The Qualia - Memorial Gore

The Qualia - Memorial Gore
2011, WTII Records

A lot of unusual things happen in Brooklyn.  Where else could a quartet like Lars Casteen, Rossen Nedelchev, Chvad SB and Zakai Robbins come together?  And where else would an utter blend of musical sounds and styles solidify into the synth-based musical menagerie of The Qualia?  Growing up in Charlottesville, Casteen rebelled against the Dave Matthews-induced onslaught of commercial roots/pop/jazz/rock, seeking out the grand synthesized sounds of the new wave era.   Step forward nearly two decades and Casteen casts his pen in all musical wells, drawing forth sounds from disparate backgrounds and marrying them in catchy numbers that defy categorization. His band, The Qualia, will release their latest EP, Memorial Gore, on June 14, 2011.

Memorial Gore opens with "Guess I Lied", a mildly catchy, mid-tempo new wave number driven by an incessant, alternating bass rhythm and staccato piano.  Casteen is solid on vocals, and the song makes a decent first impression for the band.  "Triple Crown" finds The Qualia sounding a great deal like Canadian rockers 54-40.  Heavy electronic effects, a big bass sound and big hooks make for an intriguing background, but Casteen sounds so much like Neil Osborne it's a bit scary.  "World Gets Around" is a stark story song with a sudden cut ending that will surprise you in its pure sensibility.  Things get a bit bland beside a wall of sound approach on "Keep It Coming", but The Qualia recovers somewhat with the meandering, electronically enhanced ballad "Fat On The Baby".  Memorial Gore closes with the danceable new wave of "Volcanoe (Diogenes Club Mix)".  This is middle of the road pop/dance material that you can move to, but won't particularly move you.

Memorial Gore finds The Qualia seemingly casting about for something - a sound; a style; a hook..  it's not entirely clear where the band is going.  That's sort of the point, to read their bio on their website, but makes it particularly difficult for the band to connect with fans.  There's little or no commonality throughout the six-song EP that helps to build a connection for listeners, other than the utter variability of the experience.  While this will hold fascination for some, it's the sort of fascination that tends to flee as the next new something comes along.  The Qualia show themselves to be musical solid on Memorial Gore, and Lars Casteen certainly displays chops as a singer and songwriter, but the net impression left of The Qualia at the end of Memorial Gore is of a band still trying to figure out just who they are musically, and trying to do too many things in the process.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Qualia at www.thequalia.com or www.myspace.com/thequalia.   Memorial Gore dropped on June 14, 2011.  The album is available for pre-order via Amazon.com as a CD or Download.

The Trews - Hope & Ruin

The Trews - Hope & Ruin
2011, The Trews Records

Toronto rock quartet The Trews have ten Top-10 singles and 2 gold records to show for their first three albums, yet the band chooses to break new ground on their fourth album, Hope & Ruin.  Colin MacDonald (vocals); John Angus (guitar); Sean Dalton (drums) and Jack Syperek (bass) have been one of Canada's top live acts for a few years now, becoming known for a heavy, guitar-driven sound.  This time around the Trews created music live in the studio.  Hope & Ruin consequently features flashes of the sound that have made The Trews crowd favorites, but also displays the band in greater depth than their prior works.

The Trews begin in familiar territory, with the guitar-driven pop/rock of "Misery Loves Company".  The song is built on a wonderfully catchy hook, with vocal harmonies wound around MacDonald's lead like aural gift wrapping.  Muscle aside, "Misery Love Company" could vie for recognition as the mythical perfect three-minute pop song.  "One By One" is catchy Americana/rock with rapid-fire lyrics and a memorable chorus.  The song is built on a pervasive riff that takes on a life of its own.  "People Of The Deer" is high energy, melodic hard-rock with seething pop sensibilities.  MacDonald's voice drives this one, but ambitious guitar work and a killer chorus complete the effect nicely. 

"Stay With Me" is a bit maudlin for a love ballad, falling into a sound that's part Counting Crows and part Gin Blossoms.  Similarly, "Hope & Ruin" is catchy at first listen but gets a bit bland beyond the pacing of the song.  The Trews fall into a bit of a rut with "The World I Know" and "Dreaming Man", but turn it over with "I'll Find Someone Who Will".  In spite being a bit heavy on repetition, the song is a solid pop-oriented rocker about the need for dysfunction in a relationship.  It's a solid arrangement; MacDonald and The Trews may make you think of Bob Seger singing with the Gin Blossoms here.  "Love Is The Real Thing" is a solid and catchy acoustic rocker, and sets up the closer, "Burned" quite nicely.  "Burned" stays with the Seger/Gin Blossoms sound, with MacDonald adding a soulful blues feel to the vocal line that is appealing.

