track called "White Jeans," a really fun, comical song about the ups and downs of the first band they played in when they were younger.

Time Stand Still is the work of a veteran band back after a long layoff who, instead of aiming to make a masterpiece or trying to mass-market themselves to an audience that probably won't notice, sound content to just be themselves and have fun making music together. I don't harbor any illusions of The Hooters winning over a whole generation of new fans, but old fans who've stuck around will be very pleased with this effort.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

Anna Ternheim (Decca Records, 2007)

Although Swedish songstress Anna Ternheim has released two full-length albums in Europe, this self-titled EP is her first American release. This EP may only have six songs running twenty-three minutes, but it was enough to convince me that Anna Ternheim is one of the best singer-songwriters going right now.

The album opens with a song called "Lovers Dream (Naked Version)." An alternate version, for which a video exists, was a single off of Ternheim's 2006 album Separation Road. The arrangement for this version consists only of an acoustic guitar and some orchestration beneath the vocals, but the overall effect is simply stunning. The shifting between major and minor keys, combined with some complex chord progressions, evokes some of Nick Drake's stronger material and carries a similar emotional potency. Ternheim's voice is a bit dry, but she really knows how to write melodies that not only bring out the best qualities in her singing, but enable her to effectively haunt the listener without overextending her vocal range. The second song "Bridges" is the EP's one new track. While this song features a more standard rock backing than the first one, the lyrics are actually a bit disturbing; Ternheim assumes the perspective of a person on the controlling end of what is clearly not a healthy relationship. The dissonant arrangement and harsh electric guitar further enhance the song's creepy, unsettling feel. The irony continues with "Today Is A Good Day," a happy breakup song that was another single off of Separation Road. Again, Ternheim shows a mastery of chordal structure well beyond her experience.

On "I'll Follow You Tonight," a single off her first album Somebody Outside, Ternheim sings about sticking with somebody one night longer, against her own better judgement. In addition to having a great melody in her distinctive style, this song reflects a remarkable sense of poetic balance, especially coming from a writer whose first language is not English. "And I'll follow you to any doorstep, any hallway, with hope of finding more, and not get shallow, not get bored, and find it useless, feeling meaningless, and just as low as I was high the night before." The EP also includes one cover, David Bowie's "China Girl." Ternheim does the song her way, not only bearing little similarity beyond the words to the original, but almost making you think that Bowie had intended for her to sing it all along. The last and most accessible song on the disc is "My Secret," also off of Somebody Outside. Even with an uncharacteristically positive love song, Ternheim seems to be cognizant of the risks involved. Still, this song is very catchy and singable.

Like Beth Orton, Anna Ternheim is not the kind of singer you go to when you're in the mood for some feel-good fluff. An evidently displeased poster below a YouTube video of another of her songs suggested that "People that can write such lyrics should be locked up." But I've always found dark music to be therapeutic, and the songs on this EP compare favorably with Orton's best songs. Given how highly I regard Orton's albums like Central Reservation and Daybreaker, that's saying a hell of a lot. I wouldn't rate Anna Ternheim quite as highly as I'd rate Pina, my favorite performer of the decade, at least not yet -- the originality in Pina's music and vocals still takes the cake. But Anna Ternheim is the superior lyricist, and like Pina she has a scary amount of raw talent. This EP would have been no worse than #2 on my top 10 list for 2007, and it already sets the bar for 2008 pretty high.

Overall grade: A

reviewed by Scott

A Pair of Musicals

Straying from the usual here, I'm going to group two reviews into one post. These two films go together under the general theme and disclaimer that while I like music, and I generally enjoy movies, for whatever reason, I just don't like movies that are musicals, and these two films didn't change that opinion by all that much.

Hairspray (2007)

First up is Hairspray. This is the 2007 film remake of a 1988 film, that was also a Broadway play. It features a plot that focuses on Baltimore in 1962, and racial integration on some American Bandstand knockoff show. It features John Travolta, Michelle Pfeifer, and newcomer Nikki Blonsky who was plucked from serving ice cream at a Cold Stone Creamery for the part in a real life "rags to riches" tale. While Nikki is well cast, I'm still wondering why we needed to have Travolta dressed in drag to play her mother. The novelty of this quickly wears off, and just didn't make sense to me. The highlight of Hairspray is the rockin' late 50's tunes, and proof that this endurable style of music can transcend generation, and that rock 'n roll is here to stay. Unfortunately, it can only save this saccharin sweet film that bases its theme on acceptance of all, by so much. Too bad the plot was too shallow, as a film like Talk To Me did a much better job of conveying this theme with the depth it deserves.

Overall Grade: C

Once (2006)

The second musical this week is less of a traditional one, the film Once. Instead of the snappy show tunes and the orchestra overture, we have two musicians turned actors, Glen Hansard, and Marketa Irglova, and not exactly well known ones at that. Hansard is the street performer by night with his guitar on the streets of Dublin, and by day he works at his father's vacuum cleaner shop. Irglova is a struggling Czech immigrant who cleans houses to support her daughter and mother. Together, they click, (after she gets her vacuum fixed of course). There is too much of a raw edge to this film that left me with a low budget feeling like we were making a rockumentary at some points. Also, too much of the dialogue gets done in foreign tongues, and with no subtitles that leaves us out of what is going on behind all the chatter. In addition, the plot kind of falls apart as the film concludes leaving us to wonder what this was all about. Still, the songs at least fit into the story better here, and don't feel as artificial as a singing squirrel in the forest that characterizes too many musicals. I'm thinking the bottom line is that this film is worth looking at Once if you're a fan of some simple acoustic folk rock. While the love affair between these two seems destined for the ages at the start, if fizzles faster than a stale pop rock.

