JEREMY ENIGK - “WORLD WAITS”

Friday, February 02, 2007

CD: JEREMY ENIGKâ€""WORLD WAITS"

Review: Opening with an orchestral flourish called “A New Beginning,” Jeremy Enigk’s latest album may not sound completely new to those familiar with his earlier work, but this record still shows him stepping forward into territory quite different from his days leading Sunny Day Real Estate. Enigk has never been afraid to rock out, but with World Waits he also shows he knows how to temper these instincts with mellower moments. The songs emotional focus is largely one of melancholy hopefulness, and Enigk relies on layers of acoustic guitars, pianos, and other keyboards to propel the tunes forward. He even puts a mandolin front-and-center on “Dare A Smile,” a move unimaginable in his early days. Enigk also laces these songs with background vocals containing their own separate melody lines. This not only makes the tunes more interesting and laden with hooks, it also emphasizes how Enigk seems to be emphasizing the “roll” as much as the ‘rock” in his current songwriting. Indeed, some of these songs positively swing along atop their largely acoustic foundation. There is no lack of punch, however, with “Been There Before” and “City Tonight” being just two of the standouts in this regard. For fans of melodic, lushly produced, and at times anthemic indie-rock, this is a standout album.

-----

WILLIE NELSON - “SONGBIRD”

Friday, February 02, 2007

CD: WILLIE NELSONâ€""SONGBIRD"

Review: In forty-plus years, there have been over 100 Willie Nelson albums on the market. Some have been put out without his cooperation, some have been put out for purely financial (i.e. back taxes) reasons, and, thankfully, many have been put out because of his artistry. Songbird definitely falls into the latter category. Produced by Ryan Adams and accompanied by Adams backing band The Cardinals (along with Willie’s longtime harmonica cohort Mickey Raphael), Songbird once again sees Nelson brilliantly interpreting works covering a wide range of great songwriters. Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Jerry Garcia’s “Stella Blues” are two of the standouts, and Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” gives the album it’s title. With Adams at the helm and his band laying the musical foundation, it should come as no surprise that the album sounds nearly as much like Adam’s recent work as it does any of Willie’s recent recordings. What does come as a surprise is how well the combination works. Nelson has always tended towards vocal interpretations that bring out the bluesy, relaxed, even resigned feelings in the material. Songbird’s music, however, underpins this world-weary feel with a much greater intensity than we are used to from a Willie Nelson album. His version of “Amazing Grace” is positively spooky, with a gothic organ bringing out the element of fear present in the song. Adam’s own “Blue Hotel, ” along with Gram Parson’s “$1000 Wedding,” rock strongly alongside Nelson’s wistful voice. Fans of pure country will be satisfied with Nelson’s one original contribution, “Back To Earth,” as well as the waltz- tempo “Sad Songs and Waltzes” and good-time vibe of “We Don’t Run”. Whatever the tune, Adams has drawn out Willie’s laid-back pop instincts and married them to his own more forceful musical approach. And as with any good marriage, both parties seem to be enriched by the presence of the other.

-----

TALKDEMONIC - “BEAT ROMANTIC”

Friday, February 02, 2007

CD: TALKDEMONIC - "BEAT ROMANTIC"

Review: Talkdemonic is composed of two members whose primary instruments are drums and viola, which gives you a good flavor for the instrumental stylings on offer here.

While most techno artists replace the drummer first and then add live instrumentation over programmed beats (see above), Talkdemonic does the opposite, using live drums to underpin the programmed offerings of guitars, synths, and live and sampled strings and keyboards. To these (drumming) ears, this keeps the music fresh and propulsive no matter how laid-back the music. “Folktronica” is the (not inappropriate) moniker currently being slapped on music of this type, but whatever the label, Beat Romantic captures the essence of its title beautifully.

-----

MYSTIKOS QUINTET - “MYSTIKOS QUINTET”

Friday, February 02, 2007

CD: MYSTIKOS QUINTET - "MYSTIKOS QUINTET"

Review: The Mystikos Quintet is the brainchild of local Indianapolis artist G. Rode, and let us hope that Mr. Rode continues favoring us with musical offerings like this, for this CD is nothing less than brilliant, one of the most finely crafted local CDs I have heard. Rode’s background includes time spent honing his skills in folk and roots-rock scenes in other locales, but he has certainly come into his own with this endeavor, a combination of live and programmed instruments that fits squarely into the downtempo, funk, and jazzy sides of instrumental electronica. Ably assisted by four other musicians who provide live and sampled doses of bass, guitar, saxophone, flute, and trumpets, with Rode providing keyboards and programmed beats, the Mystikos Quintet sounds fully formed on this debut CD. And unlike so many “groups” of this type, the music sounds anything but canned or cobbled together, Rather, the music feels completely live and natural. Starting off with a simple cowbell and conga pattern, soon joined by a samba-like bass line and drum beat, the opening track “Easy Listening” sets the template for what is to follow. With a funky, Jimmy-Smith like organ pattern, catchy trumpet line, keyboards sounding like a vibraphone, and capped with beautiful sax and piano fills, this song is stuffed to the brim with great melodies and hooks all set to a swinging, laid-back groove. Indeed, while most artists are satisfied with one good hook per song (if they can muster even that), the Mystikos Quintet stuffs numerous hooks into every tune, with each instrument usually entering the music with its own memorable hook-line. This is a tall task for even one song, but Rode proceeds to pull it off on nearly every track. Tempos are laid-back but deep enough to allow anyone to groove to the music, with the added kicker being the jazzy nature of much of the soloing, with particular kudos going to Slick Harper on trumpet and Danny Mumford on saxophone and unbelievable soulful flute. The strongest comparison would definitely be to prime-era Jimmy Smith, but there is plenty here for fans of Portishead, Jazzanova, Nightmares On Wax, or even Sade (instrumental, mind you) to get their heads around. Indeed, lovers of the “groovy” side of all things musical will be in heaven with this disc. I say “more please,” and we Hoosiers should be supremely proud to count G. Rode and his Quintet as one of our own, although I predict it will only be a matter of time before these sounds extend their reach far beyond this state. My only question now is, “Where’s the live show?” Watch this space for more information on this front, but for now, just pick up this CD, lay back, and enjoy.

-----