The Trews stepped outside of their usual template to create the surprisingly effective Hope & Ruin.  Like any band that evolves over time, The Trews may find some of their fan base who have a hard time with the adjustment, but there's enough appealing change here to bring in a host of new fans as well.  Hope & Ruin is an evocative change of pace for The Trews without abandoning their heritage as a band.  Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that The Trews haven't been heavily courted south of the proverbial 54-40 before now.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Trews at www.thetrewsmusic.com or www.myspace.com/thetrews.  Hope & Ruin is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Review: Vitamin-D - Bridge

Vitamin-D - Bridge
2009, Water Key Publishing

Dennis Cronin learned musical subtlety out of necessity. Unable to master the high notes on his trumpet as a child, Cronin took his strengths, subtlety and a deliberate approach to melody and built upon them. Years later, Cronin continues to play to his strengths as the front man of Brooklyn’s Vitamin-D. Delivering mellow pop with classical and jazz influences, Vitamin-D has slowly built a quiet but devoted following and looks to broaden their influence with their sophomore album, Bridge.

Bridge opens with “Keeper”, a gentle but not timid pop song that features trumpet as a central instrumental voice. The song is fetching in subtle fashion. “Upstaged” is a mildly catchy rock tune that elicits thoughts of Tom Petty at his best. On “Astoria Bridge”, Vitamin-D gets a bit more guitar oriented; using trumpet to provide a distinctive counter-melody. Cronin and Vitamin-D stretch themselves a bit on “The Summer Crossing”, bringing a dose of esoteric beauty into the pop realm. Vitamin-D gets a bit more artistic on “Trumpet Moment 2”, a musical picture of a city neighborhood waking from sleep in the early hours of the morning around the incessant honking of a car alarm. Compositionally free-form, trumpet becomes both a percussive and lyric instrument in this one song. “Good Fit” is more of a solid, guitar-oriented pop tune, reminiscent of 54-40. “Beneficial Bridge” goes for more of a layered, ethereal-pop feel. Vitamin-D closes with William Schuman’s “George Washington Bridge”.

Vitamin-D proves that there’s always a market for something a little bit different in the world of music. Bridge follows gentle and shifting streams of pop music, infusing jazz and orchestral elements to create something bordering on unique. Bridge is a pleasant listen throughout. It’s not an overly challenging collection of songs, but Bridge is certain to please.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Vitamin-D at http://www.vitamindmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/vitamindmusic. You can order Bridge as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: Morphine - At Your Service

Morphine - At Your Service
2009, Rhino Records

Morphine blazed a trail of critical success from their founding in 1989 to the untimely death of lead singer Mark Sandman (Treat Her Right) onstage in 1999. Blues, Jazz and Rock all blended in a rough and ready musical patois at the hands of Morphine, formed by Sandman and Dana Colley in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While Morphine ended up on major labels Rykodisc and DreamWorks, they never lost the INDIE spirit they were born of, and fans to this day still speak in reverential tones of shows they attended in the band's heyday. 2009 sees the release of At Your Service, a double disc collection of live and unreleased tracks.

Morphine is at their best when the Blues elements come out in their music. Songs like Bye Bye Johnny and Lunch In Hell shine. You'll also here elements of Middle Eastern music, Rhythm N Blues and just about anything else you can imagine. Come Over is a delicious acoustic Blues/Rock tune that opens the album and sets the tone. It's Not Like That Anymore shows longing for times gone past and then goes on to point out why the old times weren't as good as we remember. Patience is a personal favorite, reminiscent of Canadian band 54-40, with the same plain-spoken sensibility. Imaginary Song and Only One sound like they may have been distinct influences on one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Ron Hawkins. Check out his work with the Rusty Nails and there are definite Morphine influences at work.

The best songwriting on the disc is the subtle yet powerful Empty Box; the meanings running much deeper than the words that are sung. Other highlights include Free Love, Scratch, I'd Catch You, The Night and Take Me With You.