Overall Grade: B-

Reviewed by Jonas

The Born Again Floozies, 7 Deadly Sinners (Triple R, 2007)

The Born Again Floozies defy an easy description. Then again, it would be a challenge to find the right words to say about any rock band whose rhythm section consists of a tuba and a pair of tap dancers. Throw in a group leader who plays guitar in a uniquely percussive style and writes quirky lyrics about Bible thumpers, getting arrested, and enjoying the company of society's various outcasts, and you have a great recipe for a novelty act. But will this group from Indianapolis still hold people's attention once the novelty of their debut CD 7 Deadly Sinners wears off?

Actually, they just might, due to the legitimate talents of Joey Welch, the head lunatic in the asylum. He's a fine singer and guitarist, and has written at least a couple of tunes whose catchiness transcends their off-kilter presentation. The title song is the obvious single here. Not only does "7 Deadly Sinners" provide a name for the album, but for the band as well: "Born again floozies, heretics all, practicing heathen makers, let's have a ball." "Do Did Does" and "Drivin by the Penetiary" are fine songs as well.

While I can't guarantee that the Born Again Floozies will be more than one-album wonders -- hell, this album may not even get them regular gigs outside of Indianapolis -- but 7 Deadly Sinners is a fun record with a few goofy but likeable songs. I'd definitely recommend this to people in the mood for something a bit different.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

The National, Boxer (Beggar's Banquet, 2007)

I subscribe to Paste Magazine, which specializes in coverage of independent music and film. I don't always agree with their opinions, but I do find the magazine to be an excellent source of information, and the CD they provide with each month's issue has given me reasons to buy many of the CD's that I've reviewed here over the past two years. Their choice for best album of 2007, by both the staff and their readers, is an album called Boxer by a group from Brooklyn called The National. Despite their location I'd never heard of the band, but this struck me as a sufficient reason to give their album a listen.

While The National's music fits snugly in the category of indie rock, they do try a lot of different things on Boxer. Little twists like the drum roll intro on "Squalor Victoria" keep the listener guessing, and the album as a result sounds anything but predictable. Matt Berninger (vocals), Aaron Dessner (guitar, bass, piano), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Bryan Devendorf (drums), and Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) handle hard rockers like "Mistaken for Strangers" and acoustic ballads like "Green Gloves" equally well. The most distinctive element of The National's sound, though, is the singing of Berninger. His deep voice evokes some of the 80's New Wave singers, like Robbie Grey of Modern English or Steve Kilbey of The Church. Despite a limited range, Berninger's delivery is quite effective.

I'm grateful to have found a couple of albums over the past year where the whole turned out to be greater than the sum of its parts. Boxer certainly fits that description. There's no standout track for everybody to download onto their MP3 player, but there's no wasted track either. Rather, Boxer steadily grows on you. The lack of a clear hit may regrettably restrict The National's audience, but after listening to Boxer a few times I can understand why it has generated such a favorable response.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

Suzanne Vega, Beauty & Crime (Blue Note Records, 2007)

Despite an unlikely hit with "Luka" off her second album in 1987, and an even less likely hit when DNA did a dance club remix of her a capella song "Tom's Diner" and topped the charts with it, Suzanne Vega has spent most of her rather long career well outside of the musical mainstream. Her songs are rooted in folk music, but Vega has shown a willingness to take more chances with her music than other folksingers have. Her seventh studio album Beauty & Crime reflects the distinctive style she has developed over the years, with quirky narratives about New York City and its many characters set to mostly acoustic music with a few twists thrown in.

Much of Beauty & Crime bears the influence of the unfortunate passing of Vega's brother Tim, beginning with the opening song "Zephyr & I." Zephyr was a friend of her brother's from childhood, and in the song he and Vega are recalling things while walking in the neighborhood on the Upper West Side, just below Columbia University, where they grew up. Other songs reflect Vega's interest in American culture from fifty or sixty years ago. In "New York Is A Woman," she compares her hometown to a classic femme fatale from an old noirish movie. "New York is a woman, she'll make you cry, and to her you're just another guy." "Frank & Ava" is a discourse on the stormy relationship between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Despite the odd subject matter, the song boasts a cool guitar hook and some fine high harmonies from special guest K. T. Tunstall. (And it's likely to be the only time in history where the word "bidet" was worked into the lyrics of a pop song.)

Vega keeps the musical arrangements on Beauty & Crime characteristically eclectic. While she's generally classified as a folk artist, she can turn things up at least a little bit as well, and like to throw a few curve balls into the mix as well. On "Unbound," for example, she puts some upbeat electronic drums underneath her acoustic guitar and makes it sound perfectly natural.

As a result, Beauty & Crime never gets dull. Many folk singer/songwriters have come and gone in the twenty-two years that Suzanne Vega has been a recording artist, including plenty of women. A lot of them almost seem to go out of their way to avoid distinguishing themselves from each other musically, but Vega continues to be an exception. I don't think she's a superior songwriter to Dar Williams, another one of the exceptions, but Williams could learn a lot from Vega on how to make a folk record sound consistently fresh and interesting.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

Dan Fogelberg, 1951-2007

photo by Henry Diltz