At Your Service will be a boon for established fans of Morphine. Some of the recordings are stronger than others, and the folks who put this together may have reached a bit to fill out two CDs, but in general the collection is a strong one. If you've always wondered what Morphine was all about, this is a great introduction.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Morphine at www.myspace.com/morphinetrio. You can purchase At Your Service as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: HB3 - The Veldt

HB3 - The Veldt
2007, Zegnotropic Records

HB3 is setting music free with a sound that combines organic electric instruments with electronic sounds and effects in fashion that might just be unique. Bridging the gaps from Charlie Parker to Eric Johnson to Yes and through Ravi Shankar on the way back, HB3 paints with a broad musical brush that's as interesting as it is hard to predict. HB3's latest album, The Veldt, is loosely based on the Ray Bradbury short story of the same name. HB3 looks to create a musical place of pure imagination and creativity both as a refuge from the world and a means to understand it.

The Veldt opens with Overture (Behold The Sea), sounding a bit like Mannheim Steamroller with Eric Johnson on guitar and Rick Wakeman sitting in on keys. Keyboard, guitar and piccolo bass pass the major and minor themes back and forth in a composition with theatrical implications. Pay Me Pray Me is described by HB3 as a prayer to Eros; the song itself is hard to decipher on the lyric side but plays like a very repressed alt-rocker with progressive tendencies in the chorus. The Veldt plays off of African rhythms and a somewhat demented bit of song construction to create a fantastical vision that crosses cultural and musical boundaries with each sonic breath. Perhaps the most interesting interlude in the song is a bass solo that sounds like it has been amplified with some electronic effects.

Casual Betrayal sews together threads of Brit Rock, Folk and 1980's keyboard-driven New Wave; the song explores the lack of honor in modern society and how it is passed from generation to the next like a social disease. HB3 manages to sound quite a lot like 54-40's Neil Osborne on this track. Manimal! combines Hip-Hop and Electronica with Horror-movie style themes. Manimal! is all over the musical map and is better heard than described. Harmonium takes Dennis DeYoung-style keyboard work (you might pick out distinct similarities to the opening of Fooling Yourself) and builds into something reminiscent of some of the experimental soundtrack work of the late 1980's. Fans of Giorgio Moroder will find themselves on familiar territory for much of the song.

On 007, HB3 pays tribute to Isao Tomita with a composition that runs the gamut Sci-Fi and Space Age novelty. Computers and spaceships as they may have been sonically imagined in the 1960's and 1970's reign here. Close But No Cigar is one of the most intriguing compositions here; I spent a dozen or so trips through this song trying to come up with a "sounds like" comparison and couldn't find anything that quite fit. The closest I came is to think of Pink Floyd as produced by William Ackerman. The Veldt closes out with Lion & Lamb which turns out to be something of a musical reprise of the entire album, in turns. Most or all of the major thematic elements of the individual songs come back in Lion & Lamb; a sort of musical yang and yin that compels the album while drawing all of the pieces together.

It's rare to come across a recording that's wholly original. HB3 achieves this not by fearing or shunning his influences, but by embracing them wholeheartedly and using them to loving create new ideas with old phrases. In a medium governed by eight basic notes it is often the music musicians themselves consume that drives their creations. HB3 takes all of these musical ideas that have entered his mind over the years and resets them as something wholly new and original. The Veldt is brilliant.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about HB3 at http://www.hb3.com/ or www.myspace.com/fromthelaboratory. You can purchase The Veldt as either CD or download at CDBaby.com.

Review: Jets Overhead - No Nations

Jets Overhead - No Nations
2009, Vapor Records

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada's Jets Overhead returns with their sophomore album, No Nations, the follow-up to 2006's Bridges, which earned the band a Juno nomination as "New Group of the Year". Produced by 54-40's Neil Osborne (the guy who wrote I Go Blind; made famous in the US by Hootie & The Blowfish); No Nations has a cinematic modern rock texture that fits perfectly with the band's tendency to create scene-heavy videos. Jets Overhead has already received attention from KCRW (Los Angeles) and WXPN (Philadelphia) for No Nations, and the masses can't be far behind.

No Nations opens with I Should Be Born, a mid-tempo, mellow rock tune with a big, layered sound and an insular vocal approach reminiscent of The Cowboy Junkies' Margo Timmons. This is the sort of mellow rock than can explode into a big sound on the concert stage, and vocalist Antonia Freybe-Smith sounds like she has a lot more power and texture than comes across here. Heading For Nowhere features Adam Kittredge on vocals with Freybe-Smith on harmony. The melody here is very strong and works well in this straight up rock arrangement. The chorus in particular is the sort that you sing along with the first time you hear it. Weathervanes (In The Way) soars on the same melodic highways and byways of old Alan Parsons tunes; the harmonies constructed within the song are nothing short of gorgeous.

Sure Sign is a pleasant listen but gets so stuck in its own chorus it can wear on the listener after a while. Freybe-Smith returns to the forefront on Time Will Remember; perhaps my favorite song on the disc. The musical aesthetic is still largely quiet and reserved but there's a lot of life underneath where guitar, piano, bass and percussion intermingle. Always A First Time carries a delicious mix of optimism and melancholy, all wrapped into amazing vocal harmonies and a simple yet positive arrangement. No Nations wraps up with Tired Of The Comfort, using the same mix of lush harmonies and melodies that get stuck in your aural canal to create a mellow yet moving listening experience.

No Nations took a few listens to really get into, but now I don't want to take it out of the CD player. It's a quietly compelling album, chatting you up with nuances deep and varied, slipping in melodies that keep you on the line and shut you down with harmonies you can't resist. Jets Overhead have created not just an album in No Nations, but a listening experience.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Jets Overhead at http://www.jetsoverhead.com/. You can purchase a copy of No Nations through Amazon.com. Downloads can be purchased from Amazon MP3 or iTunes.

Review: The Bludlows – Americaville

The Bludlows – Americaville
2009, The Bludlows

The Bludlows rose to pre-eminence in the Boston Rock N Roll scene with their mix of Rock, Punk and even Americana. With influences including The Rolling Stones, Tool, Pavement, Nirvana, Bob Dylan and Captain Beefheart, it is safe to expect the unexpected. The Bludlows’ latest CD, Americaville, finds the band testing out all sorts of musical waters.

Americaville opens with the frenetic guitars of the title track; you'll be looking for a pit from the opening chords. The bass is the star of this song, driving the action with a vibrant and inventive bass line that varies the sound. The song is loosely political, lamenting the decline of America both internally and in the eyes of the world. ATG is Post-Punk Americana that sounds like a cross between 54-40 and the Tragically Hip. The song takes a shot at the greed of corporate executives in a veiled and mildly humorous fashion. On Layin' Down, The Bludlows hit the Tragically Hip sound-alike button once again in one of the more enjoyable tracks on the disc. Blockade is very catchy, built on a guitar riff that runs 8 bars and acts almost as a counter-melody. The Bludlows close out Americaville with Point Of Reference, a seven minute-plus musical odyssey that borders on the psychedelic Noize popular in the late-1960's.

Americaville plays like a soundtrack to a world in decline, joining together post-Punk sensibilities with sonic dissonance and the occasional big hook that binds it all together. The Bludlows come across as a sonically talented but stylistically ambivalent band that play what they want, caution be damned. Americaville is an interesting listen that suggests there are more involved and divergent tunes yet to be born in the heart of Boston. Check them out and stick around for the ride. It could be interesting.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Bludlows at their homepage or on MySpace. You can purchase Americaville as either a CD or download at CDBaby.

Review: Cara Luft - The Light Fantastic

Cara Luft - The Light Fantastic
2007, Black Hen Music

Winnipeg’s Cara Luft is a musical tour-de-force that you might never have heard of if you live outside of Canada. An integral part of folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys, Luft chose to follow her own path in 2005 after three years, two albums and one Juno Award for Best Roots album. Nicknamed “Jenny Van Halen” for her raucous guitar style, Luft is as accomplished with an axe as she is behind the microphone. Her album, The Light Fantastic, is a wonderful mix of the spiritual and the mundane, the certain and the in-between. Produced by Neil Osborne (54-40), The Light Fantastic features multi-instrumentalist Hugh McMillan (Spirit Of The West, James Keelaghan), Richard Moody (The Bills) and Christian Dugas. It a rare gem in popular music; a spending musical experience with outstanding storytelling.

Cara Luft shows an ability to capture moments and people in song that is uncanny. Whether her subjects are real or imagined, or even herself, Luft opens a window in each song on a person, place or time that is so believable you can almost touch them. Her voice is perfectly suited to this style of country/Americana; a warm alto with a bit of small-town country sass. The Light Fantastic opens with There's A Train, a song about escaping a relationship that's an emotional tempest, even if it means leaving home. Luft has a subtle power in his voice and is deft at using it to accentuate the emotions the protagonist feels here. This leads into No Friend Of Mine; with a lyrical economy that packs a punch, Luft tells someone who's no good for her to get lost. Turning the tables, Talk For A While is inspired by a bit of non-committal vulnerability; it's an incredibly human emotion in song, caught perfectly like a photograph set to music.

From a pure musical standpoint, Black Water Side is one of the more memorable moments on the album, with a wonderful arrangement that captures motion and movement within the notes and rhythms of the song. Luft's version of Lord Roslyn's Daughter may have officially transplanted the Great Big Sea rendition as my favorite version of this traditional tune. Luft delivers a stirring vocal performance, blending with unforgettable harmony vocals that are full of urgency you can almost reach out and grab. For all of this, however, Give It Up is by far my favorite song on the disc. It's a statement of self-worth from a woman who knows who she is and what she wants. It's probably one of the best takes on this subject since R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

No Strength takes a deep angst, partners it with a wonderful hook and some amazing rhythmic guitar playing and turns into a highly memorable song. Wilcox explores the utter surprise and wonderment of a person taken out of their normal element and caught on the Canadian Prairies for a time, while Jerusalem addresses the need for an inner spiritual or philosophical life. It's an interesting tune that uses Jerusalem as an allegory for this spiritual destination, and comes off sounding like a classic Indigo Girls tune. Settle For Grey is a subject most artists touch on at some point in their career, the loss of clear black and white in choices that seems to occur over a lifetime. It's a moralist message that's decidedly amoral, and an intriguing epilogue for Luft.

Luft is an extremely talented songwriter, encapsulating person, time and place with the skill and temerity of Randy Newman. Vocally she's up there with the best, and the musical arrangements here are anything but typical. Luft sounds like she's still challenging herself on each song, and enjoying it in the process. The Light Fantastic is a terrific listen. Luft is a master songwriter and performer. You don't want to be without this disc.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Cara Luft at http://www.caraluft.com/ or www.myspace.com/caraluftmusic. You can purchase a copy of The Light Fantastic at www.cdbaby.com/cd/caraluft.

Review: Redfish - De Profundis

Redfish – De Profundis
2008, Redfish/SOCAN

Based in Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada, Redfish are expanding their reach far beyond their home base. With album sales stretching as far across the globe as China, folks are starting to catch on to this dynamic band in a big way. With the soaring musical ideals of U2 and the quirky grit of The Tragically Hip, Redfish brings a unique sound to the table that is guaranteed to catch your ear. Redfish’s latest release, De Profundis, mixes commercial flavor with the sort of heady and interesting rock sound that is a sure recipe for success.

De Profundis gets off to a mixed start on Look On. This is a great guitar rock song, but the vocal effects on the song make it impossible to understand Edward Hagman, turning a great song into a good song. Breanna is one of the highlights of the disc. Co-written with Grammy winning producer Randy Cantor (Ricky Martin, Fugees, Bon Jovi) and Dennis Matkosky (who previously wrote Maniac for Michael Sembello), Breanna is the sort of dynamic rock song that gets eaten up on commercial radio. Big harmonies and a little flare for glam come across in a song that sounds like it might have come from a collaboration between The Tragically Hip and 54-40. Citizen is a call to action song (“We al came awake in a state of disgrace”) that is poignant and powerful.

Redfish take an ironic turn with the cover of Eric Burden & The Animals’ Sky Pilot; a song that could easily have been written regarding a recent U.S. President. Be sure to check out Anteroom, a big guitar rocker with blues in its heritage and some really funky guitar work. Also on the menu is All Your Life; opening with a Hendrix style guitar soliloquy, All Your Life is the song on De Profundis with the greatest commercial punch. Other highlights include At The End, Talk To Me and Lonestar.

Redfish have created a sound that is both stridently independent of commercial trends and yet with significant commercial potential. De Profundis has significant breakout potential with the right push or breaks. British Columbia has become a hotbed for dynamic and original sounding rock music, and Redfish is at or near the head of that movement. De Profundis is a must-own CD.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Redfish at http://www.redfishmusic.ca/ or www.myspace.com/redfish. You can purchase a copy of De Profundis at www.cdbaby.com/cd/redfish